New to RA and the board!
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New to RA and the board!
| Wed, 06-07-2006 - 12:17am |
Hi! So, I just wanted to intro myself to everyone on the board. I'm a 26 year old female recently diagnosed with RA (after a year and a half of being told it was SLE). I'm lucky enough to still be working @ a job I love (I recover organs for transplant) despite the fact that my hands are my problematic joints. And I have been taking methotrexate for a month or so, was kinda hoping y'all might share some of your experiences with this rx...?!
I appreciate any help or advice that anyone can offer!
Thanks.
Tesha

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Hi tesha,
Sorry about the diagnosis, it can take forever to diagnose RA. No doubt you have researched MXT. as far as treatment goes it is a standard drug of choice but usually in combination with other drugs. RA when active can be an aggressive disease, but it can burn itself out before too much joint damage occurs. It seems some people can get by with only a little treatment and basically little or no damage--- others need more aggressive meds but still get joint damage.
I would pretty much guess that your treatment by your doctor would involve how widespread the joint activity is and your monthly blood tests, if your ESR CRP is okay and little or no joint problems then MXT may be all you need. However if your joints are still flaring with pain swelling morning ( or all day stiffness ! ) then your treatment may need to be reviewed, if you are not responding in a few months.
MXT 20mg side effects for me (when I started 5 yrs ago)...nausea. So I take it Friday night before I go to bed.
Mouth Ulcers at times..important to take Folic Acid when taking MXT.
Slight Hair loss around my temple area, in the beginning I last handfuls of hair when I washed it so I tend to only wash my hair 1 or 2 times a week not everyday like I did. But I have thick hair even now, so dont worry too much about hair loss.
And you should also be aware MXT is a cytotoxic drug.
I have found this board over the yrs to be a great resource for learning about treatments and how to manage daily living with RA and challenges that pop up. Regulars to the board are always happy to help, inform, discuss, support and debate.
you have a great job so you obviously need to maintain those hands so you dont drop the box. Although a slightly dinted heart would be better than none. Have a great day. Lell
Welcome!! Nice to meet you! I've been on methotrexate for a few years now. I was on the pills and now I'm on the injections. No problems, other than some nightmares (you can see my post on that!), but I think that is quite rare.
Michele in NJ
Hi Tesha,
Welcome to the RA board. Here you will find that the posters are very nice. They listen, share their experiences and advice. That is all we can offer to you here. As we are not doctors. This is a great place to come for support. I have been on this board since my DX.
Just to introduce myself. I am Cyn, 27, SAHM to 2 girls. I have had RA for almost 6 years now.
I have been on quite a few meds. MTX is a good first line med. It was the first med I was put on.
I could not do the oral. It made me way too sick, even with taking folic acid. So, I started on the injectable. After a few months my rheumy pulled me off of it. I started having signs of pulmonary fibrosis.
I have been on MTX,
Hi Tesha
Molly
I just want to thank everyone for their warm welcome! This diagnosis has been pretty hard on me...which is silly I know, because initially the dr was saying SLE (which can be considerably worse). I guess I had just come to terms with the SLE diagnosis, was reading about it, etc. Then to have a different diagnosis thrown at me after an MRI showed erosions in my left hand...well, it really threw me off balance. I had never had my factor tests come back positive or my anti-CCP...only an elevated SED rate and positive ANA. And to hear that my left hand had "minimal erosions in my 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th metacarpal"...even though they are "minimal", they are still erosions! That was a very scary wake up call...
But now I'm pretty optimistic...had to convince my dr to prescribe medication, but now I am on methotrexate (with the accompanying folic acid), and doing good.
And I'm just really glad to have found a group who is/has gone through what I am...makes this transition a little easier! So, thank you!
Tesha
She was taking more of a "let's wait and see" attitude...which I don't understand because she is supposed to be one of the best in the area. And like I've said, she was leaning more towrd SLE...But my MRI cleared that up because SLE does not cause erosions to the joint bones. Even after my MRI showed erosions in my left hand, she didn't prescibe anything...but on the next visit, when I was going to demand methotrexate, her RN practitioner wrote the rx. The RN seems more aggressive than the Dr...especially after she read the MRI report, she went so far as to question the DR's decision to delay treatment. It was one of those "what the hell was she thinking?" conversations.
I am def thinking about finding another Dr...I've seen this one for over a year and a half but I want more aggressive treatment!
Of course that's how I found my current doc, a friend of mine who is a plastic surgeon specializing in hand reconstruction (and has had experience doing sysnovectomy or synovial stripping for RA patients)recommended her.
Tesha, I can't imagine how difficult it was to be diagnosed with one nasty disease, only to have a different dx thrown at you.
Molly
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