Guest guest Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Welcome. This a very good group. It is very informative. > > I am 25 years old, and always been extremely healthy, until now. My > primary care physican has diagnosed me with possibly having rheumatoid > arthritis. I am scared to be so young and feeling so bad all the time & > all of a sudden after leading a completely healthy & pain free life up > to this point. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 I was 25 when I finally got my diagnosis, I am 26 now. My primary got my the diagnosis of probable RA. My rheumy gave me the diagnosis of lupus and RA. It is hard to deal with having a chronic illness at such a young age. I do understand that. Now having lupus and RA are part of who I am. They don't define me, but have definately made me a strong and more compassionate person. This group has helped me a lot! A lot of the people in this group have lived with ra for years and are very helpful and have some of the best advice. Feel free to email me anytime you want to vent at Hollybgroovin2003@.... I don't have all the information, but I can definately listen. Best wishes, HOllypr_jem <pr_jem@...> wrote: Welcome. This a very good group. It is very informative. > > I am 25 years old, and always been extremely healthy, until now. My > primary care physican has diagnosed me with possibly having rheumatoid > arthritis. I am scared to be so young and feeling so bad all the time & > all of a sudden after leading a completely healthy & pain free life up > to this point. > Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 I’m a little more than three times your age and I’ve had RA for a bit over 4 years. You need to see a good rheumatologist and get started on an aggressive sequence of treatment. RA can’t be cured but it can be helped considerably. A class of drugs called DMARDs (Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs) is intended to slow or stop joint damage that is likely to happen with untreated or undertreated RA. You will also need to coordinate medications with your gynecologist because some RA drugs are hard on a fetus. Some of them you need to be off of for 6 months before conceiving. Others they don’t have much data on with pregnancy. Most people use Western medication to control their RA and get a life back but some people benefit from diet and nutrition, antibiotic therapy, or Chinese medicine. If one thing doesn’t work, try a different approach. It is important to get RA treated early because joint damage is permanent and needs to be avoided. God bless. From: Rheumatoid Arthritis [mailto:Rheumatoid Arthritis ] On Behalf Of jules7194 Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2006 10:36 PM Rheumatoid Arthritis Subject: Hi, I'm new & scared! I am 25 years old, and always been extremely healthy, until now. My primary care physican has diagnosed me with possibly having rheumatoid arthritis. I am scared to be so young and feeling so bad all the time & all of a sudden after leading a completely healthy & pain free life up to this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Possibly is not absolutly. Get to a Rheumatologist to be SURE. If you do have RA, be sure to see if there is a support group in your area sponsored by the arthritis foundation. www.arthritisfoundation.org. There should be a chapter office in your state. Today there are biologics like remicade and MRA to halt the damage and lesson your symptoms to the point that you can lead a normal life, albeit with a bit of wisdom. Fatigue is a big factor. Be sure to get plenty of rest. This isnt as bad as it was a decade ago when I was diagnosed. Lots of great research has been done and newly diagnosed people get the greatest benefit. Email anytime. yours, Deborah On 3/27/06, jules7194 <jules7194@...> wrote: I am 25 years old, and always been extremely healthy, until now. Myprimary care physican has diagnosed me with possibly having rheumatoid arthritis. I am scared to be so young and feeling so bad all the time & all of a sudden after leading a completely healthy & pain free life upto this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 Hi. I was diagnosed when I was 24 years old with RA, and I started getting symptoms when I was 22 (I'm now 28). I was totally feeling the same way you were when I was diagnosed. I had relatives that had RA VERY badly. I was so afraid that I was going to get like that too by the time I was 40. But I continue to meet with my rheumy regularly, eat well, stay as active as possible etc. I have accepted that I have RA, and there was nothing that I could do to prevent it, but I have satisfaction knowing that my RA was caught early, before any major damage was done, and that there are ways that could slow it down. If you ever feel like chatting, you can email me here or at my email account jamie8177@... jules7194 <jules7194@...> wrote: I am 25 years old, and always been extremely healthy, until now. My primary care physican has diagnosed me with possibly having rheumatoid arthritis. I am scared to be so young and feeling so bad all the time & all of a sudden after leading a completely healthy & pain free life up to this point. Blab-away for as little as 1¢/min. Make PC-to-Phone Calls using Messenger with Voice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.