Guest guest Posted April 16, 2006 Report Share Posted April 16, 2006 Hi Bonnie, This is Steph in VA. Sorry it has taken so long for me to reply. My rheumy died a few weeks ago & I've been completely depressed ... I'm also getting married on May 27th so things have been very nutty! I'm 28 and was dx'd when I was 22 in 11/99. I went for 3 months with symptoms & 13 doctors before being dx'd. Many people wait longer but it felt like a lifetime to me. I was in my last semester of college but these things never happen at a "good" time. When I was dx'd, few doctors believed in aggressive treatment -- my the rheumy that dx'd me did. I was on methotrexate within 3 weeks of being dx'd, and he spoke with me about the "new" biologics, Enbrel & Remicade, which had just been approved at the time. I was on Remicade within 5 months of being dx'd, and I am still on it. I'm actually a spokesperson for Centocor, the company that makes Remicade. About your hounds & taking them to the vet ... I agree! Many people take the children/spouses/animals to the doc when things aren't "quite right" but we ignore ourselves. I don't have kids, but I do have a soon-to-be spouse & a dog. The new meds can be quite remarkable in slowing the progress of RA. I have had arthritis for 7 years now almost and after prednisone & the disease I'm still within normal range with my DEXA tests (bone density). Your rheumy will probably do a baseline DEXA soon if he/she hasn't already. I get mine every 2 years (my next one is in a few weeks). About your lifestyle changing ... it doesn't have to. When I was dx'd I was planning to be a high school English teacher and I chose to change my major. I worked for non-profits. For the past 1.5 years I have worked for the Commonwealth of Virginia ... great benefits & flexible schedule -- they let me off for doctor visits, treatments etc. As you can see ... I write alot too. Take care, Steph in VA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Never underestimate the power of a small, dedicated group of people to change the world -- indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead) AmeriCorps Alums -- We're Still Getting Things Done How low will we go? Check out Messenger’s low PC-to-Phone call rates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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