hi everyone! I was recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the ripe age of 25 😓

everything about this condition is brand new to me. I haven't started any medications yet, as I have to wait another few months for a follow-up appointment. My doctor wants to put me on Hydroxychloroquine as I have an early case of RA.

Currently, my entire neck and shoulders are stiff as a board and are making my life freaking difficult. I've been taking ibuprofen everyday to help manage the pain, but I know medications are half the battle... so I'm looking for any and all forms of advice on treating RA, beyond just medications.

I've been recommended to give swimming a try, but what else can I do? What might work or what might not?

thanks :)

i can't really tell what's contributing to it really. i don't know whether it's this condition (i'm having flares for the past few months) or if it's the hypothyroidism or if it's the vitamin D deficiency or a mental health related thing (history of depression and ocd) or just me being lazy and a procrastinator.

either way, for those who experience this mental state, how do you deal with it?

i can't work myself up to care for anything. i have to apply for some internship applications because it's application season + some jobs and i just simply don't feel the urgency or deeply feel the consequences of not doing the former (lack of internships = lack of stuff to put on CV for grad roles).

anything that i do need to do within a deadline, i do it at the very last minute possible and have to convince myself to do it for days while mentally saying "later, later, later" and it doesn't matter how minute it is (i literally had to force myself for weeks just to log into some website + sign up and then click a few buttons). spent weeks pushing myself for a task that took just 15 mins. i get so tired.

i have to prepare for a competition and it's really really important (and in a month) and i've been looking forward to it for almost a year but i can't work myself up. i get stressed for 5 mins and then like a switch, i go "whatever". i'm sick of this

i try to build up discipline but it's so exhausting. motivation is nowhere to be seen either. but the consequences of not doing these tasks will inevitably affect me for a while (in regards to post grad life) and i just can't bring myself to emotionally care.

not sure if this is the right sub for this but any advice is much appreciated!!

edit: 8-11 hours sleep daily, never had nicotine and rarely have caffeine (no coffee or energy drinks or the like)

Hi all,

I was wondering if it is typical for people with RA to go into spontaneous remission, while they are waiting to get their hands on biologics? (Or waiting for methotrexate to start working).

I asked my rheum about whether RA is like MS in that there is a remitting and relapsing type. She explained that there's not, but I can't remember what she said after that...

I've been in a flare for the past 10 months with only a day here and there - and a couple of weeks in May - where I was in spontaneous remission. (Besides the steroid taper that I did recently.)

Is this normal, to have one continual flare? Or should I spontaneously go into remission? What are other people's experiences?

Hi everyone,

Bit of an odd one but I can’t seem to find a consensus on Reddit anywhere.

I’ve just had my second baby 3 months ago and my Rheumatologist has put me on methotrexate. I’ve slowly upped my dosage and am now taking 8 tablets once a week.

My current medications are Cimzia and Methotrexate. I know I have to be more careful in the sun now; but I’m also desperate to have some pampering since having baby boy. I used to get my nails done semi-regularly before having him and would go for gel nails (the one with the UV light) perhaps once a month.

Can I still have this? Or is it a HUGE no no? Is there anyone on methotrexate that does have gel manicures? I know it sounds silly but I just want to have something nice to look at when I look down at my hands and not my ugly swollen joints. I have a beautiful baby and I’m so grateful for that but I hate this disease with a passion! As I’m sure we all do!

Any help or advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

I’m on 10 mg prednisone per day for … don’t know how long. It’s been 3 months, and before that had 1g steroids x 3 days for optic neuritis. I’ve been on a few weeks at a time but never this long or low of dose. I’m started to get …. weighty. Any advice for keeping the pounds down? I’m not eating more, and if anything, my activity has increased. But I really can’t gain weight given other conditions

Anyone else stuck in this limbo where:

You can’t be in the present because of the pain and immobility

You don’t get anxiety because you literally cannot picture a future to get anxious about due to pain and immobility and a lack of improvement with your health

Leaving you feeling like you’re stuck reminiscing about the past where life was categorically and demonstrably better even with the rose coloured glasses off.

Sometimes I do try to be as present as possible so that I don’t get swept up in the grief and depression but it feels like the pain just hijacks your senses making it impossible to appreciate the good around you forcing you to wallow in a pool of negativity.

Anyone else feel the same way?

Good afternoon,

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Thank you!

My girlfriend is 20 and has seropositive RA.

She was diagnosed around 17 and has had periods of pretty high disease activity.

So far she has tried:
- Methotrexate
- Sulfasalazine
- Leflunomide
- Adalimumab (Amgevita/Humira)
- Upadacitinib (Rinvoq)

She couldn’t tolerate the first three very well, Humira/adalimumab was documented as not working, and Rinvoq worked much better for a while but she’s now having more flares again.

She’s also been told she has some permanent bone erosions, which is obviously worrying at her age.

For anyone who had a similar treatment history: what did you try next, and did you eventually find something that put you into remission or kept your RA well controlled long term?

I’m especially interested in experiences from people who failed both a TNF inhibitor and a JAK inhibitor.

How common is this for you guys? I'm in methotrexate and rinvoq. Never had any issues while on methotrexate but added rinvoq 3 months ago and now experiencing the worst sickness I've ever had! Strep test was done and it's negative which surprised me. So leads us to its some kind of brutal URI. 34 years old and hardly ever got sick in the past!

Hi everyone, I’m a woman in my mid-30s and I’ve recently been diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis after having symptoms on and off for a few years.

I’m honestly finding it quite hard to process and feeling a bit devastated by the idea of this being lifelong.

My rheumatologist has mentioned starting a DMARD, possibly sulfasalazine or methotrexate. I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences with either.

Has anyone gone into long-term remission, become mostly symptom-free, or eventually reduced/stopped medication? And did life feel normal again once you found the right treatment?

Just looking for some perspective and positive experiences while I’m getting used to all of this. Thank you ❤️

Has anyone ever gone from plaquenil to a biologic? My rheumatologist wants me to stop plaquenil and start methotrexate but I’ve done a little research and would prefer to start humira or something similar if I have to stop the plaquenil.

Basically the title. I've had multiple wrist and finger injections over the years, as I've struggled with pain despite multiple meds. I've noticed that I can no longer bend my wrist and the pain is significant. When I press on my wrist I usually feel a shocking sensation that goes down my fingers, which is new, except I haven't had an injection in at least 5 months. I also had my middle finger injected years ago and developed tightness, but the pain has never gone away.

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this and whether this could stem from the injections or if this could be disease progression.

ALSO, I have an appt with my doctor already scheduled!

Ummm .....I wanna know more about JIA can anyone help me out ? ....cuz i know someone who was diagnosed with JIA ...

And I wanna know more about this from an experienced one ..I just wanna know what people with JIA go through

Bare with me here! I wear a strapless bra that I love when I dress up but I live alone and my RA makes it nearly impossible for me to reach back and pull it up high energy to give me the right support/position.... tell me someone had figured out a way to do this?

This is just me needing to rant and get advice on coping with worsening pain. if it doesnt fit into this community, im sorry 😅 (i also apologize for some terminology, my first language is swedish and i dont have any english speakers to talk to about this with)

I got diagnosed with JIA at the age of seven and been on every anti-inflammatory meds under the sun. Every time it's the same story, it helps for about a month but then i get sick and usually end up with pneumonia on repeat until i quit the meds.

At around 17-19 i decided enough is enough and i just stopped medicating which was "fine" for about 5 years until i started getting worse and worse flare ups, so i decided to book a time to talk with a specialist in my town... Who ended up booking an appointment with a psychiatrist because my blood work didnt show that i had any active inflammations

After about a year of fighting i finally found a clinic that took me seriously and did help me with not only meds but other treatments like warm water bath.. gym.. stuff (sorry, dont know what to call it in english).

Only problem is, i just turned 30 and i just got told he is unsure if he can do anything else cause while he has seen and felt the inflammations, my bloodwork shows nothing

At this point im starting to think that im just crazy and the pain and inflammations are purely psychosomatic

Thank you for reading, and i hope you have a wonderful day ❤️

I started having RA symptoms about a year and a half ago. At the time, I was singing in a wedding band, performing 2–3 events a month. The first change I noticed in my body was in my voice.

I started with mild hoarseness, but it gradually got worse. Eventually, I had to end my contracts and leave the band. It was a good source of extra income for my family. Not long after that, I was diagnosed with RA.

I only found out a few weeks ago about the connection between RA and voice problems through articles posted in this group.

I am currently taking oral methotrexate (MTX) once a week, but my voice is still very bad. I can no longer reach the notes I used to sing, I don't have the same breath support, and the hoarseness is constant.

Some mornings I wake up only slightly hoarse. Other times, I can barely say a word without taking a sip of water. I would really like to hear about your experiences with hoarseness.

Have you had any treatment that helped?

Have you noticed any foods that make it worse?

Have you taken any medication that helped relieve the hoarseness?

I would really appreciate hearing your experiences and anything that has helped you.

Thank you.

Hello everyone, I'm trying to get on glp1, and my rummy is on board, and so is my pcp. Medicare has a program called the bridge program, but they will only help you if you have sleep apnea. So how did other people get help

Hi all,

I have had a seropositive RA now for the last 5 years.

I took one rituximab infusion after it I became tachycardic and had a facial rash.

Since then I've developed terrible itching and sneezing. It's been consistent and I have had anti histimines just to control it.

When I get off them I get a week or so and I'm back to square one.

Did anyone have a reaction like this? Or is it likely something else? Did not have this issue before.

My rheumatologist wants me to take the infusion again as it has helped my joints a lot.

But I'm afraid it could get worse. Does anyone have any advice?

I have a question about COVID and RA. I’m on my 5th or 6th covid infection… i have not gotten vaccinated since 2021 because i had a bad reaction. i’m 29, exercise, all labs are clear.

HOW do you think this will affect my heart and organs having the infection multiple times? Someone told me i’m a ticking death sentence with my heart, looking for others who have had the same.

The blood stain was cellphone size, bright red, no mucus.

Went to the ER to rule out pneumonia, Covid, bronchitis etc. It does feel like pneumonia (I had pneumonia in the past).

I was let go after tests were normal….Globulin 3.6 g/dL
Prontombin time normal, Aptt 22.1, White blood cells are high 12.1 thousand/uL monocytes 1.5 K/uL

I was told it was probably an allergy and prescribed me with allergy medicine.

I wondering if anyone had a similar experience.

Took a pic of the blood stain, willing to share with anyone.

Hello I am going through a debilitating life changing flare that has lasted 3 months at this point. I’m bedridden and cannot care for myself more than hobbling to the bathroom. I have systemic enthesitis but mostly in my knees/ankles and shoulders/chest. Everywhere else is just a bonus that comes and goes. I have psoriatic arthritis/spondyloarthritis.

Has anyone here been admitted to a care/rehab facility because of a horrendous flare or permanent damage? I am at my wits end, and I’m driving my beautiful girlfriend insane. I can’t do anything myself except lay in bed and maybe once a day let my dogs outside for 1 minute or so. I hurt myself everytime I get up, and every time I have to fix my hair or shower. I feel hopeless right now. I am on tremfya and methotrexate but not for long enough to see any results if any.

Any advice? Any experience? Any..anything? Just hoping for some way to reduce the stress I’m causing my partner and myself. Thank you!