I was first diagnosed with RA about a week before my 21st birthday. I had been working in fast food for the previous 8 months and my symptoms started with index finger pain. I told my dad "I think my index fingers hurt from pushing the soda fountain buttons and when I bend it like this it hurts." to which he said "Then don't bend it like that." It didn't make me laugh at the time but it does now. Then I began having 'aching' feet (tried all sorts of shoes) that progressed to hardly being able to get out of bed in the a.m. due to feet pain (I would cry some days when I had to set my feet ont he floor) and joint aches and stiffness that worsened. At first I chalked it up to the job but no one else I worked with seemed to be affected the way I was! Then one Wednesday morning after a 3 night shift I woke up and I couldn't move my left arm without excrutiating shoulder pain.... sooooo to see the Dr I went and I told him that I had done research on my previous symtpoms and that I thought I had RA. (not an unreasonable assumption since my mother's uncle had RA, my grandmother has thyroid disease and my mother has hypothyroidism and fibromyalgia) He of course said "You're too young for RA but we'll do some tests, put you on some anti inflammatories and see what we can find out". 2 days later he called and said "Well it looks like you DO have RA after all". I promptly requested a referral to a rheumatologist which he didn't seem to think was necessary so I found my own rheumy. I did the methotrexate and folic acid and Bextra for awhile. Ended up on Remicade in addition to those until I started having liver complications and had to stop ALL meds. I was med free for 3 months (that was fun, ha!), got my liver detoxed with some natural remedies and then started back on Celebrex. After I moved to NC 4 yrs ago, I got a job with health insurance (worked as best I could and waited the 1 yr for the stupid pre existing condition clause, with a little help from prednisone occasionally) and voila! I'm by no means awesome but I'm definitely better overall. Now I have a great rheumatologist who has me on a fairly good combo of meds. Orencia has pretty much been a life saver for me. November '11 marks my 9th "anniversary" with RA. It's a struggle sometimes to keep a positive attitude and to try to be a "normal" young wife. I got married 11/9/10 and my husband, Paul, is more dear to me than I can express. I also have much support from my mom and some close friends who listen and tolerate me even when I'm in grumpy "arthur" mode. Soooo.... come what may, I keep going on. :) "There's always gonna be another mountain, I'm always gonna wanna make it move, Always gonna be an uphill battle, Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose. Ain't about how fast I get there, Ain't about what's waiting on the other side... It's the climb." (whoever wrote this song for Miley Cyrus did a good job, even though I'm NOT a pop music person)