Living, not well, with RA

My RA struck the day after my house burned down on Thankgiving 2006. I woke up the next morning feeling like I had the flu - everything ached and I had no energy.  Over the next few weeks I started having red, warm lumps spring up on my wrists, hands and feet. 3 weeks later I woke up crying from the weight of the covers on my feet. I couldn't bend my elbows, wrists or fingers and walking was agonizing. I was diagnosed with rapid onset RA in January of 2007.

Being 28, having lost my home, being a single mom of an almost 3 year old and in the final semester of my MBA program was more than a little difficult. I was advised to go on methotrexate right away but put it off for almost a month.  Life had changed enough and I didn't want to have to give up being able to enjoy a beer with pizza every now and then.  When my doctor promised I could have that occasional beer provided liver function tests were normal I gave in.  My RA treatment was complicated by my latent TB. Yes, my grandfather had it and I test positive. I wasn't very good with my INH and disliked the first two doctors I saw for treatment. I was put on 6 tabs of Methotrexate, 15 mg of Mobic, prednisone (varying dosages as I fought bring on this one,) given Hydrocodone, INH and basically ignored.

I moved to California in May 2007 and found the most amazing Rheumatologist in October of 2007. She convinced me to be serious about my INH, got Enbrel authorized for me and weaned me off the prednisone as of February 2008 (am now 27 pounds heavier than normal.)  Today she added Leflunomide to the regimen as the 8 tabs of methotrexate + Enbrel aren't making enough of a difference.  For the record?  Rapid onset RA is really awful.  Handicapped permit and cane before 30...

To complicate matters I have Hashimoto's disease, a heart condition and what is shaping up to be Sjogren's!  Get one autoimmune disease and get 'em all it seems. 

Luckily I have an amazing family who are willing to do whatever is necessary to help get my life back to normal.  It's a long process but I'm determined to be 100% again.