You can do it! Don't give in to RA...

Thanks Kelly.  Hope you have a Happy 4th!

Thanks Lene -- that means a lot to me coming from you.  I am an avid reader of your shareposts and have learned so much from you.  Thank you again and have a happy and safe 4th of July!

Hi Highonlife: Thanks for commenting and venting -- I believe it is so important to vent and that is one of the many reasons I love this site -- if you're down or sad or in pain or just frustrated and in need of blowing off steam there is always someone here who understands at an intimate level what you are going through.  I understand your bitterness -- I travel through it many times on any given day.  It could be a friend, colleague, family member or most disheartening, a doctor, who fails to grasp the difficulty of going through chronic illness and all its baggage.  I'm sorry your current rheumy is so unsympathetic and impersonal.  I guess its difficult for others to fully grasp how this disease can make you feel both physically and emotionally.  I still advise you to find a gifted, compassionate rheumy -- they are out there.  It does take a lot of persistence and perseverance and sometimes with pain, fatigue and energy levels lagging it can seem like too much but it is so very important.

There are a lot of side effects from the meds but for me the decision was do I want to live perhaps a longer life in agony or do I want to live as good a life as possible now.  For me the answer was the latter.  I'm so sorry you have been experiencing so many health issues in such quick succession -- this alone can be devastating. Perhaps you just need to take a break and get heart and mind replenished and renewed.  I pray you will find healing and that your spirit is re-energized so that you can reconsider future plans.  I do believe that there is a window of time in which we can decide to fight back by taking meds  to minimize long term damage or we can just give up and give in.  For me for now I choose to fight back -- maybe I'm just a stubborn cuss...lol.  Take care and don't close the door yet on the meds -- new ones are coming out every day.  Take care and write again anytime you need to vent. 

Thanks for taking the time to reply.  I have decided to take a break.  I have seen alot of Dr's, had numerous tests, I am adapting to the fact I may be on medication the rest of my life and am still fuming over the whole situation.  I have given up so much over the past year do to this illness and the other setbacks I have had.  Anyway I did feel better after venting.  I can see that my family and friends are getting tired of me talking about my health problems.  They kind of stare in space now.  Like I said Life goes on.  I am doing alittle research myself.  I will always take an active part in my treatment or non treatment.  Hopefully I will make the right choices.  I don't like Dr's and I don't like meds,  and will try everything in my power to avoid both.  Anyway best of luck and I hope you live a long and active life.

Thanks for your well wishes.  I hope the same for you.  Keep in touch

I'm with you! I haven't been diagnosed yet, but I have all the symtoms of RA. My mother has had RA and has been on every drug out there. She has gained 60 lbs over the years, now has diabetes, and now has cirrosis of the liver (from the meds). She still has all the pain from RA and now will need a liver transplant (which she is not considered a good candidate because of the other issues). So yeah there is medicine you can take, but the question is what's worse the side effects or the pain that eventually comes back anyway. I am trying supplements, which include Osteobiflex, fish oil, and 5000 IU of vitamin d. I walk 1 mile minimum every day, or 2 miles if I'm having a good day. I drink 1 bottle of Elations (joint juice from Walmart) and lots of V8 juice daily. So far I have stiffness every morning yet, but the pain in my joints has diminished. So, am I fooling myself with these supplements? One thing for sure if the RA doesn't kill you , the side effects from the medicine sure will!