Hi, I am 18 years old, I've suffered with a bad back for about 4-5 years now and for as long as I can remember, i've suffered from Raynoids. I finally saw a consultant last October regarding my raynoids, they done some bloods and xrays, after this, they stated I had primary raynoids, not nice still but managable! Around 2 weeks ago, I got a great pain in my calf. I put it down to a long car journey I had just done. I had experienced pain before in my legs and arms but put it down to the raynoids. Now, within the space of two weeks, I'm almost crippled with pain and I can only just about drive! Luckily I live in a flat, however we've only just managed to get back my blood results which came back boarderline Rheumatoid arthritis but now I am in agony everywhere and at my age I feel its ridiculous, I cant go to the gym anymore, I dont have an appetite, I feel poorly most the time and just generally down and under the weather! Any suggestions on anything i can do to help any of my symptoms?! It is driving me crazy now...:-( Thank-you.
When you're first diagnosed with a chronic illness like RA, it's devastating. There's a lot of emotions going around - you have a chronic illness, it causes pain, it's for the rest of your life and it's very upsetting. I would recommend you see counselor, if you can, to help you adjust and develop coping mechanisms that can help you.
The first thing you need to do is to see a specialist in rheumatic diseases so you can get treated with one of the DMARDs (disease modifying antirheumatic drugs like methotrexate, Paquinil, Arava or one of the Biologics) Without treatment, you will continue to be in pain and the disease can cause permanent damage to joints that can affect your future mobility. I know it sounds scary, but try thinking of the meds as a tool to help you get back to living your life. RA makes you feel poorly and queasy and in general like crap, but once the disease is under control, you'll get back to eating, going to the gym (although you may want to ask your doctor for a referral to a physiotherapist who can help you develop an exercise program that'll keep you fit while protecting your joints) and in general focus on your life with the RA muttering in the background like it's supposed to.
I recommend you check out our area about the basics of RA to get a better understanding of your disease, as well as our area for the newly diagnosed, which contains a number post on living well with RA. Also, pick up The First Year with Rheumatoid Arthritis - it's an excellent resource with loads of good information that can help you feel more in control.
Discuss this with your doctor. He can maybe give you some pain medication and get you started on some prednisone or something like that.
At any age RA is miserable--but at 18-you def need guidance...I was 37 when my RA arrived on the scene and I stuggled with the acceptance of it ever since.Any autoimmune dx (including Raynards) needs constant medical support. The pain is terrifying and can lead to depressing thoughts--your body has let you down...but the answer lies in disease modifying drugs----take care of this now--protect your joints--there are meds out there that WILL give you back your life----call your MD TODAY....
I'm so sorry to hear of your situation DW1991. Your symptoms that revealed the RA diagnosis sound exactly like those I had that lead to my RA diagnosis. I saw a medical/alternative doctor and he put me on hydrocortisone. I chose to do this rather than take the strong drugs the RA specialist recommended. Hydrocortisone is much gentler on your body. I am pain free. Have mild symptoms in my joints now. I am able to resume my life as usual. Some swelling in my knees. But this does not keep me from exercising. Exercising is good to do even with RA.
Hope this helps.
Hello, I'm 18 too, I was 17 when I was diagnosed in Sept 2008, I know how scared you are and all I can say is there is hope. You need to get to a specialist and start on treatment, some of which will be scary, and then keep trying until you hit the right note and start getting your life back. I don't feel 100% yet but plenty of other people do get results quicker and one thing's for sure they can definately make you feel A LOT better than you do now very quickly. Keep smiling, don't panic and please message me if you need someone your own age to talk to, you're the only person my age i've seen who didn't have JRA forever! Hope things are getting better x
I'm so sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. I'm 20 and I was first dignosed with Juvenile RA back when I was a baby, now its full-blown RA. I know its very hard to stay positive but believe me, things will get better. You should go see a rheumatology specialist, they will be able to get you on the right medications that will begin to help you feel better. Stay strong :)
I was told by a nurse practicitioner to take 2 Naproxin sodium in the morning and three in the evening to get a handle on the pain. Ask your doctor if this is something you can do. If you have a lot of swelling, drink pineapple juice. If you hate pineapple juice mix it with orange juice. Heat pads do wonders for joint pain...buy those you can put into the microwave. I stay away from sugar and saturated fats. Always exercise in warm water. Call your local schools for water aerobics classes even if all you do is walk. Be sure to take folic acid...it's cheap. Hope lots of people come up with lots of suggestions. I'm always searching for new ideas.
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I am also one of the rare young RA people that got diagnosed about a year ago. I am 20 and the things that are happening to you are very similar to what happened to me. It starts out small and random. If the doctors do find that it is RA (even if it isn't in your blood work they should give you predisone to see if the drug helps) the medications will really really help! It took some months but I can live my life again without everyday being a let down. It is hard to get use to this new body but like the other women said, the drugs are the solution!
I also have Reynoids disease now because of RA and winter can be brutal. Prepare before the cold comes and have heating pads and such ahead of time so you don't have to suffer both diseases at the same time!
If you need anything let me know!