My personal history of RA

[1-2-b-healthyagain]

Hi.  I am fairly new to this website and find the info and support of this group very comforting! Well…here it goes a little info about me.  I am 37 years old and was diagnosed with RA almost 3 years ago.  My symptoms started off with excruciating foot pain then my right knee started swelling.  All of which I attributed to my back to back pregnancies and associated weight gain with each.  I was sent to an orthopedic surgeon re my knee and ended up having an MRI of the knee…when that came back negative…I returned to my medical MD for another knee aspiration and she then sent the fluid for tests and drew labwork for rheumatoid factor…which came back positive at 24.  I was very healthy prior to all of this happening and this was a true shock to me…as well as very depressing!  I was sent to a rheumatologist ,of whom I have been doctoring with ever since, and was placed on Relafen  (1 pill twice daily) and the dreaded Methotrexate (8 tablets once per week)…which took a while to work…but once it did, I felt a lot better.  No further swelling and activities of daily living were again tolerable.  However, I recently went to another holistic MD and was told I have the beginning stages of mild renal and liver damage.  I am too young to die from side effects of medication!!  So something had to change!  I stopped all prescription drugs as of three weeks ago and have been taking herbal supplements.  I haven't really noticed a change and actually feel worse. I am currently reading the arthritis breakthrough book…once I've armed myself with enough information…I will be the next person on the AP!  I refuse to stop until I rid myself of this nasty disease!  Hopefully with a lot of prayer combined with the AP I will soon be in remission too!  Lots of luck and prayers to all who suffer from this! We WILL get through it!!! 🙂

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