Newly diagnosed - Need insight

maemalcy

Hi All... I am 33 yo and was diagnosed with sero -ve RA just last week and despite all the readings I'm quite lost. Started on Sulfasalazine 500mg daily now and prednisolone of 5mg daily. The rheumatologist mentioned that she will phase out the pred eventually. I'm trying to lose maybe another 5kg or so but i see that the scale just won't budge.

My biggest concern now are my knees. I couldn't bear to squat anymore due to the restriction and pain i felt when I do. Any tips on regaining their flexibility back?

I'm hoping this Sulfasalazine will work since I want to try to conceive again.

Also how many of you taking other supplements while taking medication for RA? The rheumatologist asked me to stop taking any at the moment to see the efficacy of Sulfasalazine.

Thank you.

mmm_drop

Hello, I don't know how your knees are feeling compared to mine when I was first diagnosed, but there was no way that I was doing any squats of any kind any time soon.

I was diagnosed over 12 years ago, when I was 21 and I could barely walk upstairs, let alone think of doing any kind of exercises. I was put on methaltrexate and prednisone until my initial flare up became more in control. Throughout the years I have been able to phase out all medications and had to only go back on prednisone when I have had bad flare ups.

I suggest that you focus more on your diet right now and don't don anything too crazy with your body until your doctor okays it. For years, all I did was walk and swim; it wasn't until recently that I have been able to engage in other activities pain free and even now I have to modify some moves that are too intense for my body. Your number one thing is to listen to your body. If you need to give your knees a break, then give them a break. Keep things low impact for a while: walk, swim, yoga, stretching, pilates and also keep your doctor up to date about how you are feeling.

I hope this helps and I hope that your medications help you as well so that you can begin to enjoy a pain-free life again.

maemalcy

thank you for sharing... it's good to know that you can phase out all meds eventually. talk about yoga, with restricted movements, how do you cope? is there any good pose for RA sufferers?

Chieflrg

I second the focus should be on your diet & especially listening to your body as well as your doctors.

Depending on how much you want to lose it can make a huge difference on your knees. Less weight is less pressure on your knees.

Stress is a huge factor with me as well as many others on how bad my joints feel. Find something that clears the fog in your brain and doesn't upset your joints and give it a try. Yoga can be very good for this reason alone. Even if your just doing the breathing exercises.

As time goes by, you will learn more about how your body reacts to everything in life. Once again just pay attention to your body.

I'm also med free btw.

mmm_drop

I don't have any pointers for poses that will help or hinder you. If you have a good rheumatologist, like I do, then hopefully he/she can point you in a direction of someone who works with people who have to modify things for their joint issues.

Ritzbrit

Well coming from someone who was diagnosed with RA at 19 (now 29) I can tell you what worked/works for me. Start slow. I could barely walk a few years ago because of extra weight, lack of exercise, not steady meds, etc. If walking hurts, like mine did because my knees were the worst, get in the water! Swimming is such good exercise. Slowly add more if you can but listen to your body! I'm finally on humira and very active today, including running! I never thought I'd run again It'll take time to get your RA under control so be patient.

cedelaney

Welcome to the group! I had my first severe RA attack in 2009 and was diagnosed with Lupus. Prior to that, I was preparing for 10K race and lifting weights for an hour twice a week. What a shock when I could barely walk and my feet were 3 times their normal size. By 2011 my meds (Plaquenil, Celebrex; max doses each) had the disease under control and I had somewhat revived myself from the depression I had felt when this happened and I decided to get serious about losing weight and exercising again. I started slowly and listened to my body. I worked with a personal trainer who specialized in arthritis patients. A month ago, 4.5 years after this started, I ran a 10K again and I felt incredible. I didn't have a winning result, but it was great to me because I know how hard I worked for it and what I had to overcome. You can do it too, just keep perservering.

chantwizzle83

I know this thread is old. But for anyone just seeing it, I just started riding a bike. I have severe osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. I'm on methotrexate injections, plaquenil, vimovo and another naproxen type anti inflammatory I can never remember lol. I was diagnosed in March, and I could barely walk. I would cry everyday from pain. My physio suggested a bicycle because I can't run annymore (or for now) because of the osteo in my feet and knees. I don't like pools cuz they gross me out haha. Floating around in a giant communal tub makes my skin crawl. But I'm up to about 8km on my bike. And just started my weight loss journey again in May. Anyone is welcome to add me as a friend.
Cheers, Chantal

DreamOn145

Is anyone still interested in this group? I am newly diagosed and would love to find some people to talk with