Hey everyone I'm Shannon. I'm 20 years old with RA...This really messed things up because I was working in a salon. Now I'm back in college and hoping to get into medical school eventually (RA was finally good for something!). I'm on methotrexate (25 mg injectable), Enbrel, Plaquenil, and some other stuff. My RA came on severe (out of nowhere...) and has just been getting worse since then. I really came here to meet other people who are trying to lose weight and have RA.

Im 30 y/o and my only official diagnosis is Lupus. Im off prednisone for now but i take Plaquenil every day and have been for almost two years. My joints waking me out of my sleep in pain was my first symptoms actually. Ive actually had an increase in flares recently to point where i cant walk or hold a fork so im probably gonna be back on steroids soon . I picked up quite a few pounds the last time i was on steriods so im not excited, but i did feel better and have more energy to exercise...the gift and the curse i suppose lol. Im more committed to eating healthy so that should help with the weight gain though, but im still not to my orig weight

Hi everyone! I'm Maddie and I'm so happy to see this group!!
I was diagnosed with Juvenile RA when I was 18 months old. My symptoms were pretty horrible as a kid, but around 15-ish, things started to get better. Or maybe I just got used to it...?
I still have bad days about once a week, more so lately. No major flare ups in a few years, knock on wood! Seems that I've gone through most of the drugs available to treat RA. Maxed out on methotrexate, maxed out on Enbrel, maxed out on steriods and most recently it seems I've become immune to Humira. I just switched to Simiponi, so hopefully that will give good results!
I find that my most problematic aspect of excercising with RA is the pain from so many years of damage. I have limited mobility in my left knee - doesn't quite bend to a 90 degree angle, and a completely frozen left wrist - which doesn't sound too bad, except I'm a lefty and I would love to do pushups!! I really try to avoid taking my mobic, so if anyone has any suggestions for "after workout" stiffness/swelling they would be most helpful!
Sorry for all the exclamation points (!!!), but I've always kind of felt alone in this disease, and it's very refreshing to find a group like this

Hi! My name is Tina :happy: I was diagnosed with "serum-negative" in 2005 and Fibromyalgia in 2006. In 2010 I was also diagnosed with Celiac Disease. On a positive note, not eating gluten completely removed my fibromyalgia pain. Happy dance!

I describe myself as a walking pharmacy but hey, I"m walking!

I am very happy to find a group of people also who understand why I like HOT showers in the early am, and why I sleep extra hours on the weekend to make up for the lack of sleep during the week.

I have quite a chunk of weight to loose, and I look forward to making friends here. Please add me to your friends lists :flowerforyou:

Hi, I'm Stephanie. I was diagnosed with RA about 18 months ago and diagnosed with hypothyroid about 5 years ago. I actually figured out it was RA by watching House...I'm such a nerd. I had so many crazy illnesses leading up to the diagnosis that I knew it had to be autoimmune and lupus and RA are in my family. I was sick with something at least every 3 weeks for an entire school year (I'm a teacher)...Strep B, sinus infections, and then pityriasis rosea (rash over my trunk for 4 months). I went to the doctor and said I thought it was my immune system and she tested me. I didn't think I had any symptoms until I went to the rheumatologist and he started asking me questions. I have stiffness in my feet every morning for about 15 minutes and a lot of pain in my hips. Took prednisone for a while and now I'm on plaquenil and meloxicam. I also have hypothyroid so I had gained about 30 lbs in 3 years and the added weight was rough on my joints. I finally decided to get on the stick when the endocrinologist told me I needed more medicine because I had gotten heavier. My doctor put me on phentermine to spike my metabolism and get the weight loss started. I've lost 17 pounds and can already feel a difference in my joints and my energy level. Oh...and you should all get your vitamin D level checked. Mine is horribly low and i was told it is very common with RA. I'm on a Rx level vitamin D and that increased my energy also.

Hi ! I am Holly, I am 28 years old . I have R.A. , Lupus, Asthma and Hypothyroidism. I was first diagnosed with adult still's disease at about 22 , I was so sick for a 6 months and no one would figure out what was wrong. They finally put me on prednisone said if I was better, they knew what was wrong and sure enough I got better. That is when they said if was adult still's disease which is juvenile ra. I've been on prednisone ever since , trying multiple times to get off with no success and lots of depressing weight gain /moon face. My dh and I began trying to have a family , we lost several pregnancies which we now know was due to the lupus and then in 2010 our daughter was still born again due to the lupus which at the time they didn't feel the need to treat with anything. It was at the begining of that pregnancy they found that I had lupus, which they had believed I had all along but was never positive on blood testing and all of a sudden ever lupus test was glaringly positive. We started me on higher doses of prednisone, hydroxchloroquine, and baby aspirin . I had a sucessful pregnancy that led to the delivery of a beautiful baby boy in May . I am wanting to lose a bit more weight before I feel comfortable getting pregnant with our second and last child before going on lupus/ ra medications in which I cannot breast feed or become pregnant on but will be able to come off the dreaded prednisone and hopefully get down to low 200's which is my biggest goal. The joints the bother me are my hands, fingers, arms, and my toe joints. I look forward to getting to know you all.

Hi Holly, I messaged you as well! I am another survivor of pregnancy loss, I have two daughters and have had 5 miscarriages (4 before my first daughter, then one between kids). I just wanted to say that you can take a few of the DMARDs during pregnancy - Plaquenil and Enbrel are both okay. Low dose prednisone is okay as well. Plaquenil is also a category L2 drug, it is okay to take while breastfeeding. I have been doing tons of research on RA treatment during pregnancy because my husband and I are really wanting to have a third child, but have been unsure of doing so while treating my RA. I still haven't found a treatment plan that works for me yet, and haven't been on Enbrel for 12 consecutive weeks yet either, plus there are other factors causing us to wait...but I want to have my disease under better control before we have another baby. I am afraid of the post-baby flare.

Hello My name is Samantha and I am a 22 year old Senior in college. I was diagnosed with RA this past September. With the steroids and well just bad eating I have gained weight. The weight I have lost was because of being sick from the meds lowering my immune system...

Thankfully my doctor has changed my meds so i now longer get as sick, and well I've gained most of the weight back. Now its time for me to lose it a healthy way. I'm getting married in June and my goal is to lose 20 pounds by then, I figured that is about 4 pounds a month.

What exercises are good for RA? i want something that wont hurt my joints. I know the saying "no pain no gain" But i'm sure most if not all of you would not agree with that statement

Hello Everyone! I am turning 49 this year and have been struggling with RA for some time now. It is incredible to see so many RA sufferers here. When I first started MFP I did not see as many. My name is Pam and I was diagnosed when I was 30 after suffering for months thinking I broke a toe. When it quickly spread upward from there into both feet, ankles, knees and hips while crippling my hands in a matter of days I knew it was something else. I was so afraid and cried a lot. None of my friends understood my pain just walking or holding a heavy purse or grocery bags. They couldn't understand why I no longer wore rings on my fingers, wasn't interested in going out dancing with them at times or wore gloves so often to cover my ugly swollen knuckles and keep them from the biting cold that made things worse. That was nearly 20 years ago.

I originally joined MFP after gaining A LOT of weight from a high dose regimen of Prednisone to stop a severe flare that made it impossible to dress myself, let alone brush my own hair. After losing the first 15 lbs it was amazing how much easier everything became. Extra weight is NOT a good thing when suffering from RA. At least for me. I currently have it under control. I've been using Humira along with Azathioprine and Advil as needed.

Walking, Zumba (certain moves can still cause a flare in my knees) and bicycling are my choice cardio workouts. I used to use a Concept 2 Rower which was an incredible cardio workout (more burn in less time) but found myself building thighs, shoulders and pecs that were not very flattering on my frame. It was the key to my early weight loss. I surpassed my original goals and have maintained a good weight over the past 6+ months without MFP using the lessons I learned here. I have just returned to lose 5lbs again with the support of my friends.

I wish you all a healthy, happy new year. I hope to add some of you to my friend list.

Hello my name is Bruce, i was diagnosed with Psoriatic arthritis 2 years ago, I hope i can join your group, there is no groups for Psoriatic arthritis. I was diagnosed after i returned from Afghanistan. I have been on Embrel for about a year now, my doctor told me i would get used to the shots, but i still have not. I have joined this group because i need the motivation to lose at least 20lbs. I put on a lot of wieght in the last 5 years of my life. I cant afford a gym membership, and i work 2 jobs to keep up, so my time is pretty limited to try to work out. I hope to hear from you all soon

Hi Bruce! There is a regular at the restaurant I work in who has PsA. He is on 10mg methotrexate, 50mg Enbrel and he takes Plaquenil and Sulfasalazine as well. A lot of meds, but he was at a point where he couldn't even walk and now, 10 years later, you would never know he had an AI disease.

Hi, I'm Paula, 49 yrs old and a fully diagnosed, confirmed and medicated RA sufferer of about 4 plus years. My journey to diagnosis was a long process. I try not to focus on the disease and the movement it has robbed me of. The meds, the immobility etc probably caused me to gain a good 30 lbs, but the reality of it all was I didn't start my journey at a healthy weight. So here I am battling hard to win this war that I have never been successful at -now with additional challenges. Now after trying every med going, - Enbrel and Methotrexate injections weekly, plaquenil, etc. keep me at status quo. Have a standing date with my rheumatologist every 6 mos. I never know what the day will bring but pain and aggravation are a given.

I work full time, have 2 teens, a husband, cats and dogs.

I hope weight loss will help my feet, knees and every other joint in my body. I am determined and MFP has given me a confidence to do it this time.

It is nice to find and be able to talk to R.A. Ninjas and know you all understand.

I am available for 'friend' status and look forward to talking further.