Recently diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis

I was just recently diagnosed with Rhuematoid Arthritis a year ago.  I have two dogs and got two lyme disease tests with the result negative.  I've done research online and symptom checker through WebMD and National Arthritis Association which gave me a final conclusion that I have been diagnosed with this chronic illness.  

I turned 40, my major joints inflamed, my finger and feet appeared sign of deformity and so on.  At first I thought I have fibromyalgia then I asked my family about hereditary diseases and only women had oesteroarthritis and diabetes on both side of my grand-mother.  I then learned that it happens to anyone as young as 14 and 40 without that defective genes becaue of lifestyle and diet in our everyday living now.

I quit smoking way when I was very healthy in the mid 30s and always been a light-weight with normal diet for the rest of my life 109-116lb.  I walk everyday morning and afternoon with my dogs.  

I went in to see the Rheumatologist after I went to see Orthropedic doctor thought I have this capel tunnel syndrome like symtoms that returned after went in got surgery done two years ago.  It did not go away my hand especially the right hurts when keyboarding everyday from morning to afternoon.  It's weird that my primary care doctor I went for physical check-up can't tell when I told him about the symptom that persisted after lyme tests.  The orthropedic doctor mentioned about seeing Rheumatologist.  I didn't really pay attention for a few month and deal with the pain by using hot cold and OTC pain relived.  

One morning I can't barely roll out of my bed and my feet swollen so badly that I fell back on my bed.  My brain and my heart both working fine and I check my pulse thinking to myself "I have no fever!" what happened to me.  I managed to get to work with few fingers holding on to the wheel.  I called my insurance company, primary care doctor for referral to the Rheumatogist that accepting my plan and asking to see the doctor immediately.  

I showed up limping and crippling while my Rheumatologist tried to pull up my medical history (thank god everything is on portal now makes it easier for him to learn new patient's history in a quick snap).  I told him I definitely have rheumatoid arthritis and pointed-out my reasons I am so certain 100%.  He sent me to the lab and prescribed me Prednisone which I was hestitant to take any forms of powerful medications possbily can as I heard so much side-effect than good.  He scheduled me to come back in a week.

I can't take the pain and need to be able to function so I took the steriod and boom the next day I was up and running like I was 15 again.  I have tremendous energy the whole week and half when taper off on the dosage.  I returned to my rheumatologist and he said that "I nailed it right to my head and the blood tests did show I have Rheumatoid Factor over 79ul than standard 29ul.  He prescribed methetrexate for a month which did not work as well as Prednisone.  I was put off the med and another three months my pain came back every time I'm not on Prednisone.  I dig deeper in research online and asked other which diet and physical therapy could help.  I got rid of all my sauces high in sodium and eliminated sugar entirely.  I ended up losing muscles instead and pain still invasive.

My blood work after 6 months long came back this morning after on totally diet and low-impact exercises for over a month and a half and almost fell off my chair.  My Rheumatoid Factor went from 79ul to 225ul.

I realized that might be also from the booster shots I got around the time I changed my diet and exercise plan.  

At this point, I'm waiting to find out with my doctor on my next appointment how to manage this pain and reduce the progression of my disease.  It seemed medication only stops the pain, but does not treat the illness.  I supposed to be on biologic drug as planned since my doctor works on methetrexate and prove the insurance company that nothing work so the cost can be a little less of a burden ($12,000 a year and they allow you to do an installment, but still that bazaar to inject powerful agent into your body not knowing it's going to work or not)  

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