Now that you readers have had a glimpse into what it was like when I was first diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis & Sjogren’s syndrome, I’d like to share my next inside look on what it’s like to be a walking pharmacy. With the diagnoses I knew that I’d be on some sort of medications, but I had no idea it’d be more than one kind. I also didn’t know how serious the drugs I would be taking for the rest of my life are. I’d like to share a photo down below of almost all the pills I have been on within the last year in a half.

This lovely picture shows you the pain killers, NSAID’s, steroids, chemotherapy and antibiotics. If you still think I look healthy, take a closer look into my medicine bag before assuming this isn’t a serious disease. My whole purpose for guest blogging here on this website is to raise awareness and educate the newly diagnosed. After being diagnosed, I wanted to know right away whether or not there was a cure, which there isn’t. Then I wanted to know what types of drugs I would have to be on to help me manage my life and to help make the pain go away as much as possible.

I started with Methotrexate, the chemotherapy drug.  Yes, the one they give to cancer patients. This little yellow pill still makes my stomach turn thinking about it. I wasn’t able to handle it so I switched over to the injectable version and that has helped a lot. I no longer get stomach aches and feel sick. Then, I also was on put on an anti-inflammatory drug called NSAID’s to help with the swelling. That wasn’t enough. My Rheumatologists added in the dreadful steroid known as Prednisone, but it doesn’t stop there. I also had to take something to protect my stomach, Omeprazole. Lastly, there is folic acid which is just a vitamin. I was on this method for a few months, and although I did see improvements, it just wasn’t enough. My RA was fighting back as much as possible.

So we started discussing the next step, biologics.
Bio what? Yeah I was not sure what this meant; all I knew is that it must be serious. So I did some research and decided to try Enbrel. Thankfully, I have insurance and was able to apply for their support program which brought the cost way down. I get this in a pack of four and use the auto injector. This means I give myself this shot once a week. I was terrified the first time, but soon enough got the hang of it. I do get site reactions sometimes and my leg gets sore for a day or two but it helps a lot. So I was able to get off all my medications except Methotrexate and Enbrel, and have some success with this combination. My life and how I do things has changed dramatically, even with my medications that I am currently on.

When I think about drugs I think about side effects, and have to weigh my options with the pros and cons of each one.
I am still not stable with my RA and have been looking into other medications. I realized that I needed to use my medications in combination with healthy lifestyle changes. This includes eating no red meat and trying hard to stay away from other inflammatory foods such as potatoes, tomatoes & dairy. I have found that on days where I follow my food guidelines and eat healthy (limit sugar & no fried food as well) I do feel much better. I also need to be careful to stay away from friends and family when they are sick because I do catch things much easier due to my immune system being suppressed with my medications. When I do get sick I take twice as long to heal compared to a healthy person. I’ve had to train myself to take in all these adjustments and although I feel like giving up sometimes I try to remember all the good things I still have in my life and having RA has made me a stronger person.

Guest Blogger Bio
Name: Rebecca B.
Homebase: Moreno Valley, CA
Blog: http://skye-uruz.blogspot.com/
Diagnosis: Rheumatoid Arthritis and Sjogren’s Syndrome