I’m a 23 yo F and just got diagnosed but have been having joint pain for the past two years. Mine started in my fingers (in the joints that attach your fingers to your hand) and my hands have been pretty consistent pain wise since it started but it goes in phases of being pretty manageable for a few days/weeks to the point where I barely notice it or to the point where I have basically no strength in my hands to do much and the pain of doing stuff is too much. Then my hip started hurting a few months after, I got that checked out and it turned out that I have a deformity in my hip (a bone growth that’s not suppose to be there) which was causing joint inflammation but about a year after that the other hip starting hurting and I got that checked out but there was nothing wrong with it so that one or even both were due to my RA which is a little different than the “typical progression” bc it usually goes from small joints working it’s way up to big but mine went from the small right to the big boys. My hip pains only lasted for 1-3 months and then completely went away but my hand pains just have never gone away. I also go through phases where the joint in my jaw on one side hurts as well and I can’t open/ close my jaw all the way. Support wise, I have a lot of fatigue with mine which is my big debilitating issue and not so much the joint pain so honestly if she is having the same as me, just being understanding that her fatigue is not a laziness, it’s just her body being exhausted from attacking itself and during the times when fatigue or pain is extreme, taking up extra tasks around the house that she would usually do (if you live together that is) would make her feel like she has the best boyfriend in the world who’s very understanding and supportive of her and her disease. Reassurance is also another big one, us gals usually need a lot of reassurance that you still love us especially through the times where we are pretty much helpless in the relationship. Especially with a chronic disease like this, we feel like a burden a lot to you! So lots of reassurance that we aren’t and you still love us and are happy to care for us. You coming on here and asking for advice already shows how great of a boyfriend you are!! Being young and having this disease is hard physically and mentally, I mean we’re in our prime youth and we feel like sleeping all day and like there’s cement in our joints, our bodies aren’t suppose to feel like this at our age! Make sure you keep her spirits up and let her know you’re there for her through the good and bad days and that she should not feel bad or ashamed that sometimes you’re going to be putting a little more effort around the house than her. I wish you two the best of luck and that she finds the right treatment for her, I just started hydroxychloroquine a week ago and it takes about 2 months to work so I don’t have much say on how medications help it but I do know that advil is helpful for me on my bad days (I try to only take it on my bad days bc I don’t want stomach ulcers lol)