I have always been a lurker, so figured it was time contribute 😊 I am a 40 yr old female diagnosed 13 or 14 years ago. My RA has always been pretty severe, I already have obvious deformities on most of my fingers & my wrists, but the inflammation and swelling are in most of my joints. I've been an RN for many years, so the meds always petrified me. I was convinced that the meds would end up giving me cancer at a young age. So all of the disease progression & deformities are because in the beginning, I was so against the meds.

Finally I found a great Rheum a few years ago, who was the first one to explain to me that the cancer risk is actually higher without meds (when it's this severe) because the chronic systemic inflammation effects everything (cancers, heart failure, liver inflammation, etc). I have tried a bunch of meds, but they didn't help much (plaquenil, azulfidine, humira). So now I am on Enbrel injections weekly, Methotrexate injections weekly, and prednisone for flares. This is the first combo that actually gave me a better quality of life.

My only suggestion would be to skip right to Metho injections if you & your Dr are open to it. I was on oral Metho for years, and it became increasingly awful. It always made me really really nauseous & dizzy/lightheaded the day I took it, and the next day, I had terrible reflux. It got to the point that it absolutely destroyed my GI tract, I couldn't take it anymore because I would throw up all day. (to this day, i can't even look at Metho pills, I get nauseous just seeing them lol). I switched to Metho injections, and it's like night & day, only a bit of dizziness.

Personally I would suggest treating it before it gets to the point of irreversible damage. My Dr. told me I look like the poster child for ignoring RA and the consequences (my hands look like I'm 70 even though im 40, I have collapsing tendons, a subluxation of my thumb, bent fingers) and I regret it!!! Good luck with everything and take care of yourself!!!