My name is Konche and I am 46 years ol and I have RA. I have been living with this disease for 9 years and it has got progressively worse. The pain seemed at first to be in the same places at first but over the last few years it has spread all over my body. The night times are the worse as the pain is worse, it throbs and keeps me up throughout the night. I am completely dependent on pain killers the stronger the better. I stopped taking diclofenic (anti-inflammtry) because they were making my stomach billed up with acid and very uncomfortable. I was told that theycan be lethal in the long term beacuse they cause stomach bleeds. I have started on methatrexate and having taken them over a period of 3 months I feel absolutely awful. I feel constantle blouted and sick. I have no appetite any more and have been getting aeful stomach pains/spasms. I have to take folic acid to counteract the spasms but I still get the spasms whether I take the folic acid or not. I also take statin for my high cholestral since reading resent stories about statin and metharexate poisoning I a petrified that this could happen to me. I am also worried that methatrexate may go onto cause liver cirrohsis. I feel like i ambeing used as a gunepig. I have also noticed that I feel so low in myuself, very tearful and then anger. God knows what thats all about. When I have mentioned how I have been feeling to my GP she informs me thatI amthe only person who has these symptoms. I find that hard to believe and also patronising to say the least.

I think that GP's like the one I have should have more training and homework on the subject and also bed side manners!

My condition is genetic my own mother had it and died from cirrohsis of the liver 18 years ago she was also wheel chair bound. She was only 59 when she died and 52 when she started using the wheel chair. Sometimes I wonder if this will be my fate too. My brother and sister who are older than me also have RA.

If this option fails i.e. the treatment I'm on then I would certainly consider chineese medicine, I am determined to not let it take over my life. I have good days and bad days.

I have had to give up work becuase I was becoming unreliable because of my health.