New to the board and RA

Hi!  My name is Jannie.  I live in rural North Carolina, so there's no support group nearby.  I was diagnosed with RA just last April, so it's only been a year.  It's been a real slow process of working with my Rheumatologist to find the right combo of meds to get it under control.  Along the way I was also diagnosed with Diabetes, which has been another big blow.  It's been a rough time both physically and emotionally, so I'm looking forward to meeting others who know a little about what I'm going through.

By the way, I'm a Kappa Delta alum and found out about Creaky Joints through an article in my sorority magazine featuring Kelly Rouba, a fellow KD sister.

Hi Jannie! I'm a Tarheel native but have lived most of my life in Ohio. Nice to see you here! Who are your people?

Hi Carolan.  Nice to meet you.  I'm a transplant here in NC.  I grew up in Tampa, FL.  Moved here for college  (Regent University, just over the border in VA).  I met my handsome hubby there and never left.  He's a native though.  The Bakers come from the Charlotte area.  We live in the northeast section of the state, just up above the Outer Banks.

hey Jannie- welcome to creakyjoints! It can be really hard to find people in real life to talk to who have RA, thats part of what makes this so useful (I actually have maybe only met 2 or 3 people total in person with RA)... it is really frustrating waiting to see which meds will work, but hang in there!

Hello Jannie, Welcome to the Creaky Crew!!!  Don't feel like an outcast of not having a support group nearby. I live out side of Philadelphia on the New Jersey side of the river and there isn't one here either for a highly populated area and 1.2 Million people in the state that have been diagnosed with some sort of AutoImmune disease. 

I went and created my own Support Group on www.meetup.com have about 10 to 15 members already. 

I have had RA for 33 years and only these past two years have I met others with the disease and found 2 people I work with that have it. Because it is one of the "INVISIBLE" diseases it is hard to know with out opening up to folks. 

Some of us are on Yahoo regularly and have off the cuff joint chats, my yahoo instant message id is:  TessaD762

Now that you have found CreakyJoints you have a support group that is one of the best out there.  I found Creaky only last year and have found more support here than any other board I have ever been on.  The gang here is open, honest and always supportive for RA things, other personal things or anything you want or need to share. 

Hope to see more of your postings.

Tess

Previously wrote:

hey Jannie- welcome to creakyjoints! It can be really hard to find people in real life to talk to who have RA, thats part of what makes this so useful (I actually have maybe only met 2 or 3 people total in person with RA)... it is really frustrating waiting to see which meds will work, but hang in there!

Thanks.  Between the RA and the diabetes, I sometimes feel like I'm at my wit's end.  It's really nice to meet some people who understand.

Hey Tess,

Thanks for letting me know about your support group.  I will have to check it out.

Jannie