R.A. after RNY

I was diagnosed with R.A. about a year out from surgery. My diagnosis came out of nowhere.... no history in my family, symptoms in the past, etc. All of a sudden I had knee pain that wouldn't go away. It got so bad before my diagnosis that i could barely walk without a cane. I had lost about 120 lbs at that point. Now, with all the meds I'm on, I'm feeling fairly regular again.

I take 3 mg of prednisone a day and 20mg of methotrexate a week, I've been on those since May... and just started a humira injection every other week. The prednisone helps most but i hate the way it makes me feel mentally and have been weaning myself down. The MTX is helping I guess. And so far the humira is helping as well (besides giving me horrible headaches for the first two days after my injection).

The research I've done about a connection between RA and Weight Loss Surgery suggests that some people have the R.A. "gene" and it takes a major physiological trigger to 'turn it on' so to speak. My rheumatologist suggested that the huge hormonal changes that came with losing so much weight could have done it. Bummer, huh?! Trading one physical disability for another. Thankfully we live in a time with lots of options for treatment.

Good Luck :)