New to the scene...

Hi Felicejet,

Welcome to Rheumatoid Connect. I am sorry that you have been diagnosed with RA but at least you are not alone. The first piece of advice I give newly diagnosed patients is that the first year is always the hardest. The reason it is the hardest is that you are adjusting a new life with chronic illness and pain while trying to find what works for you in terms of treatment options, diet, exercise, and lifestyle. I know that some patients try the all-natural approach to treating RA and that works for some but not for everyone. I don’t have a lot of experience in that but every patient should do what best for works them. For me, medication and other changes including diet and exercise have been beneficial. Diet plays an important role in how we feel. An RA friendly diet is one that is generally healthy and is anti-inflammatory.

Here are some links to diet that you might find helpful.
http://www.rheumatoidconnect.com/rheumatoid-a...
http://www.arthritisconnect.com/discussions/4...

Here are a couple additional links for managing flares and pain.
http://www.rheumatoidconnect.com/rheumatoid-a...
http://www.rheumatoidconnect.com/rheumatoid-a...

I always suggest that newly diagnosed patients do their research when it comes to living with RA. When it comes to research, especially through the internet, many patients become discouraged by the information they read and some of the photos of RA damage they see. I always tell new RA patients that most of the medical information is based on worst case scenarios. When I was nearly diagnosed, I just wanted someone to tell me that my life was not over. I was not able to find that through the countless medical research I looked at. I found it by reading the blogs of other RA patients so I am going to suggest the same to you.

Here are some links to get you started. Most of these bloggers have additional links to other bloggers that might be helpful as well.

http://www.rheumatoidarthritisguy.com/
http://rheumablog.wordpress.com/
http://thelifeandadventuresofcatepoo.blogspot...;
http://midnightflier.blogspot.com/
http://livinglifewithraandfms.wordpress.com/

I wish you the best of luck on your RA journey. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have about the site or otherwise. Take care and be kind to yourself.

Thank you so much for your advice…I will look at the other websites you have given me.