I have Ra and have had it for about 5 years. I have tried all the self injections and unfortunately they either did not work or stopped working. I am now on an IV once a month called Orencia. I tried Remicade, but that stopped working. Orencia has been a god send for me I am able to walk and quilt and do most things the first 3 weeks after the infusion. The last week is a little more difficult but I am doing just fine. I do find that doing the uglies is getting to be very painful for me, but my husband does help a lot. I will not let this get the best of me. My mother had this type of RA and she was in her 80's before she ended up in a wheelchair. I am working towards the 90's.LOL
My mother was a great example for me.
Make sure that your RA doctor is someone you are comfortable with and that you can talk to him. There are a lot of meds out there to help you and do not be afraid of trying them. Living in pain is not fun, and most people do not realize how painful RA is See .. you look okay..so why should you be in pain. If I can answer any of your questions I would be happy to try.
Hang in there .. you are on the road to pain free.
Carole