I've been taking MTX since late summer. For the past couple of weeks, I've experienced awful fatigue. Hard to get out of bed, hard to keep on a schedule, hard to complete a task. And now, on top of all that, I'm getting painful sores in my mouth. I believe they are canker sores. Man, do they hurt. I've had canker sores before, but they didn't hurt like this. This is different.
Is this PsA? Is it MTX? Is it both? I am terrified of standing in front of 100 college students tomorrow and slurring my words because this thing hurts so bad, it interferes with my diction. I take folic acid, as prescribed, and b12 injections, oral B supplements. Now what? I don't want to give up MTX; it's helping my joints and skin. Any ideas? I'll read them when/IF I ever wake up! lol
Yuck, Byrd, mouth cankers are awful! The worst part is that you are constantly and acutely aware of them. Your slurring is probably not as obvious to your audience as it is to you. I have read that mouth sores are part of the picture, but I would have thought that they would have appeared early on in your treatment. I'm wondering: fatigue, sores ... could this be an infection of some sort? Bet you're wondering too!
I'd give this another week or so and then I'd be asking my PCP or Rheumy for advice. Fingers crossed that they'll just go away!
Thanks, Seenie, I'm hoping they go away soon, too! I dropped by my dentist's this afternoon and his diagnosis was aphthous ulcer (translated, canker sore). He had nothing to offer, he said, because of the location. So I"m stuck with this for a while, I guess. He said the most likely cause is stress, but it could be the MTX. He also said these are rarely seen from MTX when folic acid is also being used. So there's not a lot of help there in terms of knowing if it's MTX related or not. The increased fatigue I am experiencing, he said, could be a PsA flare and the canker sores could be a reaction to that physical stress. I see my rheumy in a couple of weeks and I'll be sure to ask her about it. In the meantime I'll be slurring! lol Gosh, it's always something. Thanks for your concern. It doesn't hurt to smile. :-)