Rheumatoid Arthritis

the glass woman

Hi everyone,

I'm undergoing some tests at the moment to see if I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, or Rheumatism i think its also called.

All of the symptoms i've been experiencing point to this conclusion, and to be honest I just want an answer to whats been causing the pain I started to experience last june, but now i'm getting worried because everyone I've mentioned it to including my doctor said it was a terrible disease to have, with no cure.

I suppose I was just hoping to hear from people who suffer from this condition, how has your life changed?, is the only treatment Steroids, and if so do they play havoc with your system? And also are you in constant pain with it? I'm presuming what i'm feeling is only the beginning and it will get a lot worse.

Thanks to everyone in advance x

Heraldoffreeent

Hi there, I was diagnosed with RA in April last year after having had a terrible time since the previous Nov.In may i was prescribed Metathraxate which I take on a weekly basis followed by folic acid to negate the side effects.
For the first 3 months i wasnt sure if the MTX was all that effective(there was a little reduction in the pain but not a lot) I persisted with the treatment however and some time in November the pain and soreness almost completly disapated. While taking the MTX i was still taking Difene, however I think i've had one difene since Nov.
Its your liver that breaks down/proceses the Mxt, so you need to watch your alcohol consumption.......the Doctors recomend no more than 2 units per week I think.
Now I get the odd twinge from time to time, but nothing more serious.
MXT is not a steroid, from what I have heard steroids are the last resort. I asked what were the options if MXT didnt work and was told that the next option would be Sulfasalizine(SP?).
In terms of side effects from Mxt, There are a lot of these listed, the ones I encountered were mouth ulcers and blurred vision, these dissapeared after a month or two, and the folic acid is meant to deal with these.
What you have heard about there being no cure is correct so far, however it can be managed, the drugs above are DMARDS, Disease modifying anti-rheuetoid drugs, which is fairly self explanatory.
Yes, its an annoying disease, but its not the end of the world and one needs to learn to manage it and live with it.
Hope this helps!!

the glass woman

That's really helpful Herald, thanks so much for your post, i'm not so worried about the outcome now..

Heraldoffreeent

the glass woman wrote: »

That's really helpful Herald, thanks so much for your post, i'm not so worried about the outcome now..

You're more than welcome.
If you have any questions dont hesitate to post them, or PM me if you'ld like.
I Know its a worrying diagnosis, so I'd be only too willing to help if I can.
Have you had a full diagnosis yet? are you seeing a consultant?

the glass woman

Heraldoffreeent wrote: »

You're more than welcome.
If you have any questions dont hesitate to post them, or PM me if you'ld like.
I Know its a worrying diagnosis, so I'd be only too willing to help if I can.
Have you had a full diagnosis yet? are you seeing a consultant?

I'm getting my bloods taken on friday to see it anything shows up, it was supposed to be tomorrow but a family member can take them on fri instead of me going to the hospital as i've a 18mt old son so queuing is a bit of hassle..

My GP said that it nothing shows up that he will refer me on to an orthapedic surgeon as there has to be something wrong with me, but to be honest i'll be very surprised if it isnt RA.

Thanks again

Heraldoffreeent

If you get tests done they will look at something known as the RF factor, Although this is not a definitive, If its high, then it can point to RA.
What kind of symptoms are you displaying?
As I said, Its is a horrible affliction, but it is manageable.
Your diet also becomes important in dealing with it,Plenty of brightly coloured veg,less fat and dairy.......and pineapples, I'm eating about one a day at the moment, they contain Bromine which seems to alleviate the inflamation.
If the RA is diagnosed early, the treatments seem to work more successfully.Somebody also suggested to me to wear a copper wrist band, which although I was sceptical to begin with, I now do.........it hasn't done me any harm.
The most important thing though, is to believe that you can beat this and live well despite it.For a while I was pretty annoyed by the whole thing, and I was feeling sorry for myself, but you cant let it beat you down, and you have to focus on living life/working/your family/enjoying yourself and how you fit these things around your RA.
And who knows, it may not be RA at all.:)

the glass woman

Yes i did hear diet played a big part, as with everything i suppose..
My symptoms started last june, it was cramping in my right foot, and lots of swelling. I had the same in my left foot but to a lesser extent. I went on hols to the sun that july and the pain vanished. Since then the pains come and go, something that baffled me, as i thought i had damaged my foot due to incorrect footwear etc, but surely that should've been constant pain. So i went to my GP for an x-ray but that came back clear. He didnt really investigate it further. A while later the pain and swelling got so bad that i went for acupuncture, have had loads of muscular injuries in the past and find it great. The following day the pain vanished, the swelling went down but ten days later it came back.

So since then basically my ankles are stiff esp in the mornings, i limp for about an hour, and also at night, i tend to lie awake aching all over and cracking my ankles. If i've been sitting down for a while they ache, and the cold weather aggravates it. My wrists are also affected, as are my knees but to a lesser extent. I've also got that horrible fatigue i'd only associate with pregnancy, but i put that down to loads of infections and complications post caesarian section, which also left me quite anaemic.

Eh, i think thats the lot, its been going on too long now for it to be nothing so hopefully i'll get some answers. Forgot to mention i was watching an interview with someone who had it which lead me to question my GP about it in the first place, as i recognised the symptoms. (i'm not a hypochondriac i swear!!)

star-pants

Hi there,

My mother's had RA for the past 27 ish years. Hers' is fairly bad - and progressed but even then she's had a family, 4 children and still runs the household. Her diagnosis was back when there was little known about the illness and so treatments were experimental etc.
People diagnosed with it nowadays have a much better chance of warding off most of the effects. The methatrexate my mother was on years ago, but after a while it stopped helping and was more hindering (making her sick). But that was after having the illness for years. Early treatment is good. Exercise and diet are a big part of it.
Eating well, taking the likes of folic / glucosamine / codliver oil (obviously consult doctor) are good. Exercise like simple stretches, swimming, yoga are all good for helping your muscles deal with it. A good nights rest (When possible, not always when you've young children ) also helps an awful lot, because when you don't sleep properly your body is stiffer when you get up as it's not relaxed enough during the night.

I myself have Fibromyalgia which is similar to RA but not as bad, I get pains but no swelling and I'm on medication for that. But again as it's similar, diet and gentle exercise and most of all proper sleep help keep it at bay. Acupuncture as you mentioned can be good for RA as well, my mother was too far advanced for it to work on her when she tried but again, catching it so early is an advantage.

I do hope you manage to keep it controlled and hopefully it won't interfere with your life too much. Any other questions - ask away

the glass woman

Thanks so much Star-pants, i'll be waiting a couple of weeks for the test results to come back, but in the meantime i'll take on all that good advice

Splendour

Hi guys, not sure if this any help as have no experience of this but manuka honey with bee venom is supposed to be excellent for relieving arthiritis symptoms.
In fact in some countries people purposely get bees to sting them as a treatment. Bee venom contains cortisol which is a natural steroid...

samson09

A doctor will just treat the symptoms with steroids that will ultimately compromise your health. In my opinion your best option would be to arrange an appointment with a registered naturopath. In addition to this, a new product from New Zealand called Moxxor (green lipped mussel oil) has shown very promising effects wrt arthritis.

stinkybum

My husband started Enbrel at christmas and has found a massive massive difference !! Diet and stress etc has a huge effect on it but once he's fit and rested, he feels brilliant.