Anyone With Rheumatoid Arhtritis??

[peichef]

Hi all

I'm wondering if anyone on here has rheumatoid arthritis (or any experience with friends / family with the condition).

I'm getting tested for it next week & in doing research online, I find most details pretty sketchy. I guess I'm looking for someone to describe how it affects their hands / fingers... i.e.: is your pain constant or sporatic, is there radiating pain, discoloration of the skin at the affected joints, etc.

My neighbour, a doctor, took one look at my hands & immediately said RA. She wants me to be tested ASAP for all arthritic conditions, as well as lupus, and I must admit, I am a little freaked. The bit of specific info I have found online sure sounds like what I've been dealing with, but I'd like to hear some first-hand accounts, if possible.

TIA

 

[chefsteph07]

My best friend has RA, and lupus...
She has good and bad days, has to see a rheumatologist about every 6 mo and has to take anti inflammatory meds, prescribed.
She has lived w/ it for 15 yrs, she got it when she was 20. I know that her pain is not constant, but that might be because she's on the constant meds. It has not disfigured her hands so far.

 

[Jessamary]

I have lupus. I've been told I have a very "mild" form of it. I have a rheumatologist and meds, but I'm a bad patient and don't take the meds very often.

It took 10 years to finally be diagnosed with lupus. I started exhibiting signs at 18. There are lots of different symptoms that all "could" be lupus..I think it's something like 5 of the symptoms together leads to your diagnosis.

The internet can be helpful, but please don't scare yourself! If you do have RA or lupus, it's not going to change your life that much, because if you have it, you've had it for a long time. It's good to get the diagnosis and some meds, if possible, so you can start feeling better.

I'm betting the "test" you're going in for next week is an ANA test. A positive ANA test doesn't necessarily mean anything...it's when it's coupled with other symptoms.

I bet there are lots of others on CS with RA or lupus.

 

[WLMcCoy]

My brother-in-law has RA. His is pretty advanced, but it is also sporatic. He can't keep a job b/c his bad days are bad. But he seems to do good most of the time.

 

[ChefSharain]

Hi Tia! My mother has a very very bad case of RA. She is now 70 years old and has had it since she was in her late 50's. She has actually had the bones in her hands shred that caused the tendons to be cut. This made her fingers just sort of flop. They did surgery and it helped correct it. Her hands are very deformed now.

The silver lining is a drug called Embrol (sp). It has been a life saver for her. It has given her back a bit of quality to her life as it reduces the "flair ups". However, it is VERY expensive. Like $1200 per month...thank goodness for her insurance.

I wish you the best with your results...

 

[c00p]

Hi Charity - I have RA and was diagnosed about 3 years ago at the young age of 33. I will tell you that tests simply involve blood draws. There is a RA factor that they test for and your SED (inflamation) rate too. Here were some of the symptoms that led me to an orthopedic dr. first and then he sent me to a rheumatologist. First, my left hand swelled up horribly and I couldn't even begin to make a fist. Then, my right hand did it about 4-5 days later. My shoulders would alternate with horrific pain - so bad that it hurt to even move my arm out to put deoderant on and I had to use the other arm to help push my bad arm up when I was washing my hair, etc. Basically, RA attacks your immune system, but targets your joints and if left undiagnosed and treated can cause damage to your joints and crippling - which is where you see the turning of the joints in some folks' fingers. It tends to go from one side to the other, sometimes in your fingers, you will get swelling and redness of one or more joints. I've had it affect even my toes on some days. Once you get diagnosed, meds are the biggest blessing ever!!!!! They have to start you out with oral medication first and then they up that until you reach the max unless you are having success with it. The meds help with the "flares" (that's the name for your joints doing their thing and causing you horrific pain) and they help with your energy level. With RA you get horribly exhausted very easily because your body is constantly fighting against itself. It's an auto-immune disease; no cure, just meds to help. Back to meds: my RA dr. monitored me very closely that first year, like every 4 weeks I had blood drawn to see if my SED rate was coming down and to monitor my kidney and liver levels. The RA meds can cause damage to your organs, so they monitor very closely. He also takes periodic xrays of my lungs because that's another area that can be affected by the meds. My SED rate and flares didn't really decrease enough with the oral meds. After a year of trying them and upping them to the max, I got started on Humira. It's a LIFESAVER!!!! It's horribly expensive, but praise God I've got insurance. (For 2 shots it's $1,500 but I only pay $25) I give myself injections with a preloaded pen every other week. It has been awesome!!! I still take my oral meds with the injections and I still get blood drawn about every 3 months.
Ok, so that was a LOT of info. Sorry it's so long, but if you want to email or call me, please do. It can be scary with everything you read on the internet. But at the same time, it's not something to be taken lightly either.

 

[peichef]

Thanks, Andrea. I'm only 34 & the thought of RA at this point in life, with 3 young children, is almost overwhelming. reading you post makes me a little less afraid.
I am going for bloodwork next week, after seeing my Dr on Monday to ask for the requisition.

 

[pampered1224]

Here is another thing. Pat my other half has gout. Gout is a form of RA that is effected by the extreme amounts of Uric acid in your blood stream. It causes a build of the uric acid which solidifies around the joints. Usually the feet. It in turn begins to build up on the joints and can effect the shape of the fingers and toes. And Gout is NOT just in ones feet. Pat's shows up in his feet, his knees and his hands. Uric acid - and I may not be spelling that right - is a chemical found in all meat. Red Meat is especially high in this compound. It is also found in sea food, yep including Cod and Haddock the stuff of the Friday night Fish Fries. Even things like beans, peas and a few other vegetables are high in uric acid. Can you imagine being a meat and potatoes guy and finding out you can't eat it anymore!!! Well, not 16 ounces at a time anymore. Only 6 ounces per day of any given meat. ALL TYPES!!! Good days and bad. There are days he just can not stand on his feet at all. Very few now though. His meds and diet are helping ease the problems. So... Take all it with a grain of salt as you will have more control over how you feel than not. By following your doctors advice you should be fine for along time. And do this, ask about diet. It has more to do with RA than most people realize. And that is true of any form of RA or OA for that matter. Prayers are with you!!!

 

[sk8rgrrl99]

I was born with Rhaumatoid Arthritis. I'm 31 now and have mostly learned how to treat it. It's the worst in my left knee which is the first place it showed up. I don't like to take alot of medications but I've done a lot of research on foods to eat and foods to avoid to help with the pain and swelling. It really does help a lot.
Avoid:
dairy
sugar
night shade vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant)

Eat:
Bing cherries
ginger
green tea
fish or anything else high in omega-3 fatty acids

Exercise - yoga and swimming are great for anyone with RA. Things like running and downhill skiing might be too hard on your joints. Depends on the joints affected.

 

[peichef]

I was born with Rhaumatoid Arthritis. I'm 31 now and have mostly learned how to treat it. It's the worst in my left knee which is the first place it showed up. I don't like to take alot of medications but I've done a lot of research on foods to eat and foods to avoid to help with the pain and swelling. It really does help a lot.
Avoid:
dairy
sugar
night shade vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant)

Eat:
Bing cherries
ginger
green tea
fish or anything else high in omega-3 fatty acids

Exercise - yoga and swimming are great for anyone with RA. Things like running and downhill skiing might be too hard on your joints. Depends on the joints affected.

EEEEK!! I think I can live with the pain, rather than give up dairy and, more importantly, SUGAR. By "avoid" do you mean "eat less of" or "stay 100% away from it"?? I'll be praying you mean reduce intake!

 

[sk8rgrrl99]

I reduce my intake. The nutritionist that told me this meant stay away from 100% but come on... lol.. we're only human, right? I find alternatives where I can but I mainly just reduce. For example, I've never tried eggplant. So just tell myself "I don't like it." That makes it easier for me. I do eat a lot of salsa which of course has a lot of tomatoes but I'm just not willing to give it up. As far as sugar goes, I use splenda in my coffee but still have desserts or candy when I want it. For milk I use soy or rice milk in my cereal and in my coffee because I like the flavors of the in those things but just to drink it has to be real milk. I do make sure to try to eat a lof of the "good things" and I take fish oil pills to help cut down on the amount of medications I have to take.

 

[c00p]

I like food too much - and the meds I take are awesome!!!! I can do pretty much anything I want and eat whatever I want. But, I'm all for those that are able to manage it with their diet. I just can't!!