Anyone with Rheumetoid Arthritis?

[Kdog]

Anyone have Rheumetoid Arthritis? I have finally been diagnosed after dealing with the pain for the past 5 + years. Any tips to help ease the pain, better diet, etc... I prefer to not take all the pain meds if they can be avoided.

Thanks,
Kdog

 

[Handgunner]

God be with you. I have it in my ankles and knees... Some days are good, others I can hardly move. I love cold weather, but it hates me!

I tried Celebrex for a while, but it eventually stopped working.

I'm not sure where you have it at, but if it's your lower part, try elevating your legs/feet while you sleep, etc...

Warm baths seem to help some also...

Good luck and if you find anything that works, let me know.

 

[TurkeyCreek]

kevin,

i was diagnosed with it in '98. i wasn't 100% convinced that i had it, but i had all the symptoms (could hardly move in morning, hands swollen every morning, pain all over,etc.). i still think it was either lyme disease or at least brought on by it.

anyway, i was on methotraxicate(sp?) injections weekly for about 6 months. also took celebrex, which seemed to help. but the meth injections made me really nauseous and so i stopped them after awhile. i went about 2 years or so and didn't feel too bad, but lately i have been feeling some of the symptoms coming back.

one thing that my doctor recommended that i never did was to do some water exercises. my wife has recently started having RA like symptoms and she is in a water aerobics class and she says it helps alot.

i don't know if there is anything diet wise that can help other than just eating right and keeping weight down.

good luck with your battle..

 

[Kdog]

I have it in my neck, shoulders, hands, wrists, ankles and knees. The worst of it is in my shoulders/neck area. That's why I quit Vert bow hunting 3 years ago. I have not taken anything for it, and don't want to take pain meds if they can be avoided. I know there is no cure, just looking for something that I can do to help reduce the pain. I have not limited my activities to much, but I can sure tell when I play with the boys too long.

Kdog

 

[Nick_T]

I prefer to not take all the pain meds if they can be avoided.

My wife has been going to the Dr. every couple of months for the past 2 years and they're leaning toward RA. Alot of the symptoms that ya'll are describing sound very famular. Ya'll might want to ask the Dr. about the long term effects of some of that medication that they prescribe for RA because the wife has to go to the eye Dr. once a year to make sure that one of her meds ain't killing her vision.

Nick T

 

[Bow Only]

Don't forget that RA is different that just arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis deals with the immune system and can form from Lyme Disease or other vector borne diseases. Science doesn't have the answers for these diseases, only symptomatic treatments. Medicating with methotrexate or even prednisone have short term benefits and long term complications. Drink more water than you want to drink. Glucosamine/chroindroitin compounds over-the-counter have shown to benefit patients suffering from arthritic conditions. It takes up to 6 months for patients to get results and it's expensive, but it's side effect profile is much better than the prescription meds. Do an internet search and read about it. It might help.

 

[QuakerBoy]

Good info Bow Only.

There's also a lot of questions about Celebrex and it's possible side effects especially since Vioxx has been pulled from the shelves.

Make sure you know what you are taking.

 

[dave]

Go see a specialist

I spent years trying what my primary docs wanted me to take, without sleeping a full night. Within 2 weeks of visiting a specialist I was feeling 90+%. Now I'm almost without pain or stiffness. Amazing.

Don't waste time dealing with a primary care doc. They do ok on the flu, but that kind of pain needs special care and meds. Celebrex is a waste of time. They need to get your immune system under control, as it's whats eating at your joints.

 

[HT2]

Kevin......

My thoughts are with you.....

A buddy of mine has it, and I see him struggle with it at times......

He's a little older than us though.......

Good Luck, with it and I hope it doesn't get to bad......

 

[Todd E]

My wife has RA and Fibromyalgia. She takes Enbryl, Morphine, Neurotin, Ultram, Actonel, and Effexor. She was taking Vioxx until the recall. Now she takes Mobic. We have been to the DR twice here recently thinking she was having a heart-attack. She had been on the Vioxx for a while and we think that was causing the sensation of a heart-attack. That's why it was re-called----causing strokes and heart-attacks. She has had these diseases for 10+ years. If it weren't for the drugs,.....she couldn't make it. She works overnight and home-schools our kids. I believe in the healing power of God and we have prayed for it. So far, it hasn't happened and sorry to say.......but w/o the drugs she is in severe pain.

She eats a proper diet(better than I do), runs(both on treadmill and on the road), uses our Bowflex, and lifts free weights. None of that takes away any pain for her. Believe me,......when she misses a pill or shot....we know it. I would recommend a pain management dr, such as she sees, rather than your normal family physician.

 

[specialk]

if you take glucosimine, take it with meals, only like 5-10% of the amount you take actually "stays" in your system, the other 90-95% is flushed out. if you take it with meals then it has less tendency to pass out your system

 

[CAL]

I have it also Kdog and it is tough to live with at times.I am taking celebrex at present and it helps some.In the morning I can hardly get out of bed at times.I guess I need to see a specialist as someone posted.

I know one thing for sure,I am open for suggestions.I would go to a witch doctor if it would help.

 

[Bow Only]

Todd, I'm sorry to hear about your wife. We see patients in her situation all the time and there is rarely a positive outcome. Doctor's first look at Lupus, then MS, then go to fibromyalgia because they can't diagnose anything else. What she really has is an immune disorder caused by something. Now that something could be from an undetectable virus that science doesn't have a grasp on yet, or it could be from something she is eating. I know her condition has deteriorated to more than just a food allergy, but has she been to an allergy specialist? Some people are allergic to rye, which is in a lot of what we eat. The individuals can handle the normal diet until one day, their immune system has enough and responds. I saw a study the other day (wish I had finished reading it) in the New England Journal of Medicine that dealt with IBS and Crohn's Disease. Different than what your wife has, but I feel it's along the same line of miscommunication between the immune system and the body. It had to do with a bacteria present in the colon that caused an immune response. We have plenty of "normal" bacteria, but this was different. Could an allergy to a common food allow a certain bacteria to culture in her body and cause her problems? Who knows, but something is causing it. Everything that happens to our bodies is affected by bacteria and viruses. Heart attacks, ulcers, cancer, I'll even say strokes. We're just not smart enough to recognize what's causing the problems or how they affect the problems.
Most of the time, when I see fibromyalgia, it's a thirty to 45 year old female that has multiple pain in muscles, joints, etc. Why? Hormonal? Bacterial or viral? Stress? Too much cortisol? I can't answer that one, but I would see an allergist. It can't hurt. And if you're paying for Enbrel, neurontin, and actonel, money isn't an issue.
On a side note, there is a rare drug interaction between Effexor and Ultram that warrants concerns. It only happens in about 7% of the caucasian community but I have seen it happen in my practice. A serotonin sydrome can occur. Please look into this. Many pharmacists and doctors are not aware of the interaction and the importance of it. The 2D6 isoenzyme can be depleted and "issues" can occur.

 

[GeauxLSU]

Kevin,
Very sorry to hear you've been suffering.
My father was diagonosed with RA and took prescription meds for almost 20 years. One day, his then current doctor says "What are you taking that stuff for, you don't have RA or arthritis at all for that matter." :
I also had a biopsy done on a spot on my hip by a dermatologist not so long ago and the 'profile' came back as Lupus. I was horrified. However, I did not and do not have any of the symptoms and the mark disappeared shortly after the biopsy. : I've since had my primary physician insure me I do not have Lupus.
The point of the those two stories is to illustrate how much we do NOT know about so many ailments (and immune disorders seems to be right up there in the 'mystery' category).
I'm also one of those people that will try and avoid ANY type meds, even simple things like an aspirin/Tylenol. Just figure it doesn't belong in there...
No advice, just saying it may not be a life long sentence (whatever my father had 'went away' for example) and hopefully you can find some relief. Even though I avoid meds, I sure wouldn't hesitate to see multiple doctors to get their advice if I was continual or recurring pain. Pain is obviously telling you something is NOT right. You're too young I'm sure, for it to be something not correctable.
Good luck!
Hunt/fish safely,
Phil

 

[Kdog]

Thanks to everyone for the information. I have been dealing with this since my late 20's, but has gotten really bad in the last year. At 35, I thought I was too young for this.

I will have a follow up with my Rheumatologist in the near future.

Kdog

 

[Label Dawg]

My daughter has JRA.

She was diagnosed at age two and she is now 12 years old.
She takes methotrexate once per week via an injection.
Once per month she must have blood draw to monitor her liver enzyme levels.

Her doc tells us during puberty the diease sometimes burns itself out.....we can only pray