I was sitting down with my fiance yesterday and a question came to mind. Has anyone ever had RA and then gone into remission and just never had a flare up again? Is this possible at all? Just trying to find some hope in all this :) I would greatly appreciate if someone told me if something like this could happen. thank you :)
-Betsy
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Betsy, I have never heard of someone going into true remission for the rest of their lives. That being said, I have heard of many cases of people going into remission for many, many years and having flares to a much lesser degree. Stay positive though, you never know you may be the one to go into remission for the rest of your life. The more aggressive approach you take towards your treatment, the better the chance you have. But keep in mind it's not just dependant on medications, it requires a whole lifestyles change. Many different factors play into remission such as medication, diet, and exercise. Like I said before, stay positive and be the one to prove it's possible. Good luck and best wishes!
I'm curious about this myself. I was diagnosed with RA in 2000, was on methotrexate, and went into remission within a year of my diagnosis. I got married, had a baby and moved to another city and have not gotten a new rheumatologist yet. It's now 2008 and I am now considering the fact that I should get back on track with a new specialist so that I'm following through on my care. However, since I haven't had any problems since 2001 I was curious how long I could go before my symptoms might rear their ugly heads again.
Be very careful. I had JRA as a teenager for many years and was doing great on methotrexate. I graduated from high school and went off to college prescription free with no symptoms save an achey thumb when it rained. 8 years I was symptom free- in complete remission. One day it came back with a VENGEANCE! I mean, seriously! My new rheumatologist suspects that it was triggered by a spell of food borne illness but my life was in shambles for about a year and a half. I could barely get out of bed, couldn't work and sometimes couldn't walk. I became completely dependent and I was 25. Now I am 28 and still have arthritis worse than I did in my teenage years and I am getting more aggressive treatments- methotrexate and remicade being the big ones. I just pray that I can get this under control someday and maybe start dreaming about remission again. I hope it works out for you! Remission is the best! Just be very cautious.