I have suffered or lived with RA for about 18 years, initially diagnosed when my son was 7 and my daughter was 3.  I've tried a little of everything including some rather bizarre "mountain culture" treatments, such as horse linament!  Through the miracles of "better living through modern chemistry" I no longer have days when I am completely confined to a wheel chair but there are many days that require giving in, admitting to myself that this will be a "down day" and a "good day for a nap" so my favorite comforts are a T-pump (a water heating pad system) and ice packs.  I also make sure that I do simple, from a chair or the bed, exercises which promote a modicum of flexibility such as gentle stretching.  My lap top computer and a comfy chair in sight of my bird feeders help keep me connected with the outside world and full of hope for the good days which eventually arrive.  My family has been a great source of support, offering to read and discuss the newspaper, filling the bird feeders, and providing me with subjects suitable for sketching.  I, too, hate being ill so I try, hard as it may be some days, to stop thinking of myself in terms of what I can no longer do even on good days but in terms of what I can do even on the very worst days.  Rest, a combination of soothing heat from the T-pump (which is incredibly more effective than a heating pad) and cold from a towel wrapped gel frozen ice pack, staying connected to the rest of the world, and simple movements help me regroup and recover from a very painful and, at times, demoralizing episode.  We are not alone, many medications and treatments exist which can modify the disease, and we can survive even the worst days by listening to our bodies signals.  I think attitude is more powerful than any medical strategy alone.