I'll give you a little background on myself. The pain and stiffness started back in June of 2008. The pain and stiffness started in my hands. Then a month or so later moved to my feet. Now it is in may shoulders and back as well. I feel like I'm getting the flu all the time I'm extermely tired and feel run down. My hands started with alittle swelling around one finger now is around all of the knuckles and in the back of my hand. I went to my regular doc. who did some blood work which came back ok. The stiffness is really bad in the morning and evening and even if i'm sitting after be active. The pain is always there. I have an appointment with a rhymutolgoist at the end of feb. Is there anything i can do for the pain and swelling until then. Does this sound like RA. I have many questions right now and will probably have more the closer to my appointment gets. But information you can share please do.
Q: New to the site and RA need some advice.
Your symptoms sound very familiar and are consistent with RA. Of course, I'm not a doctor and I haven't seen what your joints look like, but it does sound like RA is a possibility. The fact that your blood work didn't show anything doesn't necessarily mean you don't have RA - not all people who have the disease have a positive RA factor.
While you wait for your appointment, there are a number of things you can do to ease the pain. Applying heat or ice can be helpful - you'll have to try both and see what you respond best to, he'd works better for some people, ice works better for others. Start the day with a warm shower or bath, as it tends to "thaw out" joints that are stiff and painful. Doing gentle range of motion exercises in the pool (heated, if you can find one) may also help you. I assume that your primary care doctor gave you some painkillers to help you while you waited for the appointment? If not, go back and ask for some. Then take them every 4-6 hours as prescribed - you're in a race with the pain and it's all about staying ahead of it by continually having painkillers in your system, so take the drugs even though you're not in agony. Taking a painkiller before you go to sleep can help you not wake up in pain and if you're mornings are bad, I once learned this trick in a hospital: set the alarm clock to a couple of hours before you have to get up, take a painkiller along with half an apple, half a banana or some crackers to protect your stomach and go back to sleep. This means that you're already ahead of the pain when you get up and makes it easier to get started with your day. Get plenty of rest and work within your limits when possible.
I'm doing a series called beginners guides to RA, which deals with various aspects of life with this disease, like managing side effects, how to find good rheumatologist, the reactions of family and friends, love and sex, etc. If you click on my name in this answer, it will take you to the area where you can find a list of my posts. Some of these may be helpful for you.
Good luck and please let us know how it goes.
hey there! I think it sounds like RA. it sounds like what i have, at least. I was hoping that I could help you out in a different way than a rheumatologist could though. I want you to at least know about gut health before you start a vicious cycle of RA drugs like me. Google "gut health" and read all about it. Then go to jonbarron.org and subscribe to his podcasts. I found out that I had a horrible imbalance of good and bad bacteria in my gut and that I had an overgrowth of candida, which is a fungus that is naturally in our bodies but causes a lot of neuroligical imbalances in our bodies. It releases a toxin that interferes with our natural chemicals like hormones. I treated myself for it and found some relief and I think you may also. I find that anytime I eat sugar these days, my whole upper body/shoulder/ribcage area get tight, stiff, and sharp and achey pains.
Have you taken antibiotics, steroids (prednisone), or birth control in the past?
Do you crave sugar, alcohol, or bready-foods and then feel tired, achey, drunk, confused, spacy after eating it?
Do you have headaches, chronich fatigue, rashes, feel 'out of it' all the time, or are sensitive to chemicals, perfumes or smoke?
If you answered yes to any of those...I dont want to sound like an advertisement, so I will just tell you to google it...you really should research "candida albicans" or "candida yeast overgrowth" It really helped me out and led me to a lot of other research that has helped me change my diet to relieve my symptoms.
I hope that your appt. with your rheumatologist goes well, and I hope that you find out tht it's not RA, but something easier to heal from. Above all, I hope that you learn as much as you can about health and nutrition, and the role nutrition plays in our health, before giving up hope and subbcombing to a life of medications.
-robin
I love the answer that the Expert gave. With RA, I remember from my Grandmother, it was all about staying ahead of the pain. Now, living myself with chronic pain, I know how important it is to make sure that your body doesn't "learn the pain channels" and race to get ahead of you by creating addional receptor pathwaya,
With that said: On the pain meds- what about a 24 hour release version of whatever is prescribed for you. That way you only take it once a day, remember it, and you don't have to wait during that ugly period while one dose of pain meds is wearing out at the end of 4 or 6 hours. I found that helped me IMMENSELY while I was waiting out the days until I could see a specialist- not having to think about the pain was like a dose of insurance for me.
hi
dose sound like how my ra started hands were very sore and swollen.iv now been living with this for 13 years and have learned to deal with the pain and how to get the swelling down.i was on methotrexate but im trying for baby so cant take that any more.so im having to try other things for the pain.geting up 30mins earlyer in the morning gives me time to come round.i also love a hot bath to easy the pain. i use a heat pad for my hand when im out in the cold weather and wrap up as much as u can to keep warm.i love tigger bam to rub into my joints,smells but will help.this may sound mad but a small bit of exsercise NOT TO MUCH dont over do it.can make all the diff. i have it all over my body and can understand ur pain. good luck at your appointment and hope i have been of some help xx
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