Jun
20
2010
How can Rheumatoid Arthritis be kept under control?
Posted by: Alan in rheumatoid arthritis treatment, tags: Arthritis, Control, kept, Rheumatoid, Under
I was told i had RA. They told my mom some numbers or something, like the normal number is 20 or lower, and i was at 23, meaning i had RA, what these numbers stand for, i don’t know. The doctor also said that with severe cases the number climbs to about 300-400. I don’t ever want it to get that bad. How can i keep RA under control? Or at least what can i do to help prevent it from getting worse? Something? I don’t want it to stop me from being able to do things eventually.
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June 20th, 2010 at 7:14 am
RA or possibly Junior/Juvenille Rhemutoid Arthritis in your case (JRA) is an inflammation of the joints, this build up can be kept under control with a branch of drugs called Non-Steroid Anti-Inflamatories (NSAID’s) which includes ibuprofen, a common drug you may have taken for muscular pains.
There are stronger NSAID’s such as sodium/potassium difoclenic and your doctor will prescribe the recomended dose and tell you how often to take them, they should also be able to advise on any ways, and I’m sure someone else on this site will be able to advise from personal experience what other ways make them feel better but unfortunately I do not have any first hand experience with this.
RA is a very common problem, mostly effecting the older generation but there are ways in which younger people like yourself can get this disorder and there are plenty of support groups and websites on the internet if you want to talk to other people with JRA
June 20th, 2010 at 7:59 am
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder where your body’s immune system goes into overdrive, so rather than keeping the body healthy, it over reacts and ends up harming your body. Rheumatoid Arthritis is different from osteoarthritis, which is joint pain caused by injury or by old age. Rheumatoid arthritis is more serious. That’s the bad news, but the good news is that there has been a lot of progress in the treatment of this disease over the last few years.
Trust your doctors and let them know of all your symptoms. They might put you on a steroid (prednisone) for a short period of time and then will put you on medicine that reduces the swelling in your joints. If it progresses, they will start you on some other medicines, pretty serious ones, but worth the risk. Try to eat healthy, and keep moving as this will improve your symptoms. Learn as much as you can about this disease so you understand what your body is going through, and talk to your mom so she knows what you are feeling.