Comments for Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment

Comment on To those who have Rheumatoid Arthritis: before your diagnosis, what were your early symptoms by Audrey K

Audrey K — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:27:11 +0000

Before I was diagnosed with RA, 3 years ago, I noticed stiffness and pain in my hands and my knees. I was very fatigued and felt weak. I also had morning stiffness sometimes lasting for more than 45 minutes. Occasionally I would ache all over and have a low-grade fever, kind of like the flu.

Those were my earliest symptoms which escalated into swollen joints and being barely able to walk.

Once I was diagnosed and properly treated by a rheumatologist, I eventually got the pain and inflammation under control.

If you or someone you know have any of these symptoms, I urge you to talk with your doctor and have some tests performed.

A blood test that finds the Rheumatoid factor sometimes isn’t always accurate. A patient’s Rh factor test could come back negative at first and down the road (sometimes years) which eventually show positive.

I hope you are able to find all the information you need!

Comment on To those who have Rheumatoid Arthritis: before your diagnosis, what were your early symptoms by Nina, BaC

Nina, BaC — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:00:04 +0000

I have a friend who had joint pain and swelling. Stiffness, especially in the morning.

Comment on Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferers, are you taking Plaquinel? by dbgyog

dbgyog — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:02:37 +0000

There is no medicine in this world to treat RA. Pain killers never kill the pain but the patient. Drugs first hit stomach then liver and finally kidneys.
Why don’t you shift over to Alternate Systems of Medicine? We treat RA and our success rate is 90%, that too without medicine!
You should try acupuncture at least.

Comment on Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferers, are you taking Plaquinel? by SusiQ

SusiQ — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:44:39 +0000

I have chronic pain and I’m with you. I seem to get side effects from different drugs too. My philosophy is the least amount of drugs the better, but I don’t want pain so I am only on generic percocet. For RA you may need an anti inflammatory too but nothing is going to cure it so why take all these different drugs, I know its painfull and I hope you are on pain meds. Sometimes the side effects are worst than the actual pain. So I guess you have to choose. Are you in pain management? I think you should be. The rheumatologist diagnoised you now you can go to pain management.

Comment on Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferers, are you taking Plaquinel? by vtsztpu

vtsztpu — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:44:52 +0000

Try some Fish oil and Celadrin. Also you might find and look at a copy of Prescription For Natural Cures for some good discussion of RA and alternative treatments. Plaquenil is a powerful Rx drug and you can read all about it on Yahoo search. I would take it if nothing else was working, but only then.
Swansonvitamins.com has the celadrin product which has been very widely used in Europe and helps many arthritis sufferers. It does not require a prescription and has few side effects.

Comment on Q&A: What’s a good knee brace for jogging with rheumatoid arthritis? by riot gurl

riot gurl — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:58:51 +0000

jeeze, why would you be running? look if you have RA low Impact is the way to go. i know it sucks to stop doing the things you love, but its too much stress on your body. i had a similar experience with my left elbow. it was swollen and hot, and i couldn’t bend it. it lasted a good 6 month that way. even a shot in my bum did nothing. try swimming there isn’t any Impact on you knees. nothing is worth immobility

Comment on anybody else with rheumatoid arthritis? i have it and don’t like it. does it get easier to live with? by Melissa C

Melissa C — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:58:39 +0000

hi della i was diagnosed 22yrs ago at that time they told me in 10 yrs i would be in a wheel chair! guess what? i’m not! i have 12 grandkids and am working real hard not to be where they told me i would be. i beleive in mind over matter-positive attitude has got me this far. i have gotten so bad i have had to crawl to the bath room and that’s ok i’m still here! however things might be changing. i now have lupus but that’s ok i can handle it! i’m not giving up and you aren’t either! i’m hear for ya! would love to hear from ya! hang in there!!!!

Comment on anybody else with rheumatoid arthritis? i have it and don’t like it. does it get easier to live with? by Pierre

Pierre — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:01:31 +0000

Rheumatic diseases are the result of a defective gene and collagen inflammation, often from a chronic infection. Collagen is present throughout the body, from the eyes, skin and joints to the heart. Hence, the multiplicity of symptoms, depending on the location of the most affected internal organs or body parts.

I have had seronegative rheumatoid arthritis for more than 27 years. The telling signs of seronegative rheumatoid arthritis are the following:
- Joint pain in the feet (or cracking ankles) in the early 20’s or late teens;
- Fatigue, especially after a moderate exercise like a 30 minute walk;
- Blood test showing a negative or low level of Rheumatoid factor;
- Joint deformities of the fingers, after a few years, a specific sign of rheumatoid arthritis;
- Consecutive X-Rays, over several years, showing bone erosion, a consequence of rheumatoid arthritis;
- Generalized arthritis, involving the whole body;
- Elevated levels of C-Reactive protein and Sedimentation rate, as evidenced in blood tests.

NSAIDs like Voltaren, COX-2 inhibitors like Celebrex, acetaminophen like Tylenol, and codeine are all used to control inflammation and relieve the pain of arthritis.

Regular exercise like walking, biking and swimming is also helpful for most patients. Make sure that you are not overweight as carrying too much weight can only increase the pain of arthritis in the supporting joints of the hips, knees, ankles and feet.

For any form of arthritis, you should consult an Orthopaedist who will order blood tests, joint scans and X-Rays to better diagnose the type of arthritis from which you suffer.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons at http://www.aaos.org maintains a public online directory where you can find the address and phone number of orthopaedists who belong to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Orthopaedists are listed by geographic location and family name, inside the USA and in most countries.

The membership directory of the AAOS is located at:

http://www6.aaos.org/about/public/members.cfm

Lyme disease could be a possibility. Ask your doctor to test you for the bacteria causing Lyme disease.

Are there any other cases of arthritis or rheumatic diseases among your relatives? Chronic forms of arthritis are usually prevalent in families where a defective gene is passed on by parents to their children.

There are a few hundred types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. The good news is that science is progressing rapidly in its understanding of rheumatic diseases.

Antibiotics are now used to achieve full remissions for at least 40%, if not 65% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. For more info, please join our group at:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/antibio

Comment on anybody else with rheumatoid arthritis? i have it and don’t like it. does it get easier to live with? by Tammy

Tammy — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:47:09 +0000

I’m sorry you have got this too sweetheart. It is an extremely painful condition, but you learn to live with the pain eventually. It is not easy, but I have found that on bad days using a heat pad helps relieve the pain a lot. I also use an electric under blanket in my bed, one that can be left on all night. If you warm the bed for half an hour before you retire, then set the heat control to a low setting, you will find sleep easier and more comfortable. Take care sweetie, hope it gets easier for you. xx

Comment on anybody else with rheumatoid arthritis? i have it and don’t like it. does it get easier to live with? by boots

boots — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 07:48:49 +0000

yah, it hurts and it won’t go away or get better,
the weather play’s a big roll in it,the best thing is move to a dry climate,like az.