Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
So, I have still yet to see the rhuemy (apt on 2/16 made it back in 12/9...), but I was wondering how it all began for you? I just thought I had a bad knee and then knees for the longest time. It would hurt for a couple weeks, and then I'd be fine for months! Now, since my last Mega flare (mega for me anyway) when more of the symptoms came out, I am always sore somewhere, even if it's just a minor ache, am I way more tired and can't fall asleep at night (and I take ambien). Also, I get my bad knee pain every week and a half or so, which is not the lovely months that I had before. Does this sound like how it began for you? Is it normal for it to get so bad so fast? I'm maintaining just fine with NSAIDS during the worst pain, and it seems as many of you have it way worse, but by how fast it suddenly progressed makes me anxious, to say the least, especially since I can't get to the rhuemy! So...similar? not?
Read up on palindromic rheumatism if you had the coming and going and it being fine in between.
When I was diagnosed, I was at the point that my palindromic was becoming RA - I wasn't presenting as "real" RA until about 2 weeks after my first rheumy appointment (no symmetry, morning stiffness, etc until that point). I was having what I called my "wandering joint pain" that would pop up, hurt like.. well, bad... for 24 hrs then return to normal. This happened a few times a year, on different joints for probably 4 or 5 years. In the Fall before I was diagnosed, this 24 hours began stretching to 48-72 hours, and there would not be months in between but rather days, sometimes hours before the next joint would flare. That happened for several months before I realized I should probably tell my doctor.
i was very lucky in that my bloodwork was positive and I had family history so my diagnosis was very quick (4 weeks total from my first appearing in my PCP's office saying something weird was going on).
Mine also did get worse fast after those initial few weeks and it scared me - a lot. I found that reading everything I could get my hands on helped me IMMENSELY. Understanding as much as we can about the disease helps prepare us (well, this is true for me, I know others who prefer to not read or learn about their disease).
I'm nearly three years in, we're still working on finding my right cocktail of medications, but I'm thankful I have a great doctor, the support of family, friends (and this community).
Keep us posted
Tort
Then, I had foot pain, first one then both - saw a podiatrist in 2007 - feet totally better after orthotics created and switched to birkenstocks and other friendly shoes.
Finally, shoulders were pulled. Thought it was tubing on water that did it - it was, but the lack of healing was RA. Got 2 steroid injections which were great.......then I put everything together one night...my Aunt has RA and I asked her how her symptoms showed up - pretty similar to mine. Her's started with a knee...then branched out like mine, like yours.
I felt validated and oddly happy to finally know I had RA. Otherwise, it seemed I was just falling apart.
I hope your visit goes well - has your family doc tested your sed rate, RH factor, and C reactive protein? They can be negative but most likely are positive, which gives the Rheumatologist the ability to medicate while waiting for his tests to come back.
What was your baker's cyst like bcatz? I get swelling behind my knees and I wonder if it is that or just ordinary swelling.
My gen doc did blood work. Neg for lyme's, RF and thryroid issues. ANA was toward the higher end of the 'acceptable' range. so maybe a problem, maybe not. but my gen doc said 'I don't like your symptoms, sounds autoimmune, but I know nothing about rhuematology, so I'm sending you right over there'. He's a great doc, knows my family and me well, so knows I;m not kidding and isn't afraid to admit when he doesn't know something! which is a blessing cause I don't have to mess around with him trying to work it out first. Thx again! I'm still interested in hearing other's stories, so hopefully I get more comments! It feels good to be reassured that others have experienced similar things.
Mid to late last summer I began to get swelling and pain all over. After a bit of research, I immediately suspected RA. I went from working overtime to not working at all when my boss started being a jerk. The pain in the very beginning was totally random and weird, and it still is sometimes. I'd get hand pain pretty constantly. I'd get wrist and elbow pain for one day, the next it was my knees, the next it was my feet, then weird nerve pain, all seemingly random. Mine is still not under control due to a delay in MTX, but hopefully will be soon. I take prednisone (currently on burst), mobic, and narcotics which are also for migraines. It's settling down though, to where I have a bit more of a routine and I'm not so surprised by the spots it hits me.
But it does make my life harder of course, I'm just finishing up my master's in ecology and now how am I supposed to get and maintain a job that is a very physically demanding one? And of course it's the outdoors stuff I want to do...I'm hoping to get a job soon as aleve is working just fine, then maybe I can do the job at least for a while, but the economy is rough, and what did the govt cut? natural resources, lol. So now only higher up jobs are left and I have no experience. It's been fun. :)
what a cool job you have! I know that this disease (and this economy) makes things very difficult but I know lots of people who get on meds and carry on as if this was just a minor hiccup along the way (I know one lady who started running half marathons after her diagnosis - had never run before!).