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...
I was talking with my sister and she tells me that she hopes soon that I figure it all out and not solely depend on meds for RA. That exercising will slow down the progression of RA. Don't get me wrong, exercise is important and I should do more of it, but I have not heard this before! I told her that I have read a lot about RA and even talked with my rheumy about exercise and no where have I been told it would slow downthe progression. How wonderful would that be! She then says, oh maybe that's just for regular arthritis. *sigh
Have you ever heard anything like this? Am I really not paying attention enough?
Have you ever heard anything like this? Am I really not paying attention enough?
@Angela - I've heard that before and my rheumy also stressed it's important... if you're in a flare and something you're doing is hurting - STOP! The price is permanent damage to whatever joint is hurting. Not worth it.
He said post op was a different kind of pain than pre-op. Easier to deal with. The main reason he needed surgery was when he was 21, he broke his femur in a motor cycle accident ( a lady backed out of her driveway in front of him). He was in traction for four days when they gave him the option of a walking cast, or another 4 weesk in traction. His 21 year old mind was going stir crazy and he opted for the cast. He spent that summer at my grandparents (300 miles from where he was living at the time) because they had a ranch style home. Because he was weight bearing, his right leg healed 1 3/4" shorter that the other. Which in turn cause his tibia and fibula to rotate.
The surgeon was able to return the tibia and fibula to close to their normal position and with the implant, he gained an inch back. In PT, they fitted him for an orthotic (My whole life he'd used a homemade leather lift in his shoe, adding layers as he needed them; he used to do leather tooling, so he had the materials) lift.
He had a partial tear of his meniscus in the left knee early last year. Slipped on ice, tweaked the knee. He put a brace on it and kept up on his anti inflammatories and by the time he got in to the ortho and an MRI it was already resolving itself. He cut back on his walking at the time and went back to biking to keep up blood flow to the area (imperative for cartilage to heal, as it is not vascular). He says it feels good now. He turned 63 last week.
A few years ago, after we lost my rottweiler (who lived with them after we realized she couldn't handle steps in my house, she was a rescue with SEVERE orthopaedic issues) they swore they wouldn't get another dog (we'd always had big dogs). 6 months later, they called me up, asking me to help them find a dog. Empty Nest Syndrome hit hard.
A coworker was looking for a home for a dog she was fostering. He weighs 14#. It's funny, my dad watched the dog whisperer and subscribes to Cesar's magazine, etc. Between he and my mom, Jake gets walked 5 miles a day. It was funny watching them get used to their portable dog. None of our dogs growing up were less than 75#.