I would have to agree with you nomorera. i don't mean to minimizing the pains you do have but I would trade with you : ) Sounds like your doctor is caring. Hope you continue to manage your pains.

I was in remission for two years. Then my dear sister died unexpectedly and I was sent back into hell.

It was great, but that was 6 years ago. I went into remission on methotraxate and predisone.

Good luck, I'll be praying for you!

Susie

Hi Nomorera, What foods seem to trigger your flares? Jane

I am glad that your doctor wants this for you. I believe true remission is onset by your body
Medical Remission may be more what she means? Maybe?

I tend to believe, not that I have any basis for this, that once your body reaches a certain point, remission is impossible. You certainly will be better and worse, but totally gone?

I don't know the answer,butI'm still glad your DR wants that for you!

i guess I miss read your post, symptom free, not total remission

Good goal...don't know if it'll happen

Best wishes! Maybe ask her if she has had other patients who have achieved this, just for curiosity

"Medical remission" is very possible once one finds the right meds.
I would take that any day. I would think your Rheumy is aiming towards this for you which will mean you are symptom-free.

Strangely enough, yesterday I was speaking to my daughter's best friend since starting school. She spent several years not being diagnosed, had two children and eventually went to my Rheumy who dx RA straight away. Two years on she is sympton-free and weaning down MTX and Plaquenil very slowly. I'd call this "medical remission" and maybe she will reach remission and no meds.
I am so happy for her because she is only 34 with a lot of years in front of her.
Good luck - it sounds as if you are doing very well.

Thx to you all for your posts. I don't use MTX or Plaquenil because of the nasty side effects and the f*#)*^g blood draws for the MTX every few weeks. I would rather deal with the disease than those two treatments, even though there are many ppl that do well on them, I'm not one of them. The MTX dropped my hemoglobin within 3 weeks and we thought I had a blood clot in my leg. I have no health insurance so getting all that testing done doesn't work for me and I have a needle phobia so the bloodwork that was required really freaked me out.
I am in a mild depression right now over many areas of my life, my health being a major part of that.
Jane, I eat no sugar, no dairy, no caffeine and no artificial sweeteners. I cut out almost all red meat and am working to get all the gluten out of my diet. Dairy and sugar are big triggers for me and I think the gluten is also but not as bad as dairy and caffeine.
I have a nurse practicitioner that is into alternative treatment. I see her next week. She seems to agree that it will take time for my body to heal and rebalance. I just wonder if there is more I could be doing and if there is, what that might be.
I am looking for remission, NOT medical remission if at all possible. Maybe I am in denial (I know in some aspects I am in denial) but I want to believe my body can help heal itself with the right support. Not a cure but some relief. I just keep working toward that. Then I read your posts and the posts on all the pain some of you are in and I get depressed again.
----sigh----

nomorera,
I think your approach is great! The less medication we can get by on, the better. There is a fine line to walk with our inflammation and it's just hard to know how we are doing each day except for our pain markers.

Xrays show the erosion of joints and most doctors take these annually to compare from our initial diagnosis and progress. That helps show the activeness and progression of part of the disease. What it doesn't show is how inflammed our blood vessels, heart, and lungs might be from RA. Heart disease is one of our top killers.
You will find a lot of studies on it, but it all amounts to the fact that we have to do everything we can to calm the inflammation.

I'm trying to increase my activity while not aggrevating my RA. What I need to do for my heart is a LOT more cardio workouts. I'm not nearly as good at the dietary factors, but we are hormone and antibiotic free in our house as far as meats and dairy go. We eat red meat, but have limited it to twice a week with beef being grass fed only. I've eliminated a lot of dairy since I'm lactose intolerant, but I can handle yogurts and think they are healthy so I have them 1-2xweek.

As for remission- my Rheumatologist's goal is to fully arrest the disease. with medication. I am glad I had a liver reaction to the MTX as it has really pushed me to research the whole disease and medications. I think it's important to find the right relief on the least amount of treatment. For so many with RA, they cannot even get out of bed, hold a hair dryer, or wipe themselves on the toilet without biologics PLUS pain med. I know I could end up in this group if I'm not careful. That's the mess with this damn disease.

Can you tell us more about LDN? I wasn't given this option - yet I understand that it's an anti-rejection drug so it must work on the immune system too.

Others have covered options but mine another voice to encourage you to believe you can have remission or a remission period.

Two acquaintances in choirs I am in have had very long remission periods. In fact one may even be cured and has infuriated me by downplaying RA as a disease just because after her bad period she is ok now. (In her case the disease appeared after sudden death of her husband in a climbing accident, was on heavy drugs but is now on very little.). The other totally came off drugs for about a decade (diagnosed 40s, remission some time in fifties to latish 60s) and only recently struck again and needing hip surgery
.
But remission is different things to different people. My rheumy, whom I never get to see anymore, just his nurse, considers me in "medical remission" even though I have flattened days, sometimes present to nurse with bad joints, been referred by her to physio and now have eye issue which told related to RA but not, in my opinion, satisfactorily diagnosed. Early on, I did have about six months of what I would call normal life again but it didnt last and I had to go back on heavy duty drugs.

It is a goal worth aiming for. Flinders University has just made some interesting progress with immune disease issues - there is research going on in a number of places and maybe, if the drug companies dont interfere, the possibility of a cure for us all.

thats great that your Rhuemy is thinking in those areas, most Rhuemys these days (I think) care about putting you on meds and working with the pharmacys and insurance co. I asked my Rheumy if I could try the LDN and she said they dont offer that option ! the phamacys Ive been to say they dont even carry it. I guess LDN dont pay for their special boneses ! I think we should be able to try anything we feel would be helpfull....after all its our bodies and fate !! it sounds like your doing pretty good , I say go for it and listen to Rheumy till this isent working for you anymore. Hugs Tina

You know, I believe in good enough. It sounds like you are doing really well on your regiment nomorera, and if it means you can avoid medications with serious side effects, that's great! It's also good that your rheumy wants you in remission, but how realistic is this even with the best medication? If your rheumy won't judge the situation based on your symptoms, could you get them to agree to monitor your blood markers and x-ray changes perhaps? Then if your disease progression looks minimal, this may keep your rheumy happy enough?

Kam x

thank you all again for your input on this. I feel bolstered. I will answer some of you privately but again, this is why I love this site for the encouragement and experiences you all have to share.