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...
hi, im new to these forums and to rheumatoid arthritis i think. i havnt been to my doctor yet cos money has been a little tight these last few weeks so at the moment i have kinda been self diagnosing. alot of my symptoms fit perfectly with RA but i have a few questions about it.
the first symptoms i had came out of the blue about 6 weeks ago, i woke up one morning and could hardly walk, both of me feet were throbing mainly at the heels but also in the arches. after a few days when i woke up it was my wrists joining the party, a few more days later every morning the pain and stiffness was in my wrists, elbows, shoulders, backs of my knees, neck, ankles, hips and back. usually a few hours after i wake up the pain subsides but throughout the day if i stay in one position too long the pain and stifness comes right back but i never notice that any of my joints are swollen, is this normal?
i also read that RA affects the same joints on both sides of the body, but a few mornings this week i have woke up with really bad pain in just my right wrist and back, and one morning it was just my left foot and back on that occasion the pain in myleft foot lasted all day.
i guess my questions are is it normal to not have swelling with the pain? everything i have read about RA says joints are swollen.
is it possible for only a joint on one side of the body to hurt?
and is it normal for RA to come on so fast in an otherwise normal healthy 25 year old male? litterally this pain came from knowhere and hasnt gone away for nearly six weeks now, im begining to fear sitting still for more than a half an hour.
and finally will the rough mornings ever stop? will there be times where i will feel fine for a few months and then start to have flareups again?
the first symptoms i had came out of the blue about 6 weeks ago, i woke up one morning and could hardly walk, both of me feet were throbing mainly at the heels but also in the arches. after a few days when i woke up it was my wrists joining the party, a few more days later every morning the pain and stiffness was in my wrists, elbows, shoulders, backs of my knees, neck, ankles, hips and back. usually a few hours after i wake up the pain subsides but throughout the day if i stay in one position too long the pain and stifness comes right back but i never notice that any of my joints are swollen, is this normal?
i also read that RA affects the same joints on both sides of the body, but a few mornings this week i have woke up with really bad pain in just my right wrist and back, and one morning it was just my left foot and back on that occasion the pain in myleft foot lasted all day.
i guess my questions are is it normal to not have swelling with the pain? everything i have read about RA says joints are swollen.
is it possible for only a joint on one side of the body to hurt?
and is it normal for RA to come on so fast in an otherwise normal healthy 25 year old male? litterally this pain came from knowhere and hasnt gone away for nearly six weeks now, im begining to fear sitting still for more than a half an hour.
and finally will the rough mornings ever stop? will there be times where i will feel fine for a few months and then start to have flareups again?
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I can tell you mine came on out of no where also- I was super healthy, never a cold or flu. Suddenly I was a train wreck.
It took about 2 months of trial & error with does of methotrexate and prednisone before the mornings stopped being rough- and for awhile they were EXTREMELY rough.
Then I got better. I am in a medicine induced remission since late January.
I have not had a flare but deeply fear having one.
It is important for you to get the correct medical treatment right away-please do not hesitate. If you can only pay the doctor a little each month so be it. I've heard the earlier it's treated the better the possibility of remissions are and less deformity.
Good Luck!
she takes vicodin and is prescribed 180 a month which at big pharmacy chains is about $140, she found a small pharmacy where they cost $40 so there is a huge difference in the prices of drugs around here, she also has diabetes and takes metformin to keep it under control, again big pharmacys $60, walmart $6.
another question i have is does the weather affect RA? i have heard people say that arthritis pain is worse in the winter.
When my Rheumatologist put me on Prednisone and Indocin the swelling and pain went away within 2-3 days.
You really need to see a Rheumatologist as soon as possible, so that if it is RA you can prevent further joint damage.
Wish you the best!
i also did a quick search for prednisone and it seams that walmart cover it under their $4 generic prescription plan, some of the higher doses are more but the are not much more.
Really, the sooner you seek treatment the better for the course of this disease. Take care and let us know how it goes!
i called a nearby rheumatologist today and they told me it would cost $200 to start with and then the total cost would grow depending on what they did while i was there so im guessing anywhere up to $500 for one appointment.
i hate this country, if my doc insists on me seeing a rheumatologist i guess im just gonna have to deal with RA until it eventually puts me in a wheel chair cos there is no way i can afford to see a rheumatologist, maybe next year when we get taxes but until then i cant do anything.
i cant get a medical card or insurance because i dont have a ssn, im from england and have yet to get my green card because of the $6000-$7000 price tag that comes with the green card process, in the long run it would probably be cheaper to move my family to england and get treated for free.