No lung issues here, but my 74 year old Dad, who has RA, uses prn oxygen now. He was dx in his 50's I believe. I started getting dry eyes about 2 years ago. Used OTC eye drops recommended by my optometrist. He recently had me switch to Refresh which is still OTC. Apparently same company that makes the prescription Restasis, which is probably where I am headed (yay, another prescription!)

thanks. i had a feeling you'd come through with some good, solid research sally ;) i had a chest X-ray in november after a positive skin PPD; X-ray was clear. all i know is that even when i was a heavy smoker, colds/bronchitis/pneumonia/whateverthehellthisis never lingered like this.... i'm in week 7 of having some kind of respiratory issue. i already feel like the dulera is starting to help. i think after i get set with the new rheumy i'll see a pulmonologist (unless this crap doesn't clear up). i'm definitely worried about all the other stuff that comes with RA/RD aside from the joint pain and fatigue. ugh.

I have the eye problems....RA anterior uveitis. Kept under control by Orencia. However, I am due for a chest CT to check on 2 vascular growths in my left lung as Orencia can cause lung cancer and I've been on it for over 7 years.

But my doc also keeps his eye out for pulmonary fibrosis and I do have problems breathing now....can't take a normal deep breath without a jerky kind of inspiration.....like breathe....stop, breathe more, stops then do more and a stop then a final push to fill my lungs.Weird...just started recently.

The eye problems started with rolling vision that my ophthalmologist couldn't figure out so he sent me to a neuro-ophthalmologist who spent 18 months testing me...eyes and brain. Then I started Orencia and it all went away and he decided that it had to be RA. Comes back when I stop the drug for surgery but always goes away when I re-start.....so I guess he's right but my ophthalmologist disagrees with him

I just do what I'm told to do.

hugs........Jen

Like you and Sally, I have also had lung issues my entire life. Since being on biologics the past few years, I have had an increase in pneumonia, bronchitis, etc. with sometime getting pneumonia 3 times in a year. RA has inflamed the pleural tissue around the lungs causing me even more issues with shortness of breath, etc. Unfortunately, my inhalers don't ever seem to resolve this.

~Steve aka RAFighter

Hi Steph-

I was diagnosed with RA December 2011 and I had a bad cold at that time and had shortness of breath. In January I kept coughing and I was given several rounds of antibiotics which would help but I would still have shortness of breath upon a short walk. My rhuematogist did not seem too concerned with my lungs despite the fact that I was apparently having crackles in the bottom part of my lungs.( a sign that there is inflammation in the bottom part of your lungs)

I went my allergist and he thought it was asthma and gave me duelera to help and it helped a bit by Feburary my husband convinced me to get another rheumatologist which I did and it was he who immediately discovered that I needed to see a pulmonalogist immediately, He had me follow up with my primary to order xray and c-scan to help with the diagnosis. It turned out that my RA seemed to target my lung and I have Interstitial lung disease or RA-ILD.

It was a bit scary at first because I was put on a heavy dose of steroids to help bring down the inflammation and then the treatment required to ween down the steroids so I could start Imuran. This medicine has been my life saver and it has needed to be tweaked until I was put on the right dosage.

When you have lung involvement, you have to be very careful with all your environments (work and home). I am now very sentive to gas exchanges. That is, I am affected when the airflow is not good because I begin to cough and I feel like I am not getting enough air. The same is when it's too hot. I now have fans around the house to help circulate air. I have needed to file accommodations at work to ensure I am able to breath well.

I strongly recommend that you go to your Primary and get an X-ray it will show if there is connective tissue disease that might be affecting the lungs. That's how I started the road to my diagnosis. It's truly a life altering diagnosis because not only are you faced with joint involvement but a serious lung disease. Please feel free to touch base if you have any further questions. I was blessed to have found a great rhuematogist and pulmonologist. I truly understand your concern with your lungs and it's something that requires aggressive treatment. Be blessed

Best
Adriana

This a great informative thread. I just posted a "new topic" for RA issues before I saw this thread.Just the info I needed,Thx,This is such a good website.!!Kathy

i'm still around steph

I see a ophthalmologist because I was a preemie and had pre-existing to RA eye issues and she just follows me for the secondary sjogren's - i take eye medications that really help. if you already have an eye doctor for annuals or whatever bring up your RA and let her check you out. you might just need over the counter tears or maybe you want to try eye plugs (I did well on those) or she might want to add medication (which I did when the eye plugs would not stay in) i do wicked well on the restasis.

for your lungs, don't get early alarmed. just get a pulmonologist referral. i have always had asthma, reactive airway and recurrent pneumonias - the new pulmonologist I have has are you ready? RA! he is still working full time (he is about 55) but the daily maintenance I do for my lungs is more important than anything else. that and the lung scans. they are objective. so are the oximeter and the lung function tests. the lungs are one place that they can get a great look on a cat scan and do great pulmonary function tests and return views and data to you - if everything is good - it will set your mind at ease.

not that handling asthma is all that fun. I commiserate with you on that one.

when I have pneumonia i have no choice but to do a prednisone taper. dulera is stronger than symbicort. maybe that will work. i am on that also. either way stick to your lung regime everyday for whatever you use for inhalers or therapy and you aint around any smoke right?

depot

thanks again y'all. depot, i quit smoking, my hubby quit smoking, my brother still smokes. he doesn't smoke around me. my new job has me doing home visits and some of my clients smoke, so i might have to start asking them to meet me in my car or out in the community. i think i have to be much more careful about being around cigarette smoke. during this last cold/whatever it is, i noticed that a couple of times i was outside with my brother or another smoker i felt like it was more irritating than it's ever been. just another change thanks to RA i guess.