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...

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Lori57703 09/29/2013

I have had various issues with my joints off and on for years. However, the last few months and especially the last week I think are pointing to RA. My hands have hurt and swelled off and on for 10 years but I always thouth it was a long term effect of bilateral carpal tunnel and surgeries for same. The last few months I have noticed that my hips are stiff and sore especially after sitting for a while or when I wake up in the morning. One morning I woke up and could hardly stand on my right foot because of the pain in my great toe joint. I was worried I might have gout. There was minimal swelling and no redness or heat. It went away in 36 hours. I have had shoulder pain so severe that I cannot move them and have required steroid injections about 4 times in the last 3 years. It happened again twice this week but resolved on its own. Everyday for the last 8 days I have had joint pain and stiffness in my hands, wrist, feet, shoulders and elbows. Tylenol does not touch it but a dip in the hot tub and tramadol does wonders. I only too ibuprofen, 800 mg, once but decided I better not keep taking it so as to not lower an ESR result.

I plan on calling my doctor first thing tomorrow for testing for RA. I don't have a strong family history of it but do have a great aunt with RA. Do all of you think I am crazy and know just enough to be dangerous or should I be concerned. In all of this, especially the last 10 days, I have not been sick. Thank you.

RCross 10/01/2013

Glad you're getting lab work done...just know that not everyone has lab work out of the normal range. Keep pursuing until you find something that makes you feel better.

Lori57703 10/01/2013

Thanks to all of you who have responded and for the prayers and well wishes. The naproxen I took this morning did help take the edge off a good portion of the day. Still hurt at times but not the constant, unrelenting ache I have had for the last 10 days. Unfortunately, I can feel it wearing off already and I should not take it for another 3 hours.

Have any of you had better luck with ibuprofen? I was thinking I could try that tomorrow since I can sagely take 800 mg every 6 hours. Maybe that will work better. Of course, I'm pretty sure most of you are past OTC meds helping.

Thanks,
Lori

RCross 10/01/2013

I can't take NSAIDs...so I'm probably not much help. But...you need to continue the Naproxen. Let it build in your system and work for a few days. I think you'll find that it helps. You could always add some tylenol if you need a little more pain relief.

Lori57703 10/01/2013

Thanks RCross! I will try the naproxen for a few days then. That makes sense, give it more time to do its job. Funny, how as a nurse, I know these things and tell my patients all the time but don't think about it for myself. I guess that has to do with just wanting to stop the pain. It wasn't even all gone today but such a relief from the last 10 days.

RCross 10/01/2013

I completely understand where you're coming from. I used to be a paramedic and have been told I make a horrible patient! LOL

camba 10/02/2013

I have picked up on the wheat intolerance. Did you have tests? I think such things are helpful. It may be you dont have RA but something not as bad. Whatever, with a health issue it seems logical to me that avoiding things that somehow put us out of balance can help.

If you have RA be comforted that most of us get some relief from the medicines available. Sometimes it takes a while and sometimes instant. You will hopefully find that with a definite answer you feel a little less scared. So trite but fear of the unknown/uncertainty causes us more stress (and pain?) than having something tangible to understand.

Good wishes.

Lori57703 10/02/2013

Thank you cambra. The only tests I had for the gluten intolerance vs. celiac is the blood tests which were inconclusive. At my doctor's suggestion/prompting I stopped eating gluten containing foods and do much better. I did not have a small bowel biopsy because I would have had to go back to eating wheat/gluten and that would have made me sick again. I didn't want to do that and the treatment would be the same either way; don't eat gluten. I am sure that this is not from gluten since I have not had any and when I have accidentally eaten gluten the symptoms are all GI and nothing else. I figure if it was gluten I would have the GI issues along with the joint pain. Sorry that took so long to explain!

I still have a small glimmer of hope that it's not RA but I do know I just want the pain to go away no matter what name we give it. today was rough. Especially this morning when it was in the upper 40s outside and my office was cold. It got a little better this afternoon thank goodness.

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