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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seaschell 09/11/2016

If I hear oh it's just arthritis one more time I'm going to scream!!!!

CountryGal22 09/11/2016

I use to get this a lot; people talking about how I don't look like anything is wrong when I had almost died and have several physical problems but I don't get that so much now because it has caught up with me that I look as bad as I feel lol.

oceans11 09/12/2016

LOL! Oh you mean the, "Oh just take some Tyelonol & come outside already"! Yeah it's amazing with the internet people won't take 2 minutes to read how serious RA is, can be & how it affects more than just joints, THEN they'd maybe understand. But I hear ya!

californialynn 09/12/2016

Just this morning I received an email from a friend who believes she has OA, who has been complaining and complaining about pain. You'd swear her pain is ten times worse than mine. ....until this morning. She said she took two BABY aspirin and it went away. She suggested I try it.

astridzenith 09/12/2016

I think the silly suggestions (like take baby aspirin) are very annoying, and "JUST arthritis can be a slap, but I've seen a lot of horrible cases of OA, where the only relief was heavy duty pain killers. RA can definitely bring a lot of other trouble to the table, but we've got some pretty good drugs to manage it with, which OA suferers don't have.

californialynn 09/12/2016

OA sufferers use all the drugs that we do except the DMARDS.

http://www.healthline.com/health/osteoarthritis/medications-list

MarleneJ 09/12/2016

I am always very careful to take the time to educate people about this disease who say anything stupid, from using apple cider vinegar to the baby aspirin nonsense. If someone sends me a message about some miracle cure, I start with,

"I appreciate the concern you have shown by sending this message. However...." Then I give a detailed description of RA being a systemic disease, and how it attacks joints, skin, organs and the brain. Then I ask exactly what is the mechanism being this "miracle" cure they are giving me, and describe the mechanisms for about 10 different drugs.

They never bother me again! Especially, those "Change your diet" types. I also describe the 45 plus years I have been an organic vegetarian, and how it didn't stop me from getting the disease, nor it is a cure. Strangely, these types usually don't remain friends with me very long! LOL

WarriorGal 09/12/2016

RA is the Rodney Dangerfield of diseases! We don't get no respect! I hate the name of this disease as much as I hate the disease. I tried to organize a movement to get the name change years ago. Other diseases have done it. Manic depression is now bipolar disorder, just one example.

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