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 All,
I feel a little out of place. Supposedly I have a very severe form of RA, because I have strong positive CCP Antibodies.
I've been diagnosed with RA over a year and a half ago.
I have little pain, don't have swelling, redness, tenderness.
But I feel like crap, extreme, extreme tiredness. To a level where I can't do the normal things in life. Also there is a very strong feeling of non wellness.
I recently started Enbrel, and went yesterday for a follow up. The nurse saw me.
She was more concerned with my joints, felt tons of joints in my hand, elbow, felt my knee joints.
And I'm saying to her that I'm extremely tired, tired, tired, not feeling well. Seemed to be something not a big concern for her.
Then she asked how the Enbrel was doing? I've been taking it for 2 months now. I'm still stiff.
O and also when I told her, I don't have that much pain, she was surprised. Then she kept on squeezing my hand and asking me, does this hurt, does this hurt, etc, etc.
I told her I am stiff in the morning, at this point I don't even know if the stiffness is from RA or something else, cause my joints are not very stiff, but the muscles and entire body is stiff.
She wanted to try something else if the Enbrel is not helping me.
Here's my question? What am I supposed to feel when on Enbrel. I mean I think it does help me in terms of feeling better. After like 6 days, I can feel it wearing off, and that feeling of unwellness gets worse.
I want to stay on this Enbrel cause my insurance only covers Enbrel and Humira.
Also, am I a rare breed here? I've never had my joints swollen, or unbearable pain in the joints, a few aches here and there. But I've got terrible fatigue and feeling of unwellness. Does RA affect men differently then women?
I feel a little out of place. Supposedly I have a very severe form of RA, because I have strong positive CCP Antibodies.
I've been diagnosed with RA over a year and a half ago.
I have little pain, don't have swelling, redness, tenderness.
But I feel like crap, extreme, extreme tiredness. To a level where I can't do the normal things in life. Also there is a very strong feeling of non wellness.
I recently started Enbrel, and went yesterday for a follow up. The nurse saw me.
She was more concerned with my joints, felt tons of joints in my hand, elbow, felt my knee joints.
And I'm saying to her that I'm extremely tired, tired, tired, not feeling well. Seemed to be something not a big concern for her.
Then she asked how the Enbrel was doing? I've been taking it for 2 months now. I'm still stiff.
O and also when I told her, I don't have that much pain, she was surprised. Then she kept on squeezing my hand and asking me, does this hurt, does this hurt, etc, etc.
I told her I am stiff in the morning, at this point I don't even know if the stiffness is from RA or something else, cause my joints are not very stiff, but the muscles and entire body is stiff.
She wanted to try something else if the Enbrel is not helping me.
Here's my question? What am I supposed to feel when on Enbrel. I mean I think it does help me in terms of feeling better. After like 6 days, I can feel it wearing off, and that feeling of unwellness gets worse.
I want to stay on this Enbrel cause my insurance only covers Enbrel and Humira.
Also, am I a rare breed here? I've never had my joints swollen, or unbearable pain in the joints, a few aches here and there. But I've got terrible fatigue and feeling of unwellness. Does RA affect men differently then women?
I'm grateful for that and I hope that somehow it'll always be that way.
Things that do still happen - I hurt the next day if I do a LOT of physical stuff. I am tired doing a lot. For example, I can vacuum my living room and that's it for a few hours. I'm not short of breath, I'm just pooped.
If I continue that day and mop the kitchen, do dishes, laundry, etc...I hurt the next day as if I'd lifted weights beyond my ability.
I'm sore.
What enbrel did for me was take away the next day's soreness. It made my joints IRON MAN strong! Like when I was in my 20s and 30s. I'm going back on it sometime - when another joint bugs me...I don't have faith it will stay away.
Enbrel also made me way less tired. When you feel good, you sleep well and you function well. That's what Enbrel did for me.
It sounds like either Enbrel is not the correct drug for you OR your symptoms of fatigue are not RA.
I'd move to another biologic and see since your fatigue is so taxing. If it doesn't work, then perhaps give a different type of DMARD a try.
Mine - well, like I stated, I can do these things and as long as I have a good pace, I'm ok. I know Enbrel works but I'm sorta running a trade - I also know these biologics will work for limited time frames. (could be a year, could be 5, could be 10??. I'm delaying since I'm feeling pretty darn good.
Cassie2u - what are you taking for your RA?
When you say nurse, do you mean nurse practitioner? If not, you should see the Rheumy, perhaps get better answers. Perhaps the fatigue is not being addressed because there is little they can do about it.
But to be honest, sometimes there's nothing we do or don't do that causes things to be better or worse.
I recently read an article about the importance of treating RA aggressively with multiple meds. You should check with your doctors. Maybe that would help you. I'm definitely asking at my next appointment.
I hope you feel better soon.
I will continue all meds, cause I don't want to end up in a wheelchair.
Actually my condition is causing me great problems , the tiredness is extreme. I can't work, can't leave my house every day. But most people on here with RA complain about excessive pain, swelling, that kind of stuff.
With me its excessive tiredness, morning stiffness, not feeling well, at times when i wake up, my face is a little swollen. I do have aches and pains, but not to the point where I start asking prescription pain meds. And what I've seen is that I also have general overall pain as well with joint pain, but nothing like a bad toothache or bad enough to make me scream.
I also have anemia I think because of the RA.