I went to a shoe shop and the lady told me if I had good fitting shoes my feet wouldn't hurt......I said but I have RA and my feet are deformed due to it and she just kept insisting if I wore proper shoes I would have no problems. I was wearing my favourite crocs that day.

"You're too young to have arthritis"

"Oh, my grandma has that, but she just takes some advil and it goes away. Have you tried that?"

"If you try *insert miracle diet/supplement/alternative treatment* your arthritis will be cured."

"If you just exercise your arthritis will be cured!"

My "favorite" was from my GP "If you exercise, you won't be so dizzy" Said I, "How can I exercise when I can't stand up?" "You just have to" Later, after dizzy turned into fainting and heartbeat illregularities, it was discover (by me!, I made them test) that I had an electrolyte imbalance

"If you wouldn't lay down, you wouldn't be tired"

"If you didn't take so much medicine, you wold be better. You need to go to detox!"

"If you didn't drink Pepsi, you would be fine."

"You should try counseling"

And the unspoken, "It''s all in your head"

I love the Advil/Tylenol/Asprin/low-dose/Asprin/ Ibprophen/Motrin x-strenght.
Do these people think I am so stupid, I would never have thought to try OTC pain relievers!!!!!!

"Prednisone is really bad for you." Me:"So is RA"

Sometimes, they don't even have to open their mouth. You can just read their thoughts in their eyes!!!!

kel57 - it sounds like the shoe sales lady was on commission and was needing to make a sale! You should have said the famous last words, "Here's your sign!!"

I have a theory about these comments, especially those that come from people close to you. They do not want to accept that something is seriously wrong with you. I did this with a friend that kept telling be to do all kinds of things, tests, diet etc. I told her I had truly already tried everything she had suggested, spent a small fortune,and it was really hurtful to me to suggest that I should do something other than take the medications that were really helping me. If they are really my friend, this will stop the silly suggestions, resulting in a more supportive attitude.
As for comments from people that I do not know, I mean nothing to them and they mean nothing to me. Sometimes this is easier said than done, but most of the time it works for my head.
Re: the shoe sales lady, she is partly right, proper shoes will be better than platforms with spike heals!

LOL some of these are funny... yeah, pop an Advil... why didn't. I think of that???
I was just diagnosed a couple of weeks ago and I am already having stupid comments, although mine is more rude than funny. I heard from a couple of my coworkers that another coworker (who is known around there as the big B word) that when I had to miss work because my G.P. made an emergency appt. for me with the rheumy for the next day, that I was faking it to get out of work, and I brought a note in from both doctors mind you..
Yes driving 3 hours to spend the day at the rheumy getting x-rays and 12 tubes of blood taken is MUCH funner than going to work!!! Not to mention the $2600 bill...

my all time most hated words are, " if you would just be more positive and take your mind off these aches and pains you dwell on, then you would be fine!" mind over matter? really? as we all know...nobody gets Ra unless they have it.

Yep even our friends with the best intentions make stupid comments. I have one friend who is a breast cancer survivor she is wonderful and has an incredibly big heart. BUT she still after 6 years keeps trying to tell me I can control this with diet. I have tried them allno night shade veggies, the alkaline diet, no dairy.they cost a lot and none have helped. I have also tried the natural cures Chicken collagen, MSN.I could go on for days. No unless you have this beast you have no clue.
Hugs to all,
Jan

The most common ones I get are
"You need to exercise more, you'll feel better"
"You're too young to have arthritis!"
and "You should try (insert crazy diet here)"

I always nod and smile politely.

Never mind the shoe shop, at least they can claim ignorance..The most annoying thing I have noticed is when you walk into a pharmacist and you before and before you know it they are recommending their own brand miracle cures. There are about a thousand brands of stuff claiming to repair cartilage and there is just no such thing. (These people are supposed to advise you and they know better). I gues there are some things that will never change, the snake oil salesmen will always be with us.

All of these comments made me smile anyway. I love being on this page because it lifts me up. I have heard the "you're too young to have arthritis" and the "I need good fitting shoes" Lately wearing my flip flops my feet have felt better! And I wish there was a diet that would make this go away, because if there was I would be on it right now today!!!

"Oh yeah... I have RA in my elbow" by stupid man at church.

"At least you don't have cancer" by friend on facebook

"You don't have REAL RA" by brother

You DON"T have RA" by mother and father (They don't even know what it is... dad asked what is RA and then told me I don't have it. I guess they are experts.

After seeing rheumy "Go to a REAL doctor" by brother

"You're too young to have that" by massage therapist

"Eat honey and cinnamon" by student's parent

What they don't get is that RA is NOT even arthritis... i is more like Lupus.

"You just need to get out and get the blood to flowing " by a cousin who works at paint store. That makes him an expert

Me "I can't believe how fast I went downhill"... Then Mom covers my mouth w/ her hand and says "SHHHHHHH. Don't talk about it! WE do not talk negative."

How about...My thumb is so sore.I know exactly what you mean when you say your in pain...HUH? and ..I never heard of anyone being in pain everyday...that is not possible...(Really?) I'll remmeber that one on a really bad day..You drink way to much diet cola..that is not good for you and you would be better if you stopped it.. Why are you so tired? If you exercise you wouldn't be so tired...and this one from my r.a. doctor...How long has that foot been giving you trouble..? It hasn't given me any trouble until you just pressed on all the joints..and I don't go around pressing on joints in my foot..so how would I know how long it has been that way.? His reply was loud laughter and then saying your right you wouldn't know unless you pressed on them... the list is endless

A friend of mine that has had RA for 15 years said the stupidest thing said to her was....

"If you will sit and hold a POTATO the pain and soreness will go away"

Give me a BREAK!