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...
I've been wanting to ask this for a while now on this forum. For those of you who have been through a long term remission or are within remission presently, what does this mean to you? How do you feel as compared to when you PRIOR to even having RA & after you were first dx'd?
I'm just trying to gauge myself & my supposed "remission" compared to others to see if I'm way off or if this is "as good as it gets"? I've been off meds since 12/2015, my Rheumy states he feels from all indicators, physical examination, x-rays & my stiffness, pain & inflammation levels, I am within a remission. The dx came after being on the lowest methotrexate dosage for over a year (2.5mg) & not exhibiting much physical issues. Although I trust my Rheumy I'm seriously thinking about getting a 2nd opinion just to be completely sure & ease my own mind.
Well, it's been almost a year since being off & I am experiencing slighthly more pain than back in 12/2015. It comes & goes but pain level is rarely above a 2 out of 10, stiffness maybe a 1 or 2 for no more than a minute & no swelling or inflammation. Let's just put it this way, by the time I'm out of the shower getting ready for work, I'm good to go.
However lately & I'm not sure if it's due to overexhertion at the gym but I'm feeling a little more tenderness around the clavicle, right wrist & ankles.
I don't know. I guess I'm a little too "literal" of a person but in my mind "REMISSION" means complete absense of all ailments. Basically you're back to where you were before even knowing what RA is/was? Pre RA!? NO???
What do you all think?
I can't remember a day when I haven't had pain of some sort, but that's life. I really like to be active, adventurous and to push myself, so I'm willing to give up something in the pain category.
I guess I would put myself in the same category as CA-Lynn, and say I'm in drug-induced remission, and as long as I can afford the drugs, I see no reason to mess with that. If I couldn't afford the drugs, I'd keep doing what I'm doing, anyway, until such time as I I couldn't. Then I'd have an darned good anser. I think if I slowed down and had to sit on my ass, I'd just call it quits, anyway.
My RA is horribly progressive, but I have a lot of purpose and meaning in my life, some of which comes out of my disease.
The fact is, RA is horrible. The fact is, everyone suffers in some way. There is no perfect life, although we may think we have a perfect life before RA, or conversely, we may think we got a raw deal while others have the perfect life.
Neither paradigm is true! The "journey" is what it is all about. That means learning and growing through the good times and the bad.
Ok, enough preaching for today! LOL
depot
Wow! Sorry I offended you in some way for posting this?? Did it bother you to read through it or something? I've only had RA for a few years so I'm just trying to dial in how remission really works or does not work.
I guess I'll just keep the "wondering" to myself.
Yup go to the gym 3-4 days a week. Most days are great!
You'll hear about remission being "natural" (no drugs) or "drug-induced," but is that no symptoms, some pain and flares, no joint damage (deviations), or no internal organ/system damage? I didn't mean to disrespect you or your question, but really, who's to know about remission? You seem well om=n your way to something, so keep it up, and God Bless.
Sorry CS430, I think I just read your post "all wrong" you know sometimes with text, email ect it's not the same as talking in front of someone so I apologize!
On a positive note thanks for your input & yeah that's the frustrating part is that there's really no "definitive" state of remission for RA sufferers so now I DO understand what you mean by, "Who gives a $hit", it's more like, "Just don't worry about it, if you feel good & not on meds then great, if you feel good & have to take meds then great, as long as you feel good or feel waaaaay better than you did when you first got diagnosed"!
Hopefully within our lifetime the medical establishment can create some super drug that will truly get us true PRE DX'D REMISSION! I mean we were born with it & for most of us it just "turned on" somewhere in our 20's, 30's or 40's? So there has to be a way to "turn it off" as well!
Anyway, take care crookedstick430!
I think that's going to be the next major milestone in medicine. Sadly, I think it won't be in my lifetime.
Yeah I know, I don't think it'll be in my lifetime either.