Rheumatoid Arthritis (plus) support thread

[highonlife]

Sounds awful!
My doc have sendt me a prescription today on a "coctail" of painkillers.. Now i can't manage more pain.. these last months have been horrible!! sleep so much but never feel awake.. keep turning so much during the night.. everything is painful or difficult.. i am so depressed!! tired and have no energy.. have not been doing anything fitness related(not even yoga ), because i just barely could manage go to work, but now i have sickleave until the end of april.. hopefully i can resume exercise to get some energy and depression relief..

well, complaining does not help much either.. but it's good to let out some steam

[Frostfire]

well, complaining does not help much either.. but it's good to let out some steam

Always helps me! I guess that's why I do it so much.

Hope you are on an upswing for awhile, sounds like its been miserable. I hate the sleepy all the time feeling Kills my motivation to do anything.

[highonlife]

Well, finally i have a reliable internet source.. so i can start posting again.

Have just come home from a four week stay at www.kurbadet.no (only norwegian) and have learnt A LOT! both about RA and my body.

The stay was buildt around my abillitys and prefercenses. A group of ten persons with RA was the foundation, with hot water gymnastics every morning 6 days a week, four days a week we had group aerobic/toning class. All instructors are physioterapists and all is lowintensity made for RA patients. Lectures by docs, nurses and other healthpersonell 5 days a week. In addition to this was the individual workouts approx. 2 each day and physical therapy every weekday.

The best with this place was the food, standard diet is lacto-ovo vegetarian with addition of fish 2-3 times a week. So the cooks where really good at making vegan a great alternative. It was so fun seeing a 96 year old woman really enjoying her nut roast.

I among the youngest there and the people was quite old-ish.. (most between 60-70). But the stay was so good for me. Loved it.

[ZIZI]

Well, finally i have a reliable internet source.. so i can start posting again.

Have just come home from a four week stay at www.kurbadet.no (only norwegian) and have learnt A LOT! both about RA and my body.

The stay was buildt around my abillitys and prefercenses. A group of ten persons with RA was the foundation, with hot water gymnastics every morning 6 days a week, four days a week we had group aerobic/toning class. All instructors are physioterapists and all is lowintensity made for RA patients. Lectures by docs, nurses and other healthpersonell 5 days a week. In addition to this was the individual workouts approx. 2 each day and physical therapy every weekday.

The best with this place was the food, standard diet is lacto-ovo vegetarian with addition of fish 2-3 times a week. So the cooks where really good at making vegan a great alternative. It was so fun seeing a 96 year old woman really enjoying her nut roast.

I among the youngest there and the people was quite old-ish.. (most between 60-70). But the stay was so good for me. Loved it.

very pleased for you, hope you carry on in this positive phase, RA is a dead loss, I have it too, only mild at the moment, but the flares are horrible and depressing, hopefully I can hold it at bay for a while. good luck

[ZIZI]

recently having RA flares continuously, mainly in wrists fingers and shoulders, to the point of being more or less immobile with pain and stiffness, and general malaise,seen specialist, advised to start Methotrexate injections weekly, long term. I am not happy to do this, as already tried other meds and I cannot tolerate them due to the side effects.Looking into Methtrexate its side effects really horrify me, I simply do not want to tke this, but know its worth a try, doc has said I could end up in constant pain ,I have no joint damage as yet, which is good, I have to make a decision soon. Has anyone on here with RA taken this , and found it beneficial, and how did you cope with the side effects, I so want to keep up with all my activities and usual life, any information, or experiences of others woul be welcome. Thanks for reading this.

[Gelert]

You guys may be interested to hear this:

Vegan diet 'help' for arthritis

Meat was off the menu for half of those in the study group
Rheumatoid arthritis patients may be able to reduce their high risk of heart attacks and strokes with a gluten-free, vegan diet, a study suggests.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7301188.stm

[moggy]

I've started taking turmeric for its anti inflammatory properties (not RA , just old age), seems to be growing evidence of its potential use for RA-possibly its worth a google for any of you with RA. Within a week of taking it I found my wrists and elbows were a lot less painful at night. (which isnt proof, I know, but its also helped my old Alsation)

[Frostfire]

Are you still around ZIZI? I hope your flare-up has ended! I've been on methotrexate for over a year now, and to be honest it has made little difference so I take a whole mix of nasty stuff now . But I also had very little side effects, I think my body just doesn't absorb it well. Keeps me mobile though

[ZIZI]

Are you still around ZIZI? I hope your flare-up has ended! I've been on methotrexate for over a year now, and to be honest it has made little difference so I take a whole mix of nasty stuff now . But I also had very little side effects, I think my body just doesn't absorb itT well. Keeps me mobile though

Thanks Frostfire, Ive just started MTX three weeks now, I have nausea for about 2 days after my shots, and find I get really tired at times,, so far no hairloss noticed, isnt all this fun!!I seemed to be in one flare after another, mainly my wrists, different fingers , and shoulders,, and feeling as if I had flu, I feel a bit achey more or less all over, but no particular stiffness, I am reluctant to take these very toxic drugs, but if they keep me mobile, and able to live my life as I want, then I must do so .Keep well, and moving, I intend to , somehow.

[Frostfire]

Hey ZIZI,

Wow, the MTX side effects sound nasty. I really had very little, but I take it in pill form and like I mentioned above, it made very little difference. I'm also on Humira now and that is injected, but that has also had little side effects (so far at least, only been taking it 2 months now) and it has really helped my mobility.

Have you ever taken prendisone? Are you on any NSAIDS?

[ZIZI]

Yes, I had two IM Steroid shots , a while back to calm my flares down, they worked, but were only to tide me over until the Mtx kicked in, I cant say I feel so great, I am mobile, but am noticing a lot of generalised muscle stiffness, and achey feelings, also tiredness, hopefully I will get more tolerant of these symptoms, if not then I suppose I will have to try other meds.I only take NSAIDS when really necessary. Thanks for asking , I will keep posting, hope you keep well, its so frustrating, outwardly I look as always, yet inside I have this horrible condition, waiting to do, who knows what !Tricia

[Frostfire]

Wow, you are hardcore. I take NSAIDs on a daily basis and would have trouble if I did not! Right now I take Mobic.

I know what you mean about the frustration of having RA. I lot of my friends look at me and say "well, you look fine, why can't you do such-and-such." Especially with rock climbing. I can only do the most basic easy stuff with big hand holds, and my climbing friends just think I'm lazy or too scared to "challenge" myself with harder climbs or bigger falls . Even after I explain the situation, they still just think I'm being a wuss! *sigh*

I also know what you mean about the fatigue. I really struggle right now with my 8 hour work day (was going to school before now and would set my own schedule). Its SO long and I get SO tired some days, I feel like my feet just drag (more so than the usual afternoon sleepies everyone seems to get).

Okay, enough complaining for now

[Crash]

How has the arthritis been?

[Frostfire]

Okay, I'm just gonna use this space to moan a bit

I've been giving myself a shot once every two weeks of Humira. It is the only drug that has made a difference with my RA and I would be a LOT worse off without it, but I have to inject it under the skin on my stomach or on the front side of my thigh (over the quad area). Well, this always is extremely painful and leaves a very sensitive area for a few days. I'm crying about it today because I did my last shot on Tuesday on my stomach and I kept bumping it today, ouch!

Alright, just tell me to suck it up. I am fine, just wanted to complain a little . . .

[JP]

auch. Is it a small injection like diabetics do, or a bigger needle job?

Why those two areas only?