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 Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 7:12 am
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term disease that leads to inflammation of the joints and surrounding tissues. It can also affect other organs.
The disease usually begins gradually with:
SYMPTOMS
* Fatigue
* Loss of appetite
* Morning stiffness (lasting more than 1 hour)
* Widespread muscle aches
* Weakness
CAUSES
The cause of RA is unknown. It is considered an autoimmune disease. The body's immune system normally fights off foreign substances, like viruses. But in an autoimmune disease, the immune system confuses healthy tissue for foreign substances. As a result, the body attacks itself.
RA can occur at any age. Women are affected more often than men.
RA usually affects joints on both sides of the body equally. Wrists, fingers, knees, feet, and ankles are the most commonly affected. The course and the severity of the illness can vary considerably. Infection, genes, and hormones may contribute to the disease.
Additional symptoms include:
* Anemia due to failure of the bone marrow to produce enough new red blood cells
* Eye burning, itching, and discharge
* Hand and feet deformities
* Limited range of motion
* Low-grade fever
* Lung inflammation (pleurisy)
* Nodules under the skin (usually a sign of more severe disease)
* Numbness or tingling
* Paleness
* Skin redness or inflammation
* Swollen glands
Joint destruction may occur within 1-2 years after the appearance of the disease.
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Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 10:41 am
My mom in law has RA and her hands are almost useless to her, they have drifted so much, even tho she's had the joints replaced. She's in constant pain and her meds make her nauseous. But she does her best to soldier on. It didn't hit her until she was in her 60's, so she's actually lucky. RA often attacks much younger people. I know another woman who got it in her teens and has had over a dozen surgeries to replace joints that have degraded. She is seriously crippled from RA and has been since her 30s, so sad.
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Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 11:13 am
That is so sad. And yes she is lucky to have not gotten it until her sixties.
It effects peoples lifes so much. Amazingly i did not know anything about it until i got it. My hands are just now starting to be affected. But my feet. Oh it is just terrible pain.
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Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 12:46 am
My mom has rheumatoid arthritis. She's had it as long as I can remember. She got it in her early 30's. It's been a long battle; she's tried pretty much everything that's out there in terms of trying to cure it (seriously, name it, she's tried it). Her current project is a completely alkaline diet, no drugs. It's been a month, but there hasn't been much improvement. I think her mindset is heavily effecting her overall physical self, and it doesn't help that she's in pain all the time. I want her health to improve. I want her to be happy.
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Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 7:55 am
Hello! I'd like to know how you are doing. My father struggled with this disease for 30+ years. We lost him about a month ago. Unfortunately for him he was diagnosed so long ago and there wasn't much knowledge about the disease back then. I hear they are making some great strides nowadays. What kind of treatments are you doing currently?
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Posted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 8:07 pm
I have RA and Lupus. My RA affects my chest lining and my joints, but I also have vasculitis secondary to my RA. My Lupus attacks my heart, kidneys and veins too. I was diagnosed five years ago. But I had been sick for years. When my hips started aching and my knees and feet I thought well Heck I had five kids, It must have worn my joints out. Then I got blood clots and I was having a bad flare the cause was found. RA. It was kinda a relief to get a diagnosis. I am current;y in remission. Thank God. And for all the prayers.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2014 5:06 pm
I've had RA since I was fairly young, although I never really experienced morning stiffness for that long until I was 20. I was officially diagnosed at 16, but my doctor says I've had it since I was probably around 7-8. She wishes her and my mom had caught on sooner, but it just wasn't something they were looking for before. I mean I was a kid, it's not something you usually hear of kids having.
It still only lasts about an hour but my hands are terrible all day long. My hips, back and hands are the absolute worst of it.
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 5:14 pm
I am so sorry for your pains. Including angelic. having pain is stressful and frustrating. I have fibro which is painful but much different.
I had a good friend in highschool that was just crippled with RA. she had a body of a small child and sat in a wheelchair. her fingers were limp and had little movement in them. She was so young when she got it that there was only a little information about it back then. that was 14 years ago. SO she started a campaign to get people more educated about the disease. She had it when she was .... I think three years old. which is extremely rare.
If she had to take a pill she would have to put a pencil in her right hand and balance the pill on top of it and get it to her mouth and use a straw in a cup to swallow fluids. Hers was extreme and it taught me a lot about having compassion.
This disease is much more painful than I could ever imagine. My prayers go out to those who suffer from it.
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:33 pm
I've got it in both knees, and was diagnosed when I was 18 years old.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 11:38 am
Ravyn Raptorr I've got it in both knees, and was diagnosed when I was 18 years old. sorry to hear that. are you able to walk ok?
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Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2015 7:35 pm
Ravyn Raptorr I've got it in both knees, and was diagnosed when I was 18 years old.
Such a young age for arthritis, and a terrible location. Is it RA or OA? Have you reached a point of using assistive devices?
I somewhat recently changed my canes to a really great one I found on the Internet. After using it as my house/yard cane for a week I bought another for my car. They even fold up for travel and have a travel bag!
disappears in a flash of smoke...
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 4:33 am
Count Orlock ...appears with a *poof*
Such a young age for arthritis, and a terrible location. Is it RA or OA? Have you reached a point of using assistive devices?
I somewhat recently changed my canes to a really great one I found on the Internet. After using it as my house/yard cane for a week I bought another for my car. They even fold up for travel and have a travel bag!
disappears in a flash of smoke... RA I haven't really gone to the doctors to have them suggest it. But I end up wearing a knee brace a lot. Usually one of the ones that has the metal bracers on either side of the knee. I think it's a Mueller's that I have. I'm like my father...stubborn and our heads are as hard as rocks. Because we both end up not using the crutches/canes that we're supposed to use. sweatdrop
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Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 6:17 am
All family members on my mothers side (including) her has it... Mittens seem to help a lot especially if it's chilly at the place You work at or You do a lot of typing (and effect doubles if they're handmade by friend or family member). My Mum also makes herself massage oil for her hands: it's a lot of sunflower seeds oil and few drops of basil oil (few drops only aromatherapy oils are pretty strong stuff You don't want to overdo it - it can cause chemical burn).
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Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2016 10:27 am
I don't know what you're talking about, but my mom has arthritis really bad in her hands. I want to come up with a herb mixture or something to help out, but don't know any yet. All I've read is cherries are good for it.
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Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2016 1:54 pm
Green_crayon42 I don't know what you're talking about, but my mom has arthritis really bad in her hands. I want to come up with a herb mixture or something to help out, but don't know any yet. All I've read is cherries are good for it.  If she can handle the warmth of it, a lot of people swear by cream/lotion products that contain capsaicin. Capsaicin is the substance that makes chili peppers spicy, and while it initially produces a hot feeling that can be painful, for a lot of people it will eventually start to decrease the original pain after a few applications. Some people are more sensitive to the burning and can't use it though.
There's also this stuff made with emu oil that they sell at state fairs and stuff, called "blue stuff" or something like that. My grandfather and mom tried it for their arthritis and I think he seemed to like it and she was unimpressed. I tried it for various muscle/joint pains a couple times and found it mildly soothing. I don't have arthritis though, so I can't completely compare my experience.
Anyway, if you're doing research for things to help your mom out you might try looking up these. With these or ANY "alternative" treatment, though, it is important to try to get your information from reputable sources, or at the very least check out as many customer reviews as you can. There are a lot of websites that claim to have a lot of information on natural remedies and such - sites that a lot of people even swear by - that are full of misinformation. Some alternative remedies are effective but a lot are bunk. Some of the bunk is generally harmless, and some can be dangerous.
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