trouble understanding Ra | Arthritis Information

I was in a minor accident last nov,06 and was finally diagnosed with RA in march,have seen rhuematologist many times,was difficult for him to figure out it was RA because there was no red swollen joints,and none of the blood work came back possitive,but MRI,has confirmed it.. I have some bone damage already.I am on meds for it for the last 7 months,since march the pain and stiffness has spread all over,my knees,elbows,toes ,it jumps all over,but I still dont have any red swollen joints,if its not inflamed,then what does it mean?im soo tired most of the time and some days feel lifeless.my RA doc says that he wants to give the meds about a yr,before he can really tell if its helping,is that right?
new to this...

Hi Emily, and welcome

Linda

Hi Linda,

well right now im on plaquinill,and methotrexate
Hi Emily and Welcome!

It does take a little while for the meds to work, but mtx worked really fast on me. If you are able, check with another rheumy and see what they think. I've gone through 4 maybe 5 of them until I found one that I cherrish! One was too passive and liked the "wait and see" approach, another told me if I didn't want to take what he prescribed, he didn't want to see me anymore and it didnt matter that I was allergic to one of the meds he wanted me to take Emily, I've only been dealing with RA since February. When I was dx'd, my RD started me on MTX. After 6 weeks of that with some benefit, but still in alot of pain, still had a lot of inflammation he put me on Enbrel. That worked literally over night. So I still take both, with some minor pain most days and an occasional flare.I'm also on MTX and Plaq. It took about four months to feel a bit of relief and it got better over month five and now at nearly month six I feel much better. Someone here didn't feel relief for 9 months and others get relief much sooner. I've never heard of waiting a year, though. That's a new one for me. I was told (up to) 6 to 8 weeks (max of 12 weeks) before I should start feeling some benefit.
If after 7 months things have not improved (or in your case,got worse), then I'd be going back to him, or seek out another for advice.

Emily I think you should tell your doc that you are still in pain, and that it has really gotten worse not better. Ask for help!

Perhaps you need a bigger dose of MTX

Or just an nsaid to relieve pain and stiffness.

Plaq and MTX are not pain meds. They may reduce pain by reducing inflammation. Nsaids have a more immediate effect for both pain and stiffness but do not do anything to prevent damage like Plaq and MTX.

I really need to be on an nsaid to feel decent.

Hi Emily, I agree with the others that suggested you look into another opinion (and another doc) this pain you are having and how it is increasing sounds unusual and needs to be taken care of. A diff. doc could , perhaps, give you relief. It will get harder and harder to get in to see doctors as the holidays are Nov/dec. so, it would be good to try now. Others will have good advice. Lynda

Sorry to hear you are having a hard time...but I can relate to a lot of your post. I was diagnosed in August, after having a bad year and a half, pain and joint-wise.

My rheumy told me he would like me to take mtx, plaq, and pred (only 5 mgs daily) for one full year to see what happens. I started feeling better after the pred was added to the mix, which was about 6 weeks after starting the plaq. In the beginning, when I was on plaq. only, I progressively got worse. Have you considered giving prednisone a try? I know it has it's downside, but for me, it's been a bit of a miracle.

I do not have any red joints, but I have swollen hands, wrists, feet and ankles. My blood work is all negative, except the anti-ccp (I think that's what is was...) Are your joints sore/painful all day, or just in the morning?

I hope you get some relief soon! Good luck!

Hi Emily -

These guys are so much nicer than I. Dump him!

I use antibiotics to control my PRA. It really has done wonders for me.

Hugs,

Pip

I am so proud of all of your docs. I was serum negetive for 150 years it seems and no rueme would even give the proper dx. I guess i did not have Red joints. Had enough pain. Enough joint damage. Enough swelling ect. I am not serum negetive anymore. It should up on all of the blood work big time. After i got my RF positive and had that feelling of vindacation my doc said we are waiting on the ant-ccp to confirm. Well i nearly went over the deep end when he said that. It is the sme thing. The heat i was able to feel while on the pred. I had never been treated properly during a flare in the past and had to get different docs. I think it was that i was in so much pain i didn't notice the heat before. Some docs won't give you the pain meds unless you make a big stink about it. My last flare i remember being denied pred. I went to a neurologist-pain specialist and got shots in my spine and muscles. Helped some for the pain but not the joint damage or my insides. Anyway i am glad you are all being treated. I think you will find a way to get rid of this pain. At least the doc i am seeing now did try to treat my pain and did get me a dx. < =text/>_popupControl(); Just wanted to say hi and welcome you to the board!You keep this up, and you might surpass me for the number of magic MDs and rheumatologists I had to blow through to find anyone with a brain and skills. As I keep repeating, you are the doctor, and all you can do is research and be as informed as possible, question every test because of all the mistakes made these days in labs, xrays, etc., and try to finally build the medical team you will need to get you through all of this. Its really kinda pathetic that rheumatology is so neglected and/or not well regulated by the medical field. Good luck and we are all pulling for you. Cathy

Hi and welcome. I'm not a severe RA case like a lot of people on the board. However, I'm the same as you in that I've only had one red joint, although all the finger knuckles are swollen. I think most Dr/Rheumy's say the same thing in that its possible you wont notice anything until the drugs are well and truly in your system, generally about 6 - 12 weeks. You do need to get pain relief sorted though. You will have to grow and thick skin and keep going back untill you've got what's right for your system.... be prepared, it will take a while and you will meet opposition but its your body and only you know what you can and cant cope with. Pred is also great, I dont take a daily dose like lots of the folk on the board I just get a shot once every 2/3 months.

I was diagnosed with RA in September. I had two positive blood tests but I have never had red swollen joints. Just pain in joints all over....it seems to jump around my body. I even had joint pain in my jaw - I couldn't eat for 24 hours. I started meds last Saturday. My doctor told me that I should start to feel the benefits within 6 weeks. If not, he would start to "play" with the dosage and med options to get the mix right for me. Seems like all people react differently to the meds.

In the meantime, to manage my day to dayon anti-inflamatory meds and steriods. I would highly recommend getting a second opinion because of all that I have read and heard from my doctor...RA can be managed with meds. I would not wait a year and "see" what happens. A few months maybe but that would be it. You may just need a new "mix".

Best of luck!!!

and that Im not alone on how it affects me and how it can affect the relationship,I have recent flare ups still and Im pretty moody,and needing alot of space,being that I was such an independant person before the RA,and when I was told I had RA I had a hard time accepting it,was depressed,scared and felt helpless.now Im finally feeling like my old self again and that this disease doesnt have to have control over me,Im wanting to be my independant self again(with help when I need it).I know its hard for my boyfriend to understand the changes,and that he feels like hes loosing me,hes wonderful,and I couldnt have a better person in my life.I wish he could understand that for me,its just a process of going from accepting RA,and dealing with the things it brings with it,to finally becomming my real self again... Hi Emily. I don't know much about the MTX but it took about 6 months for
the plaquinil to be fully effective for me. Drugs are not the only thing that
can help this disease. Look carefully at your diet and lifestyle and make
corrections that will ensure that you are as healthy as you can be. We really
must take the holistic approach with this disease. Meds alone are not going
to do it. I understand more each day Baby (Emily) I will try and give you the space you need without thinking the worst. I just want you to know that Im here for you and the boys if you need anything. We will get through this.. that much I know ddmiller3839390.4605787037
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com