How symmetrical is your RA? | Arthritis Information
Lots of questions these days as a rookie. Thanks for bearing with me!
Just curious how symmetrical your RA is. My ankles, for example, are almost identical. My wrists and elbows, however, are different. I have pain and stiffness in both but the right is markedly more noticeable. I dont know if its worse in the right because I use it more or just that I notice it more because I use it more. After 15 minutes or so on the computer, I ache for hours in the right--which is why I have always dismissed it as maybe carpal tunnel and never mentioned it to anyone because I thought they'd say "you spend too much time on the computer" even though I'm now limited to a couple of emails and lucky to tolerate a search or message board sitting....
Anyone else?
Well.......
My right knee is 100% worse than my left. No idea why, it's always been like that.
Most of my general swelling, aches, pains, etc etc are perfectly symetrical. If one hurts, so does the other.
I have something going on in my neck, that causes my left shoulder/side of my neck/left arm to have pain. I'm (we) aren't so sure that it's actually RA just yet though, so don't hold that comment too high. Hehe
My left side is lots worse than my right side. My foot pain is the same both sides but the rest of my body doesnt add up.
Sometimes both sides will hurt at the same time. Sometimes, one side will start, then the other will join in a day or two later. Sometimes, its just one side. Guess I didn't help at all, huh?
symmetry in RA means both sides are affected not necessarily that they are affected to the same degree. Generally most people tend to be more affected on their dominant side..but everyone is different and different joints may behave differently on the same body.
Me, I have it in every joint but my left hip...and you've got to keep that a secret..we don't want it to know its been left out and suddenly want to join the party!!
Same here- symmetrical but right wrist, elbow, shoulder seem to hurt more because it's my dominant side.Actually all that is helpful. I've only had my initial screening done that came back positive and have my first RD appt in 5 weeks. I guess I keep looking for signs that its not RA. Everything still seems to point in that direction, though....When the RA acts up, it is mainly in my hands and feet. Of these, the left hand and right foot are worse than the right hand and left foot, but the difference is not huge.
Kelly,
apparently you're right handed.
And apparently you kick ass with your left foot. ;-)
[QUOTE=arriscolwell]Kelly,
You know what? Now that I read that, I said it backwards. *sigh*
It should have been you're LEFT handed and you kick ass with your RIGHT foot.
It's not even funny any more, because I butchered it so bad. *sobs*
My pain right now is my right knee and ankle ( dominant side ) but it does change all the time . Sometimes it's an elbow or a wrist not always on the dominant side .
This is the most pain I have been in in years .
Next week I go back to Enbrel and I hope it works like it use to .
This is such an interesting topic to me. Since I am newly diagnosed, I have been very curious abot the symmetrical issue. My feet are symmetrical, my knees, my wrists are-although started in my right wrist for about a month first. Most other areas
do seem to be on my dominant side-elbow, hip, shoulder. This actually bothered the rhuemy a little bit, but I guess the RF and CCP being high placated him.
Does it come in any other variety???
Me too, both feet, ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, ribs, hands, wrists, jaw both sides, and mainly left elbow, right one not too bad. When my Drs ask me where it is hurting today, I always say, ask me where it doesn't hurt, its much easier!!!! ha ha. Cheers Janie.
I'm right handed but do a lot of things with both hands. Sometimes both my hands and wrists hurt in the same place. My hips did at one point but now just left side. Just left side on foot now and left side of neck and shoulder. Everyone is different. It's one crazy disease!I had been hurting symetrically everywhere. I certainly have the dominant right side problem today. A bit more swelling and a pinch more pain for right knee and shoulder. But i have had in the past swelling in left ankle and knee but not the right. I have been a total bum all day. Had symeteric burning to each side of my thoratic spine. Woke up right arm is on strike. Knees have been symetrically hurting scince it seems like the beginning of time, for sure for a few weeks now. But today i was walking back from the bathroom and there is a large mirror on the wall in family room. Well i had a wince or two of pain on this little walk and noticed that the right knee looked larger in the mirror. I just shrugged and thought well that explains my behavior today. Like yesterday i bought hairdye had to have it. Well it is still sitting in the box because well my arm hurts. This by no means is an indication that the leftside won't swell up. It will eventually. But sometimes the right side will settle down first and other times i am not as lucky.
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