Has anyone's lungs been effected by your RA? I was just tested by a asmtha therapist. He said my lungs has scar tissue of the result of having RA.
Can't say i have but thats weird. I've been told you can have it anywhere you have a joint with fuid around weird places like your voice box but i've never heard of it in the lungs. I'll be sure to ask my RD about that one.
Hi Cynthia,
I've had RA for 23 years and I'm in pretty good shape considering. However, last May I had a chest x-ray and then a CT scan on my lungs and I was told that I have a tiny scar in my lower left lung. The doctor (ER doctor) said that this scar is probably caused by some childhood illness (infection of some sort) but I just recently read on another arthritis forum that RA and the drug Methotrexate can also cause lung scarring. I'm going to do more investigating but certainly hope that I can continue taking methotrexate because its done wonders for me! ATC
http://www.arthritisinsight.com/medical/disease/ra/notjustth ejoints.html
RA effects everything. In some of us, more than others.
It's affected my eyes. When I have a bad flair coming, my eyes tell me.
I get wheepy eyes because the tear ducts get inflammed. One eye will get really really dry and irrated and the other eye will constantly water. That's usually how I can tell it's coming. I'll get the eye thing right before I get the flair. It's my precursor.
Wierd, huh? Anyone else get this?
Sorry about your lungs. Do you have more problems breathing when you're having a flair?
woobie
yes, i was told by my doctor that ra can affect your lungs an eyes. She never told me what it would do. When I would go for my 3 - 4 month check, she always told me my lungs were just fine. It took my regular md to find it. (Interesting?) I never connected my flairs with my breathing, however, I plan to take notice. It would be interesting to find out if one follows the other. Hi, I have RA but was first diagnosed with osteoarthritis,fibro, and sjogren's syndrome 8 years earlier. I'm on prednisone, plaquanil,methetrexate and Embrel. Just last week i contacted a virus so went off the methtrexate and the Enbrel until it clears up. I got congested but with very little mucous. My chest really hurt and I couldn't breathe lying down. An Xray showed that my lungs were enlarged, but with no scarring. I'm wondering if the metetrexate injured my lungs, or if it's another complication. My rheumy thought maybe I had asthma.
Hello,
I'm new to the forum and hope you don't mind if I just jump in here. Yes, RA can cause problems with your lungs. I have rheumatoid nodules at the base of both lungs. This was discovered when I had an episode of difficulty in breathing. Even though I had been diagnosed several years before with RA, the doctor's did not connect the symptoms to RA at first. The doctor ordered a CT scan of my lungs to rule out a pulmonary embolus and discovered "a crop of rheumatoid nodules" at the base of both lungs, as well as the lining of my lungs being inflamed. I was in a flare with yet another part of my body involved. I took some prednisone to get me through the flare. Check things out with your doctor. I hope all goes well for you.
PEOPLE WITH RA CAN GET PLUERSY I HAD IT LAST YEAR VERY PAINFULL IT CAN EFFECT ANY JOINT YOUR SKIN ( VASULITIS) YOUR EYES YOUR LUNGS I MAY BE MISSING ONE I STARTED PHYSIO LAST WEEK AND SHE LENT ME A VIDEO THAT EXPLAINS EVERTHING ABOUT RA IN REAL PEOPLE WORDS I STILL HAVE IT I WILL WATCH IT AGAIN IT WAS ABOUT EVERYTHING.....TERESAYes it can affect your lungs as well as other organs. I have numerous nodules on my lungs that they watch closely for changes. I have a ct scan every 3 months. I also had fluid around the lining of my lung last year. It was an uncomfortabel feeling under my rib that I kept complaining about until I finally got the first ct scan. i'm not meaning to scar you but a friend of mine her mom had Ra and she died from rheumatiod lung. she had some much scar tissus that her lungs cound not fill with air any more. she did past on about 15 years ago when they did not know much.and had RA for 45 years.i think she was in her late 70's. its scary....WELCOME to the AI support Forum
dj7756
lindaK
zammercat
I am glad to see that you found our board and I hope that you will enjoy your stay here and all the friends you are about to meet, who will help guide you along your journey with your Autoimmune Disease, particularly Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Good Sunday Morning to all of you.
I was so surprised to hear all the posting about lung nodules. I think I asked that question's about lung nodules, when I first found this site, before it went down, and when I re-registered for it and at that time no one had any real information on lung nodules.
As most of you know I had BC with affected lymph nodes. Because of that, I have always had a cat scan done every 3 months and every 6 months for a chest xray because of them picking up lung nodules, kidney nodules and liver nodules in my very first cat scan. No one knows where they came from (to small to biopsy). They are just there and not increasing with any alarm. So now they have decided that they are not from my past history of BC but from RA that I more than likely had before the BC. While taking chemo and radiation it put my RA on hold, so to speak...but as time went on and my body rid itself of all the toxic waste residual from the cancer treatments, RA reared it's head again.
I am still in the dark as to what is going on with my organs and if it is from RA (I may never know) it helps me to know that RA could be the reason for the nodules and it looks like the early treatments for the RA has kept them from going any further...If that is true then I am a prime example as to why it is best to start on aggressive treatments for RA, the first time they see any connection to RA and your blood panels and not wait for stronger symptoms to show up.
I have shared almost every symptom that every one of you have talked about, so I sorta have a feeling that it is mostly autoimmune/RA related but we can never sit on the fence about strange symptoms because we think it may be a autoimmune problem. We need to have them noted and checked out by our doctors, all of them, not just our Rheumatology doctors to make sure that there are no other health issues we have to be aware of besides our autoimmune diseases.
I may seem to be a pest to them but the way I look at it, at least I will be an alive pest and that's a good thing.
Toni
Waddles,
So right about checking new symptoms out!!!!! It may be too late if you think everything is connected to RA. My sister died of BC my maternal Aunt died, both at 40. My maternal grandmother had it but didn't die from it. I had a breast biopsy a few yrs ago and it was the scariest thing I ever went thru. Thankfully it was neg but the anxiety is enough to kill you as you know. How long ago were you dx with it? I have had a mamo every yr since 35. As I've posted before everyone in my family has died from cancer. My sister-in-law had a mastectomy 25 yrs ago with CA in 16 lympnodes she hasn't had a reccurance. She has a very upbeat attitude which I think makes a big difference. I go to Rhuemy Tues. Going to do blood work. Talk to you later Pat52
Toni, I just wanted to tell you how much I respect you for all you have gone through, how brave you are and how much you share. I feel like a wussie sometimes when I realize what others like you have gone through. You are one tough broad Just want to add here , after finding out about the nodules on my lungs I had to stop taking mtx. Doc said it can cause them to grow.Thnak you for the welcome waddles. I used to come to the old site but had trouble getting the site to work alot. This one works well now.had to use a new name because my old one is still there and I can get it to work. it was ksee.
Is Tina(krissyjo)still active here?