Again for comparison sake, and because the last survey was pretty cool to go back and read...
1. How old were you when symptoms started, how old at diagnoses, how old are you now?
I was about 22 when they started and I was just diagnosed this year, I am gonna be (sigh) 32 next month.
2. What state or part of the country do you live in and is it big city or rural/small town? I am thinking about weather and polution factors.
I am in TexasWell this is interesting. I think I had RA long before my
diagnosis a year and a half ago (one and half years of a misdiagnosis
on top of that). When I was 40 I got Grave's Disease (auto-immune
thyroid disease) but what drove me to the doctor was this unremitting
pain in my hips that just would not go away. Well of course the
emphasis was the Grave's disease and that got overlooked. Since I
developed deformities in my feet and more and more pain and
fatigue. So I would wager I've had RA for a long time
undiagnosed. I am now 50. My ANA has been positive for over
10 years.
Oh, I forgot about location. I was raised in ETN, in the
foothills of the Smoky Mtns but moved to ATL and lived there over 20
years in the 'burbs'. I really hated it, Ima a mtn girl.
Hubby is originally from VT and we were fortunate enough to make the
move here about 5 years ago...this is where they will need to remove me
in a box or urn, I adore living here.
1a. I was about 38 when symptoms started. 1b. I had a diagnosis of OA when I was 40. I am sero-negative so I believe they missed the RA. I had one total knee replacement at 42 and the other knee at 43. 1c. I got my RA diagnosis 5 months ago and I will be 48 in a few months. 2. I grew up in the burbs in Toronto and have been living in the burbs in Melbourne Australia for the last 21 years. Both probably high pollution areas. It will be interesting to see the different onsets and circumstances. Pam Fiona~I'd have to agree with you about what your doctor said. "You don't have it until it's dx'ed" HOG WASH!!
I was 23 when I was dx'ed but I've had problems since childhood. In fact I had a growth problem. One leg was long than the other. Just recently I'd discovered that this is a common problem in untreated JRA. I remember terrible knee, hip and leg pains in general growing up. The doctors just said "Growing Pains" I have a hard time believing that now. I grew up in Charlotte, NC. Fairly big city. I now live in a small town not far from there. 1. How old were you when symptoms started, how old at diagnoses, how old are you now? I was 31 when symptoms started and 31 when I was diagnosed. I'm 44 now. 2. What state or part of the country do you live in and is it big city or rural/small town? I live in a small city (population 35,000) in Ontario, Canada. I remember having leg pain in childhood. I had a heart condition in 7th grade and didn't take PE from then on so it is difficult to say If I had symptons then. I tired easily and had to put my feet up on a stool on the toilet because my legs hurt. I think I probably always had fibromyalgia. I also had severe allergies from childhood including reactions to most medicines, especially antibiotics. I started having back pain at 30 from lifting my baby. Later it was diagnosed as probable herniated disk. I was diagnosed with endometriosis too. This was in Philadelphia where I grew up and lived until I was 35. In Monterey, CA the back trouble continued and I had repeated episodes of bursitus, tendonitis, tennis elbow, evulsions in one finger and other mysterious muscle, joint pain and swellings. The blood work was always negative although xrays showed OA. The problems came and went moving from one part of my body to another. At about 48 I was formally diagnosed with fibromyalgia in addition to the OA. My GP thought I had some kind of autoimmune disease but he didn't know which one. I started with a rheumatologist at this point but went to her for 8 years before she actually diagnosrd me with RA at 58. She says it's new, but I don't think so. Wow LindaK---It sounds like you really were misdiagnosed for a long time. I know you must feel frustrated when you think back on that! This has returned some very interesting responses, please keep them coming. Thanks!
I was born and raised in California. RozBuds 1. How old were you when symptoms started, how old at diagnoses, how old are you now? I believe my symptoms have been going on for years, I am still not DX'd. In i started having sewlling and pains in feet in 1995, when you cant walk you go to the doctor, however I thought it just a foot problem and so then I began having all other sort of problems, infections, eye problems, then in 2000 I fell on my spine 2 seperate times, misdiagnoised on several occassions, the pain and swelling still presisting, RA runs rampant in my family, and I have jsut found a Rhuemy that has put me on Celebrex, it doesnt seem to be working, actually making pains worse, he did not give any pain meds with this. I am 46. 2. What state or part of the country do you live in and is it big city or rural/small town? I am thinking about weather and polution factors. I have lived in all of the united states as a child, moving around alot, my father was an asbestos insulator. Have live mostly in Oklahoma for the past 23 years, small towns or rural. and yes weather makes me flare, changes in cold to hot, storms, and lightening has ifts effets, sometimes in a bad storm I can feel like Im on fire, my husband and I were fishing when a fast storm came throuhg and struck near by, my heart racing and I became very hot, nervous, had instant headache, lost my bowels, and in alot of pain. I was diagnosed last June, just before my 58th birthday in August. At that time I thought I had had it about a year and a half, but was dx'd with severe OA. Since I'm totally sero-negative, wasn't sent to a rd until damage was evident on xray. He dx'd me before the lab tests and the xrays. Looking back, have had about 11 times of tendonitis in arms/shoulders, most on both sides. so, probably have had this about l6 years, but just "fell apart a couple of years ago. Seagoat, your dad was working with asbestos? That is kind of an intersting factor. I wonder if there is any connection there. I have just been thinking about all the different chemicals that we are exposed to and wonder if they could at least be making the flares worse if not causing some of the immune disorders. Some people feel a big difference if they cut out processed foods. I know of a girl that was on that crystal meth. for about a year---really a sad thing---and she finally cleaned up, then not even 6 mos later was dxd with Lupus. I think that was related. I just found out about that and it is really sad, she was such and nice person, I dont know how she fell into a drug like that. I just think there has got to be a chemical connection whether it is in the air, our food, or something else. Probably alot of it would be alomost impossible to avoid anyways though. but... I was 3 when I was first diagnosed with viral arthritis (in hindsight they think this was probably the onset of my Still's) - At that point I was put on NSAIDs, had physio, occupational therapy, splints, neck brace etc. After 5 years remission I started showing symptoms again at 13 and was rediagnosed with Still's after about 6 months of testing. I live in England, in the countryside. Hope that helps! Moonie x
didn't progress, but they're exactly what I'm feeling now. I've had severe
OA in my spine for 15 years - since a car accident. My hands started to
go about 2 years ago, but very occasional bouts of pain & swelling, and I
was diagnosed in December. I'm 50. It was a very slow progression until
October, when everything just fell apart very quickly - I live in a burb of
Detroit. I think I'm luckier than many, because even though I have it, and
I'm starting to have severe problems, many of you have been dealing with
much worse cases much earlier.
The doctors say you don't have it until it's diagnosed, but I don't believe
that. I think it's a process, not an event. I've had it for at least 20 years,
but it's taken until now to get bad enough for me to care. In some of you,
it hit hard & fast & did a lot of damage early. Pollution, a virus - or some
other trigger - may be what caused you to develop so quickly. I've always
been fairly healthy & lived in the country for most of my life.
I really love it here. I wonder more about allergens such a mold 'triggering' more than the weather.
Studies I've read show no correlation but I still wonder as many people
swear the weather pressure changes affect their joints, sinuses,
etc. I haven't correlated it at all but maybe its the type of
arthritis too...OA vs RA.
days, I couldn't stand up, much less walk. We're going through a lot of
spring fluctuations right now, and the effect is almost instantaneous. I'm
pretty good - I can't walk - I'm pretty good - I can't type. It's hard to tell
what is drugs & what is weather, because the drugs are fluctuating, too,
but I'd say it's a big factor. I'm really looking forward to warmer, dryer
weather.
Looking back, I had symptoms that I never recognized as RA. I thought I was stiff or working too much.
I live in a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, it is nice and warm here most of the time.
I've been exposed to A LOT of radiation and have to wonder if that was
the trigger for me. I lived East of Oak Ridge TN as a
child. It just came to light recently there was a radiation
release during the 60s that was bad enough it got into the milk.
Additionally, my work in the OR required me to be around radiation more
than the average bear...particularly fluroscopy which although
protected with a lead apron...was made for men over 6ft tall (I'm 5'1")
so much of my chest was exposed, not to mention my neck and
head....then radiation for the Grave's disease.
Addtionally, I think that long periods of abnormal stress can be a
trigger as well. I've read some studies which point in that
direction but there isn't anything really definitive just yet.
Here is the thing with me, NO ONE in my family has had auto-immune
diseases...I am the lucky first one. So I have examined
environmental factors wondering if they could have lead to the
development of my auto-immune disease(s).
Interesting about the radiation----most of the people here have spent quite a bit of time getting zapped!My symptoms started in 1990 but I think I went into remission. My RA came on full blown in Sept. of 2004 and I was dx in May. I live in N. California. I think my RA may have been brought on by stress.
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