? about a possible symptom | Arthritis Information

Hi, I am very very new to this and it seems to barrelling right over the top of me. I now seem to have the shakes in my hands it is so bad my hands bounce off the keys on the keyboard. I just noticed this last night. I really think alot of this is in my head it seems to be esculating a little to fast. My pain is now in my knees too and seems to be increasing each day. Now this, lord what is next? I am only on naproxin right now that and tylenol could it be the meds. Is shaky hands a symptom of ra?

It can be a symptom, as the imflammation could be pressing on your nerves. Not sure about the shakes, but RA affects the muscles too. What I do know from my own experience is that once I was diagnosed I started to "realize" a lot of things I had been denying or minimizing and it took quite awhile for me to sort out what was RA and what wasn't...and most of it was RA. Like I had a lot of trouble with my left hand cramping up at night. I couldn't open it up in the morning and it would hurt for hours before I could finally extend it all the way. That is completely gone now with the meds, and it was awhile before I made the connection. I had a similar problem with the achilles tendon in my right foot. So I suspect that you are just recognizing all the aches and pains. They have probably been there but you may have been ignoring them or calling them something else. And you are not on any big guns to help with the inflammation so things are probably pretty hot.

Jeanne

Plus, that first flare seems to be the worst flare. Mine started slowly in October, but every day was a little worse, until by December, I couldn't walk across the room, turn on a light, open a door.

RA can affect almost every inch of your body. Your heart, your eyes, your lungs, your kidneys. It's your immune system out of whack, and it's a pretty essential part of you.

You really need an Rx for prednisone to get some of these symptoms under control and then get going with a real DMARD or biologic. There's no good reason to wait on the prednisone. You just can't stay on it for long, because it'll do terrible, awful things to your body, but it's the magic elixir for RA.

You won't be like this forever. Really.
I really hope it won't be this way forever. i got really angry a little bit ago I needed to move stuff around in my barn. I really didn't want to wait on my husband he doesn't get home until 8:00 at night. This would have been a no brainer a few weeks ago. So I just pushed and pulled until I got it done. That was 30 minutes or so ago and I am starting to relize that may not have been the smartest move on my part. I am very independant and the thought of having to have help with simple stuff just kills me.

You could also be developing carpal tunnel syndrome which is very common with RA as joints and tendons are weakened.

Definitely bring this up at your appointment. Ask about wearing wrist braces at night, compression gloves (both available at the drug store), and parafin baths (get the manicure type from Walmart). This will help ease the pain in your hands and make them more limber.

Also, stop moving heavy objects. You are going to have to accept that there are new limitations in your life. It sucks. But it is reality. Your family is going to have to accept it too. And, they may not come willingly.

But educate yourself and them.

And, I know what you mean about giving into the fact that you have RA. Six years have passed since I began this journey and I am going on diability soon. I can't accept it. I don't want it. I fight it. But my body is saying something different.

I am also very independent. But oddly enough, it seems that most of the people that I talk to that have RA are exactly that kind of person. Maybe it's because it takes strong people to live with this disease. Your body might change, but internally you will grow much stronger, like iron inside.

It will take time to deal with this illness, and sometimes not being able to accept I think carries you through. Other times, though it can work against you.

If your doctor is willing to see you sooner, then try and get in. Don't suffer needlessly. At this point, there is many things to offer you in the form of help and relief.

But forget being macho woman. You can really hurt yourself. Your muscles, tendons and joints don't work like they used to and you can easily damage yourself. Please don't do that.

It doesn't hurt others to help you, it blesses them. (Okay, my mom just told me that, and usually she's wrong. But maybe, this once, she is right. I know I am blessed when I help someone else.) Tell your husband that you need him to be the big, strong man. He just might get a kick out of it.

You do the gentle things in life and he can do the tough jobs. But you can still live life together and in balance. It can be good.

If you feel that bad, call, they will get you in. You don't have to suffer.

Be careful you really can hurt yourself while you are so inflammed. Don't think of this as necessarily being a life sentence in that you are always going to feel this way and you need to fight it. I am doing well but I had to take it easy (which was VERY hard for me too) for a few months till things kicked in. I had to stop going to the gym or even taking a 1/2 hr walk with my dog. I basically did nothing for a couple of months except go to work. I hated it.

Jeanne
Thanks for the kind words, my husband and kids are being good about it and my husband told me several times to wait till he got home. But I got angry that I couldn't do it myself and my youngest (13) she helped as much as she could she weighs maybe 75lbs and still tried. My girls are helping and so is my husband I guess I am just having trouble accepting the help. I have been the caretaker in this marriage and my life in general for 17years and I don't think this is going to come easy. I guess I am trying to wait to go to the dr early because I don't have any significant outward signs no big swelling or redness so I feel like a wimp. Anyway the carpal tunnel thing I am very familiar with I had it and in 93 had surgery on my wrist and elbow. It relieved the hand but not the elbow area. I have just adjusted to that so I guess I will eventually adjust to this. Thank you again I feel like a big o baby but thanks for listening and your kind words.Don't consider yourself a baby. This stuff is hard. I too have always been the caretaker. But letting the rest of your family doing some of the caring is very good for them. Let them rise to the occassion. You will not belief how proud it will make you or how much joy will fill your heart.I actually saw some of that tonight my youngest made dinner for me and the family. I was good and only helped (barged in) once. She was so proud that she did that for me. It made me feel good that she wanted to help.

My daughter is a big help to me too. She's 12 going on 35. She's probable the most mature one in our family! She jumps in and takes over at the drop of a dime....she's also been raised with a mother that has had RA since her birth; so she just assumes that daughers care for their Mother's as much as Mother's care for their daughters. She's just precious like that and my RA has taught her a compassion that will make her into one heck of a Southern Lady that any man would die to have!!

If you have been dx'ed with RA and your doctor doesn't very soon start you on what's referred to as DMARD treatment seek treatment elsewhere Sweetie. I've lived with this for 12 years now and had it not been for early treatment there's no telling where I'd be today. No doubt it would not be in this good of shape.

What you are on is ONLY treating your pain. With RA the goal is to slow the progression of the disease and then that's when you'll acheive the real pain relief.

Best of Luck to you. Hang in there......AND STOP REARRANGING YOUR BARN!! Leave that for your Big Strong Cowboy

Oh~and I get the shakes in my hands sometimes too.