Hi all, I am newcomer, I was diagnosed with early stage RA about a year ago, my question is , I read so much about the swellig wiht RA, I do get swelling in my hands, and wrist sometimes, however, sometimes I have severe pain, with out any signs of heat or swelling. I am currently taking 400mg of Plaquenil a day. I felt like it helped at first, but the pain and fatigue are getting much worse now.Any insights?
JenaI have a lot of pain without swelling, and swelling without pain. It's all very possible. I would def. speak to your doctor though. You're only in your first year of treatment, a lot of people bounce from med to med before they get the right one. Open communication with your doc is the key! :)
Hi Jena,
Welcome to the boards! I don't have alot of swelling but I do have alot of pain You can definitely have pain without swelling.
If you are no longer getting relief from Plaquenil (which is a first line med), then it might be time for a change in meds. There was a time I was on plaquenil and it stopped working for me and I went to humira and mtx. Which work really well for me.
The pain and fatigue are good indications your meds are not working and the RA is getting out of hand. Please get into the doc!
My hands are so slightly swollen that I"m the only one who can really notice (my rings get snug). My Dr thinks I don't have any swelling cause they are bony when they aren't swollen, so they look normal when swollen. Heh