This is my first time posting to this board. I was diagnosed in 1996 with RA. Since then I have been on several medications. Most recently, enbrel, remicade, humira and now retuximap. Each one worked for a year or so and then started to wane. My overall body seems to be doing ok on retuximap, however, my feet are extremely painful all the time. I just don't understand why the rest of my body is not too bad but my feet are really painful. I am also on MX and 5mg prednisone. Is there any help out there? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.
Welcome to the board . My feet too are the most painful out of all my body. It always feels like I am walking on cut glass and when I am resting I get shooting pains in the soles. On the advice of a few board members I invested in a parrafin wax bath and it definetly does help.
I take Humira but I havent been on it long so I dont know if its working or not. Our feet are the one thing that seems to be affected by RA the most. Maybe because theres so many joints .
Have you considered a couple extra mgs of prednisone?Your body is the most powerful force to repel the disease. No drugs and no pain.
I have not taken any drug or consult a single medical doctor for almost two decades for my chronic arthritis.
I need appropriate herbs i.e. Wild Lingzhi formula, selective natural foods to gradually build up, adjust and modify the body system to calm the active "culprit" cells when there is a flare, cleanse and dispose them as urine, faeces, farts naturally.
As my body improves and gain healthy composition gradually, disease seem to retreat proportionally. Why need drugs? They just mask the symptom and are ineffective after a period of time.
In fact one needs decision, determination on appropriate herbs, selective natural foods and change to healthy lifestyle - that's all. It is so simple if you know the solution, otherwise it is hell to try everthing that is not going to work!
Daisyduke, RA can cause secondary complicaitons in your feet that FEEL like the RA itself. I've struggled with problems similar to yours. I'm glad the natural route worked for kokako88, but as you know we are all different. It didn't work for me. I WAS a health nut when I got sick. I ate a clean, well balanced diet, exerciesed regularly and was a very athletic until I got sick. No amount of cleansing or herbs helped. I gave up on the natural route when I could not even stand without help and went on prednisone. My feet have been my biggest battle. My RD sent me to a wonderful foot surgeon. She has not opperated on me, but she is more of an expert on the workings of the feet than the podiatrist. Orthodics, lidocane patches, physical thereapy and other treatments have kept me walking. Talk to your RD about a referal, or go on-line and look for a orthopedic center near you.
K-Lynn
I would second K-Lynn's advice. It sounds exceptionally sound. Welcome to the board and I hope you find relief soon.Welcome to AI DaisyDuke!Welcome, DD - I was diagnosed over a year ago, but my first foot symptoms started 20 years ago and have been slowly building. Took 2 decades for the pain to move into my hands and to become unbearable. I'm in the same boat you are. My hands always hurt, but they're manageable. My feet are the worst. The little toe joint feels as though it's broken.Welcome Daisyduke
Sorry to hear you're in such terrible pain... it's so awful to have your feet affected... I can imagine how painful it is to walk. For the past 2 days I've getting lots of foot cramps. I try working the cramps out but they come back fairly quickly. I see that you're on MTX and wonder if your foot pain and my foot cramps are linked to MTX. I upped the preds yesterday to see if that'll make a difference. Has anyone else had foot problems on MTX?
My feet are the worst too. I actually probably would not have even sought help had I not been in so much pain with my feet. My podiatrist was able to help me more than anyone else. In addition to the Relafin I am on he had me put arch supports in my shoes and gave me a cortisone injection in the toe joint that was the worst effected. That injection in the toe joint has had a remarkable effect on the arthritis pain in the top of that foot. I am considering having it done in the other toe because of the relief it brings to the foot. I was told by him that he couldn't inject the foot itself. I am not sure what that is but you might want to check.
It was no just feet but there were many flares that led to multi joints' attack of both legs, the result bedridden for months. Despite the extreme, I can push out the disease gradually to a cure.
One may find relief of cortisone injection but in my experience not for long before one may wondering why all drugs even given in strong dosages tend to loose its effectiveness of pain killer! That is the time of real suffering with practically no help! BioAdoptMom3, it is too early to comfort yourself. In a couple of years when cortisone injection can not work, you will have different view.
To one belief a clean & balance diet and exercise a natural route that does not work! My advise is to examine the so call "clean & balance diet and exercise". Generalisation is not going to help.
Thanks to everyone for all your wonderful advice. I'm so glad that I found this board. I do have a very good friend who lives on the East Coast (I live in Colorado) and we do go back and forth. She is on Remicade and doesn't seem to have any problems with her feet. Before I was diagnosed with this terrible disease I was a runner. I am now wondering if that is part of my problem. I have done the 20-15-10-5 prednisone and I feel fine when I'm at a high dose but when I come down off of it the problem is still there. Prednisone certainly is a love - hate drug. I do watch my diet pretty close as far as sugar, nightshade veges, potatoes, tomatos, coffee and tea but it really doesn't help that much. If I take much more out of my diet I don't know what I'm going to eat. Take care and stay in touch.Daisyduke
Are you doing the pred tapers very slowly? On my ITP site, that's a big concern. Too fast a taper can bring on joint pain.
Judy