Regarding stiffness. I think that I have much more trouble with PA than RA. I would like your description of knee stiffness. Mine feel like they won't walk if I sit or am in bed for an extended period of time but I can make them work slowly and usually with pain.
Thank you.
Well, my diagnosis is technically PA as well. I've been having knee pain, but mine has been more in the back of my knee than the knee cap area. I don't really know how to describe it, it's more of an ache than a shooting pain.My knee stiffness depends on how long they haven't been moved, first thing in the morning takes the longest to wear off, and my left knee has a creaky sound on the stairs, but once I'm downstairs, I'm not stiff anymore. But if I sit for too long, say an hour, I have to rise to standing slowly and walk off the stiffness, but it usually goes away with use. I've been walking my driveway, and am considering doing the subdivision road this week, I'll have to see if it helps or hurts.Hi Bonny, stiffness is worse in the mornings, wears off if I'm up and moving around. As soon as I sit, it's back. I can sit for 10 minutes and get up and there it is. By evening I'm down because of pain and stiffness in my knees. It just gradually gets worse in late afternoon until bedtime. If I get up at night I have to walk very carefully and with my cane. Sometimes it's not the stiffness as much as the weakness. I also have pain in the back of my knee, not always but sometimes. PA/RA/OA have destroyed my knees but new knees are on their way...yippee.Thanks everyone. Yep, I match all of you in one aspect or another. Lindy I also am done in the late afternoon/evening. It was hard for me to decide stiffness/weakness/pain, which one was happening so I have come to the conclusion that it is all three that severely limit my walking.
Are you all this way on your meds? I am amazed at the small amount of relief I have gotten from them but damage is not occuring and swelling is down which I am grateful for. Also I was bedridden a lot more prior to the Enbrel and never went out so I need to look at the small improvements.
My knee stiffness is most painful when I first wake up...I'm guessing because my prod has worn off. If I straighten my left knee or over extend it...it's painful the bend it back in a resting position. By the mid morning I'm okay with walking...Dear Bonny, your question about the pain/stiffness continuing in spite of the medication. I'd like to know that also. I want remicade , and mtx to work!! then I can drop the prednisone?!!
I've had 4 infusions of the rem, and increased about 3 x's the orignial amount!, also increased mtx from 5mgs. to 15, now up from 5 to 10 prednisone. This all MUUUST work soon!
Felt real tired and stiffy since Wed. Got a call in right now to my doctor.....don't know what to do....Sarah
I've been on Remicade, MXT for a year. I had to stop MXT several times. We were in Mexico and I developed a bacterial intestional infection and had to take antibi. The 2 nd time I had a fungal infection on my leg and the Mexican doctor suggested I stop MXT and see if it got better and it did. I also wasn't able to receive my infusions in a timely manner because of traveling in Mex. and Cent. Amer. Even with the interruptions in meds and treatment I'm 60% better than I was prior to Rem. and MXT. I have a hard time being compliant because no matter what I'm living my life to the fullest.
I have very little inflammation and I've been able to taper from 35mg of Pred. to 10mg. and soon down to 9mg. I think this is progress. Because of the severity of the disease when I started biologics and dmards I never expected to be in remission. For me remission may not occur. My pain level is tolerable with Lortab. Much better than before.
Like Bonny I was housebound for months on end, in tremendous pain in all joints. None of my joints have been overlooked in RA's quest to conquer.
Yes, I'm much improved because of biologics and dmards. I'll be able to golf as soon as I get my new knee. I haven't golfed in 3 years.
The one thing everyone needs to know is that biologics and dmards work best when they're started early in the disease process. I started them after mucho damage occurred. I have a very high threashold for pain and I didn't realize that such serious damage was occurring and it occurred within a year. Besides my joints I have damage to lungs and have developed cardiac problems due to RA.
DO NOT WAIT TO START BIOLOGICS AND DMARDS or you'll be living my story.
They get worse and worse together to the point where I can't fully extend (no less hyperextend) my legs. I can walk on them fine in this condition, but I am unsteady and stiff. I've popped my knee out of sockets in this condition. My knees feel like they are burning and random pains spark inside. Sometimes it hurts all the way down my calves to my achilles Yeah Lindy! Enbrel!!! has helped me and I thank god for it! MTX and a shoebox of others did not help me WHATSOEVER.the morning stiffness is really awful. i feel like a toddler learning to walk. even with methotrexate and arava it still lasts about an hour when i get up. my rheumy was going to put me on embrel but has now told me that the government only allows it to people with at least 20 swollen joints and psoriasis on the skin. i have pa but only a small amount of psoriasis on my elbow. it sucks. it makes me feel like overdoing things before my next appt just so i can go on the embrel.i am being tested for AS at the moment and i noticed that it is used for that. but still in australia maybe not. all i know is that the constant pain is really getting me down.
What a cruel thing to do to people with RA/PA. What if you only have 19 inflammed joints? There are drugs available to help and possibly put you in remission and the government says sorry, but you're not in enough pain. I'm so sorry to hear this. If I were a rheumy I'd lie or at least stretch the truth as far as possible. How about Humira or Remicade? The same restrictions? Don't they realize that by the time you have 20 inflammed joints that remission may not happen for you. They are setting you up to fail. I'm sorry to rant, but I just can tolerate this kind of government interference in healthcare. Is there no way to work the system?Oh Allycat I sure understand the constant pain. I must say that for me the Enbrel has lifted the severe fatigue and frequency of flares but pretty bad pain is still my constant companion and I even take Hydrocodone for it.
I don't use Prednisone due to OA and Hurts it seems to me that there are a number of people taking all of these meds that still fight swelling, stiffness and pain.
Lindy is so right about starting treatment early and not waiting like I had to do when the Dr's were telling me it was all in my head. Of course we are never flaring for our appts.
I think that I will give Enbrel 3 more months which will total 6 months then ask to try Humira if this is all I am going to get out of it. Once in a while I do sneak and take a little Pred. since I must gets things done sometime.
Bonny, I have bad stiffness in every joint. I wake up with it and then afterThat is insane what your government does in order to get Enbrel. Completely insane.
I take a combo of meds and I still fight swelling and stiffness. Pred, mtx, humira, and I still wake up feeling like the Tin Man. Just oil up me joints please!! It takes time and sometimes a lot of med switching to find what works for someone.
Yep like Allycat I have Psoriatic Arthritis. The Psoriasis was heavy in my maternal family and I started with the Arthritis first but now am seeing some skin and nail involvement.
it makes me want to lie next time to my rheumatologist saying more joints hurt than they really do. i have a patch of psoriasis on my elbow. maybe if i get it diagnosed by a dermatologist i may get embrel. who knows. my gp took me off crestor today thank goodness they were giving me all over muscle pain. now he has put me on lipitor so i hope it doesnt do the same thing. when my lower back was causing problem my rheumy said that AS usually goes with psoriatic arthritis. i have seen that embrel is given in the US for AS why not here in australia?What's AS? I posted the below topic on the PA forum tonight re stiffness. I started joint pain in february but have no swelling or stiffness.