I started getting noticable symptoms about a year ago. I am 46 yr female. My doctor told me he felt it was osteo and basically there was nothing they could do however since about summertime my symptoms have increased dramatically. All the fingers on both hands are extremely painful with the middle fingers and ring fingers being the worst. Sometimes in the joints it feels as though they are about to burst from the inside out, other times there is a sharp zapping pain that seems to wrap around the joints from the outside. I am sorry I am terrible at explaining this. I have lost a lot of mobility in both hands. The ring fingers almost feel like they swell INSTANTLY in the cold. There is never any time of day it isn't painful it just depends how much. Sometimes I cannot even bend them without the pain being a 12/10. Every day I am so so tired. It is so frustrating. I have an appointment with a Rheumatologist in March for which I must travel five hrs to get to as the wait lists in my area is FOUR years. I am currently trying to manage my symptoms with NSAIDS and paracetamol with very little success. I would like to thank all of you for all of the valuable information I have read so far. I did test RH neg, my doc did no further testing. I admitt I am really hoping for answers from the specialist as it is alarming how fast this is progressing. As a photographer, I need my hands to work and it is becoming more difficult every day......thanks for listening.
Hi,
I am really in the PMR forum rather than this one, but I have learned a lot about RA since it seems to be better studied than PMR. I just read that you can have rheumatoid arthritis even without RA, and the critical thing is your joints, and especially erosion of the joints.
I do have osteo in the base of my thumb, but generally not in the other joints. I had an RA teacher when I was a little girl, and I still remember her hands: all the fingers were 45 degrees sideways. Nowadays she would be sent to a hand surgeon to reconstruct her hand.
One thing that can help RA is statins since statins are powerful anti-inflammatories. There is a really good clinical trial that looks at RA and statins, and it was quite impressive. Statins are generally quite safe and much more benign than some of the other horrid drugs they might give you. And statins also help osteo-arthritis type inflammation as well, so this might be something you could suggest to your primary or GP.
Here is a summary of the RA statin trial:
A double blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial examined the efficacy of atorvastatin 40 mg daily for 6 months in rheumatoid arthritis. At the end of that period, patients who had received statin were found to have decreased plasma levels of lipids, fibrinogen and viscosity. The disease activity score improved significantly on atorvastatin treatment compared with placebo. CRP levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rate reduced by 50% and 28%, respectively, relative to placebo
I meant to say you can have RA even with a negative RA factor.
First thing specialist rteumotogist told me was to go out and buy a big bottle of Odourless Fish oil, capsules, they are huge, but you do learn to swallow them, 2 for breakfast, 2 for lunch, and 2 for dinner. with food, you seem to get less reflux that way, takes a while to start working, but gives me huge sense of less pain.
Bonus effects, no dry skin, micro lines around eyes have gone, hair instead of being dry and brittle, and constantly pouring on the conditioner, if anything it is greasy now. I keep it very short and wash hair every day now.
Swollen fingers, have you considered you may have psorasis arthiritis, have you had psorasis on your skin, if soo a possibility, Dr specialist tells me thats what i have, but genetic tests come back negative, and do RA tests come back negative, but she tells me thats what I have.
Symptoms, very swollen finger joints, knuckles expecially, and tissue fills up so much with fluid, that you can't even see my knuckles on bad days, and I cannot make a fist, difficulty holding a pen, opening small bottles almost impossible, you can get arthiritis aids, which I have done.
Their are lots of different meidications that can help, its just a matter of finding the one that will work for you. I have been through the chemist shop, and am now on methrotrextrate and Leflunomide, a pretty nasty combination, but my liver is coping, monthly blood tests, confirm.
Can you get to a private rheumotogist, enquire how much, and get your diagnoses, then you also have another opinion, about what is going on.
Your GP should be able to order up tests for ESR and CRP, if either of those if higher than normal you have a inflamatory response going on, then it is a matter of figuring out what is causing it.
Hope all of this is some help
Lyn
A little off topic (sorry) but you mentioned getting RA aides, does anyone know a website that specializes in RA aides? Right now I am trying to get a tankini to wear at the YMCA with a zippered front but only can find very expensive ones on the net. Nothing to buy around where I live. I've got a feeling I am going to be using zippers alot. It's hard to button clothes or get them over my head anymore.
I know of a shop here in australia that has lots of aid equipment, but thats no use to you.
Look up mobility aids, alot of the medical aids are designed for the very elderly rather than specifically for us, but they do work, and make your life a little easier. I have very fat handled kitchen tools, can opener, etc.
None of these items is cheap I'm afraid, and that also applies to clothes that suit. Doing up a bra is almost impossible for me now, so I have resorted to wearing a ahhhh bra, bascially a very stretchy tank top, but designed as a bra, very comfortable, but impossible to get into if you have just got out of the shower, just rolls, then husband comes in useful, other than that have looked into getting front hooks bra, but the costs expensive, and I still don't think I could do up. Fingers just won't do small things, had a shocker of a day today, cannot pick up things without dropping, no strength in fingers at all. Oh well tomorrow's another day.
Noninoni, can you give a link to that RA-stations paper? I'd like to follow it up.
Hang in there Lyn, one thing I've learned is that you're in good company here Thanks for the tip too
I mean RA-statins of course.....
...though, who knows, with as many of us as there are with RA, maybe they'll be creating special stations for us to travel on specially modified RA trains...
Hi Lyn,
Thank you so much for the reply. I will for sure try some krill. I too have wondered about diet and may try eliminating foods. This forum is a wealth of information.
Other than terrible general fatigue the only symptom I am noticing is with my hands. You are right, you do not realize JUST how much they do until they give you trouble. I try not to dwell too much thinking about it but it scares me sometimes as whatever this is it is getting so much worse so fast. I find a lot of people do not understand, they say oh your hands are sore that's not so bad. I was hoping this speciast would wave some kind of magic wand and the problem would be fixed but after reading here I see it won't be that simple but there is hope.
Thank you so mch for your reply.....I am learning so much from reading here.
My sister is pretty much like you...but about 18months on....she has now got onto a drug called Sulphalzaphine (spelling?) which is a DMARD disease modifier...this dampens down the inflammation, so joints don`t get damaged...she has tried a couple that didn`t suit her....but her hands are better...which she`s grateful for.....Winter is worse for her....Today she asked for a Vit D blood test as this dosen`t help if short of it....the doctor said if the blood test shows you are low on it....we only prescribe for 3 months...then you buy your own!
Can you not ring the hospital to get in quicker....worth a try....
Keep posting on here, you often get more info on here than at the doctor`s!
Good luck......Linda
More on statins: if you google "atorvastatin rheumatoid arthitis" you should be able to find the study I was talking about at a website "hopkinsarthritis", a John's Hopkins website.
There are many interesting articles on the subject in different countries.
In my own case I have had severe breathing problems due to polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) inflammation going into my lungs since September. I have been on oxygen and have had 3 high dose prednisone regimens that worked but only briefly.
I had stopped taking statins nearly 2 years ago because a common side effect of statins is muscle problems and I thought that would confuse the issue since PMR also causes muscle problems (though a different kind of muscle problem). That was a mistake!
I also read that statins help all kinds of respiratory problems from COPD to asthma. I still had a big bottle of atorvastatin, so I decided to take 40mg. The results have been a dramatic improvement in my breathing after only 10 days. I am no longer gasping for breath after merely feeding my dogs or walking across a room. I can go places without having to sit down every 30 feet to recover, not something you want to do when it is 10 degrees F outside.
On the other forum someone said statins are dangerous and cause liver problems. I could quickly answer that because I had just read that out of a million patients, statins would help avoid 300,000 coronary events at a cost of 1 case of rhabdomyolitis (those liver problems).
RA patients are particularly susceptible to coronary events, so taking statins sounds like a great idea to me for you guys!
About 3 years ago I was not able to sleep due to very painful hands. They were swollen and I could not make a fist. I soaked a box of GOLDEN raisins in Gordons Gin, the gin HAS to have Juniberries, and Gordons does. Soak for one week, then take 9 raisins per night, forever, the pain went completely away and the hands are normal, except for bent poinkies, which will never straighten! I am very religious in taking the raisins daily. It takes about a month to completely work.
Currently my Doctor has me on 10mg of predisone daily for 10 days due to arthritis in shoulders. I am not sure that this is a good drug to take.
Peggy - I'm going try this and see if it works.
Worth a try at the very least, and it seems to me it can do no harm.
Thank you peggy! What a great idea and it for sure couldn't hurt!!!
You had an enlightened rheumatologist to tell you to go out and consume 6000mg of fish oil. Briliant!
And 'a huge sense of less pain'....? Wow?
I mean I've known about fish oil for a long time but no one's ever prescriped such high doses for joint pain. Your man may be onto something important.
It's not cheap though is it? Did the 'benefits' include diarrhoea or am I being pessimistic?
I take 2000mg and can;t honestly say I know what the differences are.
Yes. 20% in fact. I am one of them!
Most decent hospitals have an 'aid' shop, where they sell a number of things for special needs. But not sure they go so far as providing special clothes.
I had a huge probem getting into my socks, or sweaters over my head.... horrid. It will change though with treatment so don't spend moolah on stuff you won't use when you're well.