Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) - Introduce yourself and meet others

I suppose my rheumy is being cautious as I also was battling non alcoholic fatty liver

Yes it did, and it subsided in a couple of days.

Thank you for response. My pain is still there after 9 days!

I battled PMR for a year. Used Predisnone with good results at the 10mg/day level. Then one day I woke up with incredible pain in my hands and wrists. Unlike anything I had felt before. I was unable to use either hand, make a fist, open a bottle of orange juice or anything. I felt like I was a cripple, I increased my prednisone dose to 15 mg a day, had no effect on the pain. I tried it for a week. Then I increased my dosage to 20 mg a day and still no relief. It took six weeks, but I got to see a rheumatologist and was diagnosed with RA based off the blood and lab work. I have now been on Humira for three months, it is working great, however I’m having difficulty tapering off the prednisone. I am down to 14 mg a day going down 1 mg a month. Seems like it’s gonna take awful long time to get off this. Currently the big problem is dizziness when I wake up in the morning, I feel OK but within an hour or so of rising, I get very dizzy, doing any kind of activity. My dizziness seems to fade in the afternoon however, it returns in the morning. I have a feeling it is my thyroid that is being affected. My thyroid is definitely swollen and I need to get some labs done to figure out what is going on.

Hi, Thanks for the invite!
I've had RA since 1998. It developed suddenly after a battle with a ruptured bowel and a delayed surgery (two sections of small intestine were also ruptured when a drainage hose was inserted.) After about 3 months my hands began to swell and were very painful - shoulders were so sore I couldn't use a shoulder bag. Yes, I believe that the two are related - an immune system gone crazy!
My rheumy had me on the usual "starter" meds, none worked. After about 3 years I started Enbrel which , along with azathioprine, helped somewhat. In the time between, I was on prednisone almost constantly as it was the only thing that helped with the pain and chronic fatigue. Unfortunately, I also gained a lot of weight.
Over the years I have been on and off many of the biologics used for RA. Most did very little or the effect didn't last too long. In 2002 I had both of my knees replaced, both were bone on bone. The surgery went quite well
and I was able to move without a cane or wheelchair for several years. Pain is always a constant with this illness,
as is the fatigue; metformin has helped me with pain.
About 6 years ago I developed a stage one melanoma on my nose. After rounds with several dermatologists and
cancer specialists, it was determined that it was caused by the biologics - no idea which one, or was it a combo?
So my nose was restructured in a lengthy surgery and can't take the meds any more. I can take Rituxan infusions and am still on the azathioprine - seems to help somewhat.
Right now my right shoulder is bone on bone, but I will live with that as long as I can. My lower lumbar spine
has several spurs and other issues, probably an indirect results of the RA. So I now walk with a cane and sit down quite often. Losing weight would be a help but that would be very difficult since I've lost a lot of mobility.
Everyone has a different story with this illness and the paths can take many directions. My husband has been
a great help/support as he helps with the housework as much as he can. I love gardening and continue to do that
with the aid of lots of little stools and wagons!
Depression is a common "side effect" of this illness as well, don't let that win either!
Best wishes and blessings to all, this is about staying strong and learning to advocate for yourself. Good luck!

My mom had bouts of RA as a child and was totally crippled in all joints by age 50. She took prescribed drugs. I’m not sure which, but had bad reactions to them all. I was diagnosed with fused neck & spine RA @ 17, told it could not be healed, but slowed with drugs I didn’t take because of bad results from ALL drugs for anything else just like Mom. X-ray showed my spine DID heal with naturopathic remedies, mostly B&C vitamins. My severe allergy, sensitivity or side effects to all drugs never changed. I was also diagnosed with severe food allergies to all foods tested but grapes & mustard&went on a rotation diet. That diagnosis was later changed to Crohn’s. The diet still works, but is impossible to always do, except the grapes. I like wine!

When I read the word "Crohn's" I always tell the person to look up the volumes of stuff on Low Dose Naltrexone and read about it. It will help over 80% of the Crohn's patients. I did and even though my small intestine was full of blister-like aptha, I healed and went into remission. I am now medication and symptom free.

My name is Liz. I was diagnosed 10 years ago, I'm also living with osteoporosis, Osteo arthritis, deterioration of The L4 and L5 in the spine, plus spinal stenosis. Its alot on my plate but I try to be positive. Right now I'm more worried about Medicare and Medicaid and the politics in our country right now affecting my health decisions and being able to pay for my Healthcare

Praying for you and praying you continue to get your Medicaid.

I was diagnosed at age 70 with RA in 2022. I tried Methotrexate, Hydroxycloroquine, and Enbrel before landing on Orencia infusions. I have been on those with great success over the past 15 months. I have taken Prednisone on and off during the past 3 years in low doses (less than 10 mg.) I am currently on 3 mg. per day hoping to titrate off of it completely. My main complaint has always been fatigue after the initial flare where my hands and feet were extremely painful. I also have severe osteoarthritis in multiple joints which complicates treatment because I can't tell whether RA or OA are causing the pain or both. I just try to keep walking, lifting weights , traveling and also get as much rest as I can. I am lucky that it really has not interfered with my life a whole lot at this stage.