Re: Welcome New & Effects of RA

February 19, 2006

I think MAYBE what the doctor meant was they wouldn't see too many physical or

radiograph changes. Of course this depends on the person and the activity of

the person.

If not controlled properly things do go downhill quickly but this is not always

due to not getting proper treatment. I have been diagnosed for 10 years now and

the disease has been extremely destructive. I have been on MTX, Plaquenil,

Arava, Vioxx, over ten different NSAIDS, prednisone, Remicade, Enbrel, Kineret

etc...you get the point. Now I have no joint space in my knees and the RD wants

me to have bilateral TKR. I went to the hand surgeon who is suggesting soft

tissue reconstruction. due to my ulnar drift.

If you look at xrays from 5 years ago, they didn't look perfect but they were

not too bad. These past 5 years have been very destructive to my joints, even

in the face of not having the swelling as I did the first few years. I didn't

have visible swelling until after a year from my diagnosis. That was part of

the issue I had being diagnosed. I hurt and looked ok. My first doctor said it

was post partum.

For your doctors saying you won't have any effects from RA for what 4 or 5

years?? say what? What do they think the pain and swelling IS???? The

whole idea if you have RA is to try to get remission and stop or slow the

ongoing damage; there really are very promising new treatments -- thank God,

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