RA Question

[Guest guest]

Ivory.... If one is in a lot of pain, a short course of low dose prednisone

is certainly an option. I was on low dose (5 mg and under) for almost eight

years on an off. I had no long lasting problems even though I was very

aware what a toxic drug this can be. A few weeks or even months of low dose

might get you over the painful times and enable you to really let the AP do its

work. I have been off all my old rheumy drugs for five years now and life is

certainly good.

As for the swollen joints and if they will go back to normal. Only

time will tell. Certainly the swelling will go down. Major deformaties will

probably stay. My left hand looks perfectly normal. Once the swelling went

down in the joints, no one could even tell I ever had RA. My right hand

however, did not. The fingers are now normal but have shifted to the side as

the

knuckle joint was too badly deformed during my eight years of standard medical

treatment.

All my " big " joints...elbows, shoulders, knees.....where bones are heavier

have all gone back to normal. Even with xrays one cannot tell I ever had RA.

The smaller bones in my feet have also healed somewhat, but I still wear

orthopedic inserts where the small bones were distorted. Smaller finer bones

seem to deform at a quicker rate. Each person is probably different as to what

will return to normal. Think positive....it is amazing what the body can do

once the disease mechinism is removed or held at bay. Martha

[Guest guest]

Hi, First time posting, been lurking more than anything Here's the question

that I seem to have a hard time getting an answer from my Rheumatologist. I

appear to be in the early stages of RA and the doc has me on the methletrexate,

occasionally prednisone to help with pain, and also lodiene, .... at least till

the meth kicks in ... 12 weeks and waiting .... the knuckle on my middle

finger on the left hand has been extremely swollen and is now starting to

disfigure ... or simply is starting to get crooked. Is there anyway to prevent

the progression of this ?? I am a guitar player who's career has come to a

crashin halt because of the pain and swelling, and am hoping that this isn't the

end of my pickin n grinnin

thanks

mark

[Guest guest]

Mark, I can really empathize with your problem. I play sax in 3 groups, and am

having the same problem with one or two joints. Guitar is probably harder on

your fingers, but my hands hurt just from holding my sax sometimes. I couldn't

take mtx, just take plaquenil and low doses of prednisone. See my doc in a few

weeks and want something done!!!

Good luck. Hope you find the right med to stop the pain & joint swelling.

Roselyn in Louisiana

>

> Hi, First time posting, been lurking more than anything Here's the

question that I seem to have a hard time getting an answer from my

Rheumatologist. I appear to be in the early stages of RA and the doc has me on

the methletrexate, occasionally prednisone to help with pain, and also lodiene,

..... at least till the meth kicks in ... 12 weeks and waiting .... the

knuckle on my middle finger on the left hand has been extremely swollen and is

now starting to disfigure ... or simply is starting to get crooked. Is there

anyway to prevent the progression of this ?? I am a guitar player who's career

has come to a crashin halt because of the pain and swelling, and am hoping that

this isn't the end of my pickin n grinnin

>

> thanks

> mark

>