Arthritus

Thank Linda, I was getting upsets with Ibuprofen, and didn't want Diclofenac, as there has been such terrible write ups about it in the papers, so thought I would try Naproxen, again thanks for the input I will try it

Many thanks John, it's nice when people that take it , give you feed back on it, I will start on it tomorrow again thanks

Thnaks, I have been on paracetomol and Ibuprofen, but, after a while they didn't seem to have the same effect, as when I first started them, and I've laso read, that Ibuprofen isn't too kind to your liver and kidneys,but again I'll give anything a try for when it flares up, I do Crown Green bowling, which isn't helping I know, but I hate the thought of giving it up!!!!!

Many thanks for letting me know this Lynn I have never had anything like this before so just accept what the Doc says, I will ask him for a referral when I go to see him, so thanks again

Many thanks Connie, I take Omeprazole and I find that it works??? and at the moment I feel OK on the Naproxen so fingers crossed!!

Just want to be clear on something, Pamela:

IF this is an autoimmune disease, such as RA, then NSAIDS will not halt the progression of the destructive damage the disease causes. You may FEEL fine, but damage could be going on inside. You would need DMARDS if this is an autoimmune disease.

Which is why you need to get an accurate diagnosis by a specialist.  Immediately.

I know I do Lynn, and I know I am burrows my head in the sand!!! but, I think I am the same as a lot of people, while I can have something to releive it, I suppose I'm alright, but, I do know what you mean and I do thank you for reminding me that I should go to a good specialist

As long as you remember that IF it is RA that the joint damage cannot be reversed.

Thanks Lynn I have booked in at the Docs for a week of Tuesday tyo get it sorted one way or another, 

Great! The sooner you know exactly what it is the better.

I just worry about everyone in the UK because from everything I read on these forums [and Canadian forums] your socialized medicine seems to go hand in hand with physicians giving minimal care due to time and financial constraints. When I read the posts on this forum I too often read that the doctors in the UK adopt a "wait and see" attitude. In the US it's "let's find out what the heck it is."

I totally agree with you there. I was 4 months treated for repetitive strain injury. Being told that my inflammatory markers are raised but that could be due to anything.  Which is true I suppose but I did have swollen joints which they ignored. Now I can't bend or straighten my middle finger and really hope that the time wasted hasn't permanatley caused damage. 

I'm now 7 months in and have just been put on 25 mg Mtx. ( increased over the last 2 months coz inflammatory markers still rising) hopefully this will do something to stop more damage. 

Emma,

Sometimes there's such an increase in edema from synovitis that the swelling causes severely reduced mobility. In SOME cases - and mind you I am not an orthopedic surgeon - aspiration of some synovial fluid BY A COMPETENT BOARD CERTIFIED ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON can "drain" the fluids and restore mobility.

For example, I have RA, PsA, and AS and non-autoimmune arthritic diseases. I use computers at least 14 hours a day. Lots of "mousing." At one point - perhaps due to the repetitive motion - my wrist and  finger next to the thumb became very swollen. Stiff. couldn't "mouse." Saw an orth surgeon. He did a DeQuervain's Release in the wrist, which basically snips a tiny tendon that was causing some problems. But more importantly, when I got out of the out-patient surgery, he told me that he spent more time in the OR "mopping me up" because I had so much fluid in there. 

IF, and I do mean IF, this is a problem, see a specialist and determine if this procedure might help.

BTW - that surgery was about 6 years ago and I haven't had one problem since in that wrist/hand. 

I live in the UK and find your perception of our socialized medicine / care worrying. We certainly don't get second rate care and if we need a drug then we get it. At my diagnosis of RA I was immediately fast tracked (as part of an early intervention programme) onto various DMARDS plus MTX. when that didn't help I was moved onto a biologic - Enbrel. That now doesn't seem to be working so well so it been suggested I switch to a different biologic. Hardky

Sorry, but that's my perception and I'm sticking to it!

I'm glad that you were fast-tracked to the right drugs, but as you read the posts here, it sure doesn't seem like a lot of other people are.

I mean no offense. It just seems to me that far too many people in the UK have doctors who are not rheumatologists and seem to dismiss problems or treat minimally.

 

I live in the UK and I have had RA for eight years. I think the problem here is that you do not quite understand our health service.  Our attitude towards medicine and treatment is very different than in the US.  I have a very good friend who lives in WV and we have discussed this at length.

We have free treatment and I can assure you that we are treated by very experienced rheumatologists and do have the best of treatment. 

It's just a different way of dealing with it.  You pay for your treatment and therefore your expectations are high (and rightly so) but at no point during my treatment have I thought that it could have been better.  

I appreciate that a wait and see attitude can cause delays which could be harmful to joints etc but at the same time it's important to have a correct diagnosis and if this takes time then surely this is better than taking drugs which you may not need. 

I mean no offence but I felt I had to point out that we all need to be able to see the other side of the story.  Medical care in the US is very different than here but not necessarily better or worse, just different.

 

Actually, I do understand your health service. And I also understand you get what you pay for. [Just as I believe that the level of medical care in the US is going to go down the toilet, thanks to obamacare.]

What I'm reading on this forum is that far too many people in the UK seem to have to wait before they are referred to a specialist.

The "wait and see" with the general practitioner in order t get a "correct diagnosis" isn't  a valid argument because general practitioners don't have the trainng, education, or experience to know the different between all the diseases in the realm of rheumatology. Early aggressive treatment is the standard of medical care today and general practitioners simply aren't qualified to give it.

Thanks Linda & well said. I too have family & friends in the US and heard similar stories. In fact they've often said they envy our NHS service. Medical care etc in the US is if a high standard but it's also VERY expensive - ok if you have good insurance cover or are wealthy, but not so good for many others. Our NHS is freely available to all British people and is world renound.

Only the folks in the US who can't afford insurance envy the plan in the UK.

No insurance is free.....not even in the UK.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/migrantworkers/uk-tax.htm

 

We don't pay insurance in the way you're thinking of Lynn. Workers pay National Insurance but it's not loaded and we don't have things like co pay. Also if you're a low paid worker your contritibution is reduced and if you're on state benefits it's 'paid' for you. At state retirement age you no longer pay & still get full entitlement including free prescriptions and eye tests. I'd still rather have our healthcare than yours. 

Well, enjoy your insurance. I'd MUCH rather pay for my PPO and know that I've got the best possible healthcare.

BTW - the point that I was making in the earlier post is that you do pay for your insurance, perhaps indirectly, one way or another. And if you personally are not paying for it, or are paying lesser rates,  then someone else is picking up the tab for you. NOTHING IS FREE.

I guess Lynn we have to agree to disagree. We're both used to different systems that as individuals we are happy with. I'm sure we can both learn from each other. We have the same condition so I hope we can help each other through shared experience and mutual support .☺ 

I'm happy to share my experience.

It would be very interesting to see how long the people on this thread were ailing before they were sent to a rheumatologist.

Hi Lynn, I was trying hard to think about that question. I think I was having various symptoms for a year or two  - some I went to the Dr with & some I didn't. On their own they presented like carpel tunnel,  RSI or tendonitis. This made sense as I worked with a computer . Once my Dr decided on RA it was 8 wks to seeing a Rheumatologist for confirmation & treatment plan.

Hi Lynn,

I think , like most RA sufferers, I had symptoms which at first I put down to general aches and pains and didn't visit the doctor. Then we had a holiday with our friend in West Virginia. We made a side trip to another friend in Arkansas and returned home from there. This meant flights from Little Rock to Detroit, Detroit to Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh to Newark, Newark to the UK. All done in the space of 23 hours. 

As soon as we touched down in the UK I had pain in my hips and out it down to the long flight but it didn't go away. A week after I went to see my doctor and he ordered blood tests. These tested positive for RA so I was referred to a rheumatologist, so all in all from the time of diagnosis to being started on Methotrexate it was six weeks.

i think that's pretty good.  Having said that, it then took a considerable time to get the dosage right etc but this is only to be expected.

 

Hi

My symptoms were a lot like Connies, with RSI, ulna nerve entrapment etc, had physio for 4 months, then sent to a rheumatologist, 4 months after starting methotrexate still not under control. Now on 25 mg Mtx. 

I have 1 x 20mg injection a week and had been also taking 1 x 50mg injection of Enbrel. That's stopped being as effective do from next week (after my baseline tests come back) I'll be taking a different biologic. Maybe you just need a bit more time Emma  with the Mtx. Do you take anything else with it ? Maybe a biologic will be the next step forward for you too ? 

Hi

I think that a biological drug is the next step. Hopefully that will help. 

Do you find that 2 days before your due to take your next dose of Mtx that your symptoms are worse? Just curious coz I find that to be the case.?

Xx

It used to be , that's why I was put on a biologic. That made loads of difference but now, 18 mths in its less effective so they're looking at an alternative. It will be a biologic that works in a different way to Enbrel.