How quickly can RA really come on!

Ibuprofen, ice and rest the joint is the only thing that works for me.   Exercise absolutely exhausts me, a quick walk of half a klm will see me sleep for a couple of hours to recouperate.   I also found the higher my activity level the higher my inflamation markers.   Not too sure about ever returning to normal:   abnormal growths, joint distortion, bursitis and so would prevent that!

Hi, I don't have RA, but a similar type of arthritis. Has your rheumatologist suggested any of the TNF blockers, like Embrel which can actually stop the spread of the disease and ease your pain. In this day and age from my understanding you can lead a somewhat normal life compared to what many people live (like my Mother) 

I hope you get good guidance, please look up http://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/arthritis-info/rheumatoid-arthritis/ra-treatment/

from John Hopkins , very helpful.  I hope you start to feel better and don't define yourself with this illness! You will find a better , pain free life.

It probably did not come on suddenly. My Chinese herbalist doctor told me my RA condition was in my body for up to 2 years before anyone did the correct test or believed me that I was in pain. I had several diagnosis over the last 1.5 years. Sometimes it was carpal tunnel, gout, or rotater disk issues. Bottome line, I was brewing up a whopping case of RA. I was caught off guard.

You need a Cresctive protein test done. If this is high, you are confirmed with RA. You symptoms are exactly like mine plus periods of total weariness and weakness.

I am surprised you were given codeine. Prednisone will help the inflamation immediately. A regimine of Methotrexate might stop the progression of the disease but it has ruined my life. I went off for three weeks and was fine. Now the pain has returned and I am starting Methotrexate AGAIN!!!!!  Avoid Aleve as it causes terrible irrepairable damage to your kidneys. You need a lot of fortitude to go through the Methotrexate routine. It is horrible. I sleep 12 hours a day and still need a nap. I hate the stuff but scared about the progression. This is the RA that enters your organs and kills you. I reamain scared with you. I too have arm, shoulder, hand and foot pain. It is nothing short of awful. I am so sorry for both of us.

Hi Hayley,

Sorry to hear your in so much pain, I have had RA for four years and it started aggressively for me too, I woke up one night with terrible pain in my feet and hands, the most awful throbbing pain, very inflamed knuckles, this progressed to shoulder pain, once I was diagnosed, put on combination drugs and Steroid it did help to control it. I hope you are given the correct meds soon.

that sounds similar to a situation I had recently. One morning I woke up and out of no where my back was killing me to the point where I didn't want to get out of bed. Am still waiting to see a doctor, but wondering if this is what I have?

Everyone is different when it comes to meds:   what works for some may not necessarily work for others; similarily, side effects are different for everybody as well.   MTX does not affect me at all but prednisone does.   Hydroxy also doesn't appear to affect me greatly but sulfasalazine sure did, so much so I had to stop taking it!   Prednisone can be a real problem if you are a long term user (2+ weeks), very difficult to stop.   Knowing what I now know, I would never have started on it.

Dear Haylemac ,

RA can show many forms  from appearing very quickly to slowly increase, to always there to come and then disappear for a long time. Sometimes even appears after viral infections and after a few months or even years totally disappears.

The most importan thing to remember is that only a very small percentage of patients , who have RA diagnosed now, will ever have their joints highly destroyed like many of those diagnosed 20, 30 even 15 years ago.  The new biological drugs are very efficient controlling the disease, only very few people do not respond to at least one of them.