1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Reactive Arthritis

I have a question about relaps

Posted , 3 users are following.

sanman
sanman

hello, my name is sam. i have had RaA for about a year and a half now. I have swelling in both knees and various other areas. i was doing very well (getting better) with diet eliminating everything that seemed to cause any kind of immune reaction ei swelling. was getting close to start running again. Then I got sick with some stomach bug for about 5 days. 2 days later my ankles and elbows and upper back started to swell. i went from hiking (finally) to being on the couch almost unable to take care of myself ( thank god for Mom). my question is how long does it take to recover from relapsed. the same? longer? shorter? Has anyone had a relapse if you could share? also has anyone had any success that was not temporary with treatment?

-sam

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • philippa26696
    philippa26696 sanman

    Posted

    Hi Sam,

    I've had RaA for 16 months, my first reaction lasted about 4 months till I started running again, but triggered it off by over doing it and the worst of the second bout lasted about 9 months. I'm now pretty much free, know it's still there, but getting back to exercise and have lost the limp!

    I think with this there seems to be no pattern. I've just separated from my husband and that seems to have improved things hughly! I have also modified my diet and am pretty much on a detox most of the time which also helped!

    I do hope things improve for you, have you had steroid injections? These did help with my feet a lot. Just got to keep positive, easy to say!

    Good luck!

    • sanman
      sanman philippa26696

      Posted

      Thank you.

      I only did one steroid injection and it was helpful but did not take it totally away. This is actually my second relapse first time I got Lyme disease last summer around the same time and that was a bit of a nightmare. The swelling spread to my upper back, elbow and ankles, where before it was just knees and hips and low back. Then i thought i was free and clear (recovering nicely) till the 5 days of stomach bug. The interesting thing is after the bug ended i went out with friends which i have not done in a long time and danced. I was a little sore the next day but nothing to write home about. but it was the day after that everything went crazy again. really strange.  

      so you have found that exercise can trigger it?

      might be why I had my relapse.

      Any other tips?

      Anyway thank you for responding so quickly. 

      ​-Sam

    • philippa26696
      philippa26696 sanman

      Posted

      Hi Sam,

      Sounds like a nightmare, it doesn't seem to make much sense.

      Mine first started 5 days after I'd run a half marathon, in my knees then moved to my feet. I was massively swollen and could hardly walk, we still don't know what set it off, but after a course of steroids it calmed down so I was left with my left foot being a bit uncomfortable. So I went back to running. After a slightly longer run than I'd thought my left foot was really painful, but just thought I'd done a bit much, that then developed into plantar fasiatis which just got worse and worse till I was on crutches, then my knees joined in again and my knuckles and jaw. I was on steroids for a long time and was started on sulphalazine. Are you on anything?

      So I modified my diet and now use my bike and swimming for exercise. It hasn't gone, but I'm pretty much back to normal. Now I've got to this point I can identify what sets off relapses, so mood and stress levels. I guess we are all just susceptible to things setting off even when we feel better! A few people on here seem to have had it for a similar time and then it's just disappeared so fingers crossed for that!

      Have you tried acupuncture? Can help with pain levels just make sure you get someone experienced in arthritis!

      Good luck

    • sanman
      sanman philippa26696

      Posted

      hey.

      i have tried acupuncture and it helps a bit. I’m on iveprofin and nepralnal ( didn’t spell those right) which are both over the counter stuffs. im taking other supplement but those 2 are the only that seem to help. I tried sulphalazine but i did not see any difference. mood and stress have a lot to do with it for sure i have noticed that. I do think this time around the recovery is quicker …well quicker for RaA anyway. There is a different set of challenges because there is swelling in areas that I have not had it before. I believe that all things happen for a reason and that I will be better for when this in done.

      ​thank you 

  • Glass_artist
    Glass_artist sanman

    Posted

    Having had ReA (original is the acronym really RaA?) for 35 years, I have had many relapses, precipitated by one of many triggers (e.g. Strep throat, dysentery, and stress). My treatment depended on which joints were affected or if it were costochondritis, etc., the different treatments always influenced how quickly my relapse  was over, and I didn't hurt anymore. I have found that Humira or Enbrel have decreased the number of relapses.

     

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.