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reactive arthritis

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I was diagnosed with reactive arthritis 2 months ago after a bowel infection (food poisoning during chrstmas holiday in egypt) I thought ReA was supposed to clear up between 3 and 12 months, by the looks of things it doesn't.

Inflammation first started in my heel then big toes, both knees, slightly in fingers and now top of neck, giving me awful head pain and numb arm wen wake up.

Iv'e had 3 steriod injections which give you false hope as the pain goes only to coe back in about 3 days.

I take 3 diclofenac a day

1 tablet to minimise bleeding due to diclofenac

4 Sulfasalazine (started 1 a day increased to 4 over a month) only been on sulf a 5 weeks, no side effects but no ease of pain yet.

I take upto 8 tramadol a day for pain, these stop the pain but are very strong they make me really dizzy and I find it hard to sleep.

Is there anyone out here whos symptoms of ReA have gone, need lots of hope.

I have been sick from work for almost 3 months, I'm a 32 year old teacher and find it impossible to teach at moment with pain or feeling I get from painkillers. I was a fitness fanatic too, went to the gym 5 times a week loved it, I haven't been able to go for 3 months, really frustrating, I really want to hear from someone with hope please.

I am HLAB27 positive and my protein levels are around 150 but have been as high as 190.

3 likes, 50 replies

50 Replies

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  • Luchador
    Luchador

    Posted

    I am fighting with ReA due to chlamydia infection. Everything started in July 2012. It took me awhile to find a doctor who can treat this. My left foot is swollen and MRI shows fluids within the joints. I also have a pain that migrates around my body. My doctor is treating me with antibiotics and I am also taking sulfasalazine. This is my second week on it.

    Can someone share their experience?

    And how are they feeling now?

    The frequency of relapses

    And can we have a "normal life" with this condition?

    Is this condition temporary of for life?

    • samjo111
      samjo111 Luchador

      Posted

      Hi ...

      Will you please give us a update abt ur health?

      I hope u must have recovered. Tc

    • oluwafemi76067
      oluwafemi76067 Luchador

      Posted

      Hello,

      Just wondering if you've gotten back to your normal life and how long did it take you?

      I am on sulfasalazine, prednisone and diclofenac.

      Thanks.

    • barrie37184
      barrie37184 oluwafemi76067

      Posted

      Hi ive stopped taking all mu medication sincefebruary im only on alpurinol 300 mg which is a gout tablet and touch wood im loads better none of the tablets i was on done anygood so i asked the doc to stop everything i was injecting once a wk also which did nothing ...ask ur doc to check ur urick acid levil if high ask to go on alpurinol its working for me at the moment
  • denize1979
    denize1979

    Posted

    Hi, Iv had RA for about 4yrs now after having food poisoning. At the beginning it only affected my knees , thumb and wrist , I was doing alright for a while after being on sulfasalazine and methotrexate for quite a while , I also take tramadol , lodine and amatripteline. In august I had steriod injections in both knees and a about 24cc of fulid removed from one of them , the steriod injections in my joints seem to help me the most for the pain relief .

    I have just gotten used to being in pain so just try and get on with things the best i can I am 33yrs old and my youngest is only a toddler so it can be very hard trying to keep up with her .

    I dont think i have got it under control yet , there was a good few months when it was ok not to much stiffness or pain . Just about 7wks ago i started getting a stiff neck swelling in my feet and ankles so I metioned it to my consultant at my appointment on the 9th of this month, sent for xrays and upped my methotrexate and changed the anti inflamatory i take and iv to go back in 4 wks .

    Since i was there I can honestly say I dont think I have ever been in so much pain , the pain in my neck has travelled down the right side onto my shoulder , my thumb has never been so swollen , cant wear most of my shoes because my feet are so swollen my toes dont even bend . My husband says that Im walking like a penguin lol , He trys to make me laugh because right now i feel like crying most days , I get frustrated trying to do the simplest things . Everything takes so much longer sometimes i cant leave the house for days I am in that much pain .

    When i was first diagnosed I was told because I also have the hbla27 gene that it can take a while to get this under control , but i didnt think after 4yrs i would still me in so much pain .

    Through reading other peoples storys i know there is light at the end of the tunnel its just taking longer for me , so hopefully my next visit to the consultant will be a good one and I can finally get the disease under control .

    • origionalbabe
      origionalbabe denize1979

      Posted

      I wonder if women have it forever.  Men seem to get over it.  My grandmother had it and I remember her wearing a wrist brace sometimes, then a neck brace other times...  I've had it now for ten years.  My Uncle has it but his pain stopped.

       

  • m67
    m67

    Posted

    Personally for anyone taking it I'd get off the Tramadol and go to the far more modern Targinact.

    It's from same opiate family but has far less of a 'bunging up' effect on your bowels and doesn't seem as brutal as Tramadol.

  • zmaac
    zmaac

    Posted

    Hi,

    I know you posted your message a few years ago and I sincerely hope you have recovered by now. In the unfortunate even that you have not, then may I point you in the direction of the following book by Barbara Allan: Conquering Arthritis. Available on Amazon - have a look at reviews of customers who have also suffered and are now cured after discovering the cause. If you check amazon you will see more reviews there. She is a former sufferer of reactive arthritis (Reiters Syndrome) and suffered for years (11yrs if I remember correctly) and found out that all reactive arthritis is caused by a food allergy that you can be tested for. She went on a green juice fast for about a week and was pain free 3 days into the fast. She then discovered that the illness is diet related.

    Basically, a combination of things can cause your intestinal tract (gut) to become leaky (known as leaky gut syndrome) and when there are tiny holes formed in the gut then some larger food particles can escape into the blood stream. When this happens, your immune system recognises that something foreign is in the blood and issues an immune response to attack the foreign substance. Pieces of food should not be in the blood, they should go through the gut process (something like - stomach - duedenum - liver etc and then get asssimilated into the blood once it has all been broken down to provide nutrients to the blood).

    There are also other causes that can cause reactive arthritis (bacteria from root canal treated teeth - in this case remove them, overly clogged liver with liver stones - in this case do a liver flush as described by Andreas Moritz in his book the amazng liver and gallbladder flush, mercury poisoning from fillings - in this event remove them from a hollistic dentist and use bentonite clay baths and internally - food grade - to detox heavy metals) but these are not as common. If you don't heal on the strict juice fast then you will need to look deeper and the 3 suggestions above should have you covered.

    I hope this information is of benefit to you and all the best to those that are suffering from this aweful illness.

    In health always,

    Azim.

  • Ian1967
    Ian1967

    Posted

    Well said Azim.

    Listen people, your diet is probably your problem. I know some of you will think I'm over-simplifying things, but I had a similar problem at age 21. I went to see the most brilliant man who tested me for food allergies and put me on a strict diet. Within a year I was totally pain free. Since then I have run three half marathons, spent 13 years in the T.A., etc., etc.

    This man was Gwynne H. Davies. Google him, buy his books, but more importantly, get an appointment with one of the people he trained because he's now retired.

    Don't think of this as some sort of quack remedy. Please realise that the doctors have NEVER cured anyone with arthritis. They just give more and more powerful painkillers.

    The first thing I suggest is stop taking ALL dairy products. Just totally cut it out. There are alternatives if you must have milk (almond milk). Be VERY strict about this because there is milk in so many food stuffs. Also, eat lots of fresh fruit and veg, and NEVER eat anything out of a tin. Try it. What have you got to lose?

    I am not some insane person who owns 75 cats and wears flowers in my hair. I am an engineer and mathematician and I don't believe in most alternative therapies. This isn't one, it's just plain sense. We are what we eat.

    And get an appointment with one of Gwynnes people.

    Good luck. And as Gwynne says in his books: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE WITH ARTHRITIS.

    Kindest regards,

    Ian.

    • sanman
      sanman Ian1967

      Posted

      well said both Ian and Azim,

       

      im 24 and have had RA for about 4 1/2 months now and i think that my problem is leaky gut. which is what causes what Azim ^ described above. I have been slowly getting better.( to slowly for me) but getting better non the less. im about a month and a 1/2 in to it.  My diet consists of only meat a veg, with NO night shades, nuts seeds, eggs, grains of any kind, beans, sugar, dairy, limited fruits at first, and limited starches.  Im using book called real food digestive health cook book.

      ill let you know a few months down the road how its going

      best of health

      ​-sam

       

    • sanman
      sanman Ian1967

      Posted

      how long after you started eating right did you feel 100% better. 
    • Ian1967
      Ian1967 sanman

      Posted

      Hi Sanman

      Sorry for the long delay. I was very strict on my diet for a whole year and was then back to normal.

      Folks, ask yourself this: Do you eat properly? Do you sit at your desk pigging donuts down or have 20 packets of crisps every day? Do you have a couple of glasses of milk every day? A couple of glasses of wine to 'make you feel better'? You need to start looking after yourself. Did you know that Eskimo's don't get cancer? And they aren't the only ones. Other tribes/peoples who eat healthy natural foods have also avoided it. Now if a healthy diet can prevent cancer, then it can sure make us better from RA.

      I'm not saying this because I'm on anyone's payroll, it's just plain sense.

      It's hard work though. Keeping to a strict diet is VERY hard work, especially when everybody around you is eating whatever they like, but your body is failing you because you're failing IT! Give it what it needs and you'll reap the rewards.

      I was going to say 'good luck', but it's nothing to do with luck. So I'll end with Happy Dieting!

      Ian.

       

    • devongold
      devongold Ian1967

      Posted

      I was interested to read this. I also saw Gwynne when I was in my early twenties and he showed me how to manage IBS and reactive arthritis when I didn't recover after a bout of gastroenteritis.  I was ill for about six years and conventional medicine couldn't do anything about it. Gwynne helped me to make the right changes to my diet and I gradually recovered over several months.  I don't know what I would have done without him.
    • Yelhsa
      Yelhsa sanman

      Posted

      Hi there, I see it's been a few years, just wondering how you're doing now, I too eat a similar diet except for meat, and I'm about 5 months into have RA. The pain has gotten much better but I'm still not able to work. I'm wondering if you have any suggestions, anything would help. Thank you!

  • HopedforReA
    HopedforReA

    Posted

    Can anyone share an update on their Reactive Arthritis?

    I developed Reactive Arthritis over a year ago and I still can't walk.

    Thank you to anyone willing to share!!!

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