Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Justin Ramos2 said:It sure does.

Oh God, here comes another wave from the MacGregor clan.
They’re just being a little more subtle this time.

Hey everyone, does anyone know anything about this?
I’m currently stuck at the doctor's office waiting to see if I actually have it or not. My wrists have been aching for quite a while now, but honestly, I just got used to the pain until they started swelling up on me. After some tests, they found some elevated... something related to arthritis (Waaler-Rose), so I was wondering if anyone here has dealt with this. It's starting to worry me a bit...😢
Maybe a little too much...

swiftrider8 said:Hey everyone, does anyone know anything about this?
I’m currently running around doctor's offices trying to figure out if I actually have it or not. Basically, my wrist joints started acting up a long time ago—I honestly just got used to the pain—until they finally started swelling up. After some tests, they found elevated levels of some... factor related to arthritis (Waaler-Rose), so I'm wondering if anyone here has dealt with this. It's starting to freak me out a bit...😢
Maybe even a little too much...

swiftrider8, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease—assuming that’s what they’ve confirmed.
What does that actually mean? In plain English: your own immune system is malfunctioning and attacking your own body.
The physical symptoms of RA include joint swelling, finger deformities, and more. I don't want to scare you, but there isn't a definitive cure yet, and it's easily one of the most serious issues involving the immune system.
There are some new medications in the pipeline, but for now, we're mostly looking at corticosteroids—which, unfortunately, come with a massive list of side effects.
I'm not sure where you're located, so I might not be able to point you toward a specific specialist who stays on the cutting edge of medical science.🙂
P.S. Feel free to send me a private message and I'll get back to you.

👎 I'm 48, but honestly? I live like I'm 33. Been dealing with lower back issues for a year now, and lately, my hips have started acting up too. Was playing tennis and my back flared again, but then the doctor checks me out and tells me it's actually coxarthrosis—hip arthritis. All they gave me was physical therapy, which was basically useless. So, I started rotating between FLEX-A-MIN COMPLEX and GLUKOZAMIN FORTE for about 10 months. It actually calmed things down, though I still feel the hits in my back and hips after sports. Is it the PT or the supplements? Who knows.
Anyone else dealing with this crap? Any actual meds that actually work?
👍

Zachary Martin4 said:👎 I’m 48 and my job isn't physically demanding, though I live my life like I’m 15 years older. On top of lower back issues from a year ago, now my hips are acting up too. After a flare-up on the tennis court, I went in for a checkup and they diagnosed me with coxarthrosis (hip arthritis). All the doctor gave me was physical therapy, which honestly didn't do much. Since then, I've been alternating between FLEX-A-MIN COMPLEX and GLUCOSAMINE FORTE for about 10 months. Things have calmed down, though I still feel the pain in my hips and back occasionally after sports. I can't tell if it's the therapy or just the supplements helping.
I’d love to hear if anyone else is dealing with this or knows of any medications that actually work.
👍

Oh boy, oh boy. You are way too young for hip arthritis...
Given that I’ve "suffered" through this myself—with my spine basically being in a coma and my hips... well, I have plenty of experience. Even at 69!
There aren't really any "cures." All those expensive supplements made from various natural or synthetic parts are just a waste of money. When it hurts, you take painkillers.
However, you should go to physical therapy regularly. Twice a year (I don't think we even qualify for that under Medicare anymore), and definitely consult with a physiatrist about what kind of sports you can actually handle, because not everything is good for you. Physical activity absolutely helps, but I'm stressing: do it on a specialist's advice.
Physical therapy is just a temporary fix; you could be doing it forever. Every so often (how often? once a year? every few years? depends on what the physiatrist thinks), get X-rays of your spine and hips to track how things are progressing—in a bad way, obviously. An orthopedic surgeon usually recommends hip surgery, but typically only when a patient is in serious pain and having major issues.
They tend to favor the 80-year-olds😬 because once they install a prosthesis, it's done for good. I already fell into the "younger" category😍, and you certainly do. A prosthesis only lasts about 15 years, give or take, depending on how active the person is. I had both hips replaced. One last year, the other this year. And while the surgery itself is tough and serious, if you're in good hands, it’s really nothing to fear—and neither is the rehab afterward. For younger people, if a replacement is truly necessary, you might end up needing a revision surgery later in life. But I doubt yours will progress quite that aggressively, at least regarding the hip arthritis.
Since you're still relatively young, try to stick with the physical therapy. If you're diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (hand joints, etc.), then there are various medications available. How much do they help? It's hard to say. See how you feel, then follow the protocol: see a rheumatologist to rule out specific causes, then an orthopedist to get their take on your hips. But throughout all of that, stay patient with the physiatrist and the physical therapy, no matter how much it feels like it isn't working. If you have the chance, go swimming. Specifically, swim on your back—that style is best for both the spine (the arm movement) and the hips (the kicking motion).

I’ve been dealing with arthritis since I was a kid, and man, it really takes a toll. My wrists and fingers are the biggest nightmare, though my knees and spine act up too—but those hand joints? They’re a whole different level of suck. They mess with my daily routine so much that even the tiny, mindless tasks feel like a massive chore...
Aside from messing around with all sorts of cooling creams and ointments, I’m honestly at a loss for what else might actually help. To make matters worse, my job involves carrying heavy stuff with my hands—like serving trays in a restaurant—so compression wraps are basically my lifeline right now. And when the weather turns rainy? The pain becomes absolutely unbearable. You just never truly get used to living like this, especially at my age. I can't help but spiral sometimes, wondering if it’s already this bad now, how much worse it’s going to get in a few years. So, if anyone out there is riding the same bumpy road and has some advice... I'm all ears. Thanks....🙏

Mine started back in elementary school too.
I didn't have any visible swelling in my hands, but every single joint would ache and throb. It comes and goes.
My doctor told me it runs in the family.
About a year ago, my thumb just locked up, and nothing from my tests helped at all.
Then I tried taking one Vitamin E tablet every day.
I'd take them for a bit, pause for a month or two, and then start again. After a week of that, my thumb felt normal.
The internet was a huge help for me—sites like WebMD and various rheumatology forums.

A close friend’s mother is 54, and she’s always been the picture of health—really robust, you know? But about a month ago, everything just shifted. She was hit with this sudden, overwhelming exhaustion and weakness that landed her straight in the hospital. She’s still there now, and honestly, things haven't improved much; even after running what feels like every test under the sun, the doctors are still scratching their heads trying to pin down a cause.

She’s describing these bone pains that seem to migrate all over the place—traveling from her legs up through her arms and even hitting her spine. To make matters worse, she recently lost all sensation in her right arm entirely.

Lately, she’s spent almost all her time sleeping; she barely has the strength to even sit up, let alone get out of bed.

The medical team recently reached a tentative conclusion that it might be rheumatoid arthritis. I can't help but wonder, could that actually be the case?

Anyone out there?

It’s possible, though as a layman, I find it a bit strange that the arthritis jumped to that level all at once😕. Usually, it starts with minor issues—like some changes in the hands—and then slowly progresses over the years.

I suspect there might be something else going on with her.

It reminds me of a case from a forum here involving a woman where what seemed like harmless myelocephaly was actually pressing on a nerve in her back that controlled her arm motor skills, leaving her unable to move it. People were guessing at everything under the sun, but they finally sorted it out with an ultrasound and some massage therapy.

Maybe she should seek a second opinion?😕

Thanks for getting back to me; I was starting to think I was the only one feeling this way about it.

That’s exactly my point, though. It feels incredibly strange to me too—given how typical the progression of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms usually is, this specific diagnosis just doesn't sit right.

I appreciate you bringing up the possibility of myositis; I'll definitely mention that to them.

Honestly, everyone here is just itching to get her transferred to a different hospital. It really feels like the staff at this one haven't got a clue what they're doing.

rustybadger89 said:A friend's mom is 54 and has always been in great shape. Then, about a month ago, she just hit a wall—sudden weakness, total exhaustion, and ended up hospitalized. She’s still stuck there and hasn't improved, even though doctors have run every test under the sun without finding a smoking gun.

She’s describing bone pain that migrates all over—legs, arms, spine—and recently, her right arm went completely numb.

Lately, she’s just sleeping constantly and barely has the strength to even roll out of bed.

They recently pointed toward rheumatoid arthritis as the likely culprit. Could that actually be it?

One more thing popped into my head.
Make sure they check her thyroid hormones. That level of exhaustion and those pains could easily be symptoms of a thyroid disorder.
It's a simple test... tell her to hold her arms straight out in front of her. If they start shaking, you're looking at a thyroid issue. Sudden weight swings or feeling high-strung and jittery are classic signs too. Thyroid problems are a real headache because those hormones act like a master switch for the body; once that function glitches, it triggers a massive domino effect that messes with almost every other organ and biological process in the system.

They ran some tests on my thyroid, and they're saying everything looks fine for now.

Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue what comes next; we'll just have to wait and see. There's even a possibility they might transfer me to a different hospital.

It’s technically possible, but even for a layman like me, it feels incredibly strange that arthritis could just escalate to that level overnight. Usually, it starts with minor annoyances—like some slight changes in your hands—and then slowly creeps up on you over the years.

Regarding how fast RA can actually hit—my mom's case was a total lightning strike last year. It happened over the course of a single summer (we're talking maybe two months!). All she felt through the summer was that nagging morning numbness and weakness in her hands, plus some cramping and pain, mostly in her wrist joints. Then, once autumn rolled around and she finally saw a doctor, well... boom. Rheumatoid arthritis.

I mean, I hear you, but the symptoms I'm experiencing feel incredibly strange for rheumatoid arthritis. It’s this widespread body aches, pain that just migrates from one spot to another, and this sudden, overwhelming exhaustion and weakness that hit me out of nowhere.

What are her ESR and CRP levels looking like?

Angela Wright said:It’s possible, though as someone without medical training, I find it a bit strange that the arthritis would escalate to such a level all at once😕. :

It doesn't seem that way to me; I actually remember a woman mentioning how everything hit her within a single month, leaving her so weakened that doctors even decided to run HIV tests (even though she hadn't been involved in any risky activities beforehand).
My mother's experience has been much more gradual, though she struggles to get any sleep because the pain is just so persistent.👎

Jamie Johnson6 said:It’s not happening to me, but I actually had a woman complaining to me about how everything just hit her all at once—it happened within a single month. She became so incredibly weak that they eventually decided to run an HIV test just to be safe, especially since she hadn't been involved in anything risky beforehand.
My mom’s pain is creeping up on her steadily, and she can't get a wink of sleep because of it.👎

Hepatitis C could also be the culprit here.

Angela Wright said:Hepatitis C could also be a potential cause here.

From what I can gather, the woman mentioned that they did indeed diagnose her with RA, apparently due to some elevated marker—I'm not entirely sure which one, but presumably something that confirms the diagnosis.