have any of you guys had any experience with yourself or a family member having rheumatoid arthritis? if so, talk... my mom found out she has it and i'm wondering what kinds of fun we're in for. :/

8/11/2006 1:18:24 PM

My dad has it. It's pretty much a day by day thing. Some days will be fine, and others will be hell for him. He has the most pain in his knees, which can limit his abilities to do some things. I would just say that you need to keep an eye out on her, and make sure she isn't overdoing things.

8/11/2006 1:56:13 PM

she's already handicapped (birth defect)... i can imagine this is going to be horrible for her.

8/11/2006 2:06:07 PM

my mom has it and osteoporosis(sp?) and she is still very active

8/11/2006 2:28:16 PM

I worked in a production building for Embrel, which is like a miracle drug for rheumatoid arthritis.

8/11/2006 2:40:50 PM

i have it due to reconstructive surgery, like billyboy mentioned, its an on and off thingy, some days you just want that part amputated some days you jump up and down. plus when the weather changes, i feel it. i take painkillers when i need to use that part of the body extensively.

8/11/2006 2:54:45 PM

Yeh its a chronic illness. I have a family member who has it and it varies. They take methotrexate and celebrex for it...and then supplement the loss of folic acid (b/c of the methotrexate) with folic acid tabs.

8/12/2006 5:23:06 PM

i'm gonna have it due to reconstructive surgery. doctor said its only a matter of time.

8/12/2006 10:39:48 PM

My mom has a similar autoimmune disorder. And yeah, some days, it's just really hard on her.

She's on the max oral dose of methotrexate every week and takes probably close to 10 additional medicines to help her with movement and pain.

8/12/2006 11:38:59 PM

poor mommy... she has to have surgery on her jaw this week now for some nerve thing. out of curiosity, if she already has a degenerative disease with her nervous system (i can't remember what it is, but it's extremely rare), this is probably going to make it a LOT worse, isn't it? i want to get her a gift to cheer her up. would something like one of those microwaveable sock-like-contraptions full of rice and aromatherapy oils help her legs feel a little better?

8/13/2006 12:05:08 AM

My mom has it and her fingers are getting very crooked - which is really bad since she's a basically a glorified secretary. She can't clean the house anymore and with my dad's problems (PTSD, Emphysema, Diabetes, Diabetic Neuropathy, Depression, COPD and not being able to walk for 6 months), we've had to hire a housekeeper. It's really sad because my parents are old stubborn assholes and won't listen to what they're supposed to do - like my mom drinking more milk and my dad taking all of his gazillion pills.

8/13/2006 12:08:46 AM

My grandmother had it, and it was really bad-- but she never stopped using her hands and never stopped cleaning, working, cooking until she was 93-94. Her hands became what someone might say is "grostesque", "ugly" or "deformed" since she had it for decades- her knuckles were big and round and they hurt her all the time until she passed at 95.

I'm sorry about your mom seapunky

8/13/2006 5:45:12 AM

aw thanks i'm just sorry it's happening to such a sweet person. she has her moments of mom-ness but she does so much for others it just sucks, seems like karma would be a little kinder to her.

8/13/2006 8:49:54 PM

I have anklosing spondylitis (a from of arthritis) and I take Enbrel. That stuff is badass. For about a year I felt like total shit. After two shots of Enbrel I can do things that I did when I was in my teens. PM me if you want more info on Enbrel.

8/15/2006 4:30:19 PM

Age : 25

man those last 6 years must have been brutal.... (sorry)

8/18/2006 1:31:16 PM

I've heard 10g of fish oil (so 10 caps) a day can help with the pain

8/18/2006 1:54:30 PM