# Rheumatoid Arthritis



## Sugar (Oct 4, 2008)

Hi everyone...

I'm wondering if anyone here has been diagnosed with RA?

I was diagnosed on Monday and it's been quite a roller coaster of emotion. 

At any rate I've read up as much as I can online but what I found really focus' on average sized people. 

I see a specialist on the 10th and I'm sure he'll be helpful but I'd like some insight from anyone who has deal with this.


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## SamanthaNY (Oct 4, 2008)

Lucky said:


> Hi everyone...
> 
> I'm wondering if anyone here has been diagnosed with RA?
> 
> ...



Oh, wow... I'm sorry to hear this, Sarah . I don't personally know of anyone (fat or not) with RA... and as you probably know it's mostly non-rheumatroid osteoarthritis that big people deal with. 

I googled and found quite a few links, mostly stuff you'd expect or you probably already found on your own. 

There's probably quite a few online communities you can join - one I've just found is MyRACentral.com. Hopefully you can find additional support and information out there (just don't forget about us here!).


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## Sugar (Oct 4, 2008)

Thanks Sam, I'll check it out.


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## SocialbFly (Oct 4, 2008)

my twin sister was diagnosed with it, and i feel likely that i will be soon too, or actually psoriatic arthritis which is a sub category of RA....i should know more about it, but i just know as i pile up more conditions like this (auto immune), it concerns me....i know Elaine is on methotrxate cause they could not get hers under control, and i think she will be seeing a new specialist soon...but that is all i know...sorry honey....


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## Sugar (Oct 4, 2008)

SocialbFly said:


> my twin sister was diagnosed with it, and i feel likely that i will be soon too, or actually psoriatic arthritis which is a sub category of RA....i should know more about it, but i just know as i pile up more conditions like this (auto immune), it concerns me....i know Elaine is on methotrxate cause they could not get hers under control, and i think she will be seeing a new specialist soon...but that is all i know...sorry honey....



Thanks for sharing.


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## Miss Vickie (Oct 4, 2008)

I'm sorry to hear about the RA diagnosis. I don't have RA, but I have a distant cousin, Sarcoidosis, which can cause a lot of joint pain. None of it is fun but I do know that each person's course with the disease can be wildly different. I hope that you have a mild case and that it doesn't progress. *fingers, toes and eyes crossed*

My advice? Do your research as you're doing but don't scare yourself silly. When I was diagnosed with Sarc, naturally I assumed that I'd be disabled or dead within six months but the reality has been quite different for me. I'm actually doing very well. Just try to focus on where you are, not where you might go if you got really sick, and try to do what you can to be as healthy and well as possible. Again, I'm sorry about this. I really hope that someday they can get to the bottom of autoimmune diseases and kick their collective ass to the curb.


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## Sugar (Oct 4, 2008)

Miss Vickie said:


> I'm sorry to hear about the RA diagnosis. I don't have RA, but I have a distant cousin, Sarcoidosis, which can cause a lot of joint pain. None of it is fun but I do know that each person's course with the disease can be wildly different. I hope that you have a mild case and that it doesn't progress. *fingers, toes and eyes crossed*
> 
> My advice? Do your research as you're doing but don't scare yourself silly. When I was diagnosed with Sarc, naturally I assumed that I'd be disabled or dead within six months but the reality has been quite different for me. I'm actually doing very well. Just try to focus on where you are, not where you might go if you got really sick, and try to do what you can to be as healthy and well as possible. Again, I'm sorry about this. I really hope that someday they can get to the bottom of autoimmune diseases and kick their collective ass to the curb.



Thanks Vickie. My gramma had it and hers was severe so I do know the horror story. That being said I am hopeful because I am only 31 and they have medication now that they did not have then. 

I'm more thankful now than ever before that I had WLS and in some way feel that the fact it was so easy for me to have it (on the table in 3 weeks from 1st consultation) that perhaps all things are actually meant to be for whatever reason.


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## JoyJoy (Oct 4, 2008)

Sarah, 

My mother had WLS back in the early 80s and has developed several severe health problems that we believe are related to her surgery; among them are fibromyalgia and RA, causing her almost constant pain. One thing that did help her, though, was to cut ALL artificial sweeteners out of her diet. Once she did that, her pain level decreased significantly and her energy level increased. We could see a major difference in her over-all health. 

I don't know how much of this is in your diet, and you may have already read about it, but I can tell you from a real-life experience that it can make a difference. I also seem to recall that you eat a lot of soy (?). This site suggests limiting your diet to only fermented soy, because unfermented soy inhibits thyroid function...so, take that advice for what you will. 

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, but you're strong, and you've got lots of people at your back. I'll be rooting for you, too!


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## Sugar (Oct 4, 2008)

JoyJoy said:


> Sarah,
> 
> My mother had WLS back in the early 80s and has developed several severe health problems that we believe are related to her surgery; among them are fibromyalgia and RA, causing her almost constant pain. One thing that did help her, though, was to cut ALL artificial sweeteners out of her diet. Once she did that, her pain level decreased significantly and her energy level increased. We could see a major difference in her over-all health.
> 
> ...



Wow, thanks JoyJoy. I use a lot of Splenda and I had no idea! I will cut it out today! As for soy I've cut it down a lot and now only tofu which is fermented. I've been told I have to drop more weight so I'm back to animal protein which works the best for me.

Thanks for your support...it means a lot to me.


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## LalaCity (Oct 8, 2008)

My Godmother has probably the most severe and crippling form of the disease. She has had her shoulders, knees, and hips replaced, and all of the joints in her hands are gone. But she also developed RA more than 30 years ago and, as she points out, if she'd been diagnosed today, the course oh her disease would have been wildly different, far less devastating -- so advanced are the treatment options today. She's the ultimate survivor and a tremendous inspiration to me -- and watching her prevail over her struggles for decades has taught me that one can have a full and satisfying life, even with the most severe RA.

edited to add: she has been somewhat overweight in her adult life and found it necessary to lose about 40 lbs to lessen the stress on her joints. Not easy for someone who walks with difficulty, but water aerobics, especially, helped her do it.


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## Mindee (Oct 8, 2008)

Hello Folks....
I am not Mindee..I am Mindee's husband. I don't have my own sign-on but I felt it would be good to comment on this subject. Prior to being married to Mindee, I was married for 20+ years to a very fine woman who had been diagnosed with RA at the age of 19. I will not sugar-coat this. It is a TERRIBLE disease. Over the time we were married she had good days and bad days..good years and bad years. As she got older, the disease progressed and did some very horrible damage. In many ways she is now the bionic woman. She has had both knees replaced, one foot & one elbow rebuilt. There were times when she was in such poor condition that it was necessary for me to dress her, feed her, carry her to the bathroom and such. RA drugs are very strong medicines and can raise absolute hell with your system. Patients with advanced RA will be taking derivatives of chemo drugs. Along with the bad times, RA often goes into remission cycles for what can be years at a time. It is VERY important that if you are diagnosed with RA that you do what your doctor asks you to do. Don't treat it with a "so-what" sort of attitude. Follow your treatment regimen, and you most likely can still live a reasonably decent life. My former wife now takes the drug Humira, which has allowed her to live almost symptom free for a number of years. What happened to this good lady? She now holds a Doctor of Divinity degree from Colgate, carries the title of "Dr. Reverend" and is the senior pastor at a small church. So you can live with RA, but please, take the diagnosis seriously, and follow your treatment.
Take Care.....


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## Sugar (Oct 8, 2008)

Mindee said:


> Hello Folks....
> I am not Mindee..I am Mindee's husband. I don't have my own sign-on but I felt it would be good to comment on this subject. Prior to being married to Mindee, I was married for 20+ years to a very fine woman who had been diagnosed with RA at the age of 19. I will not sugar-coat this. It is a TERRIBLE disease. Over the time we were married she had good days and bad days..good years and bad years. As she got older, the disease progressed and did some very horrible damage. In many ways she is now the bionic woman. She has had both knees replaced, one foot & one elbow rebuilt. There were times when she was in such poor condition that it was necessary for me to dress her, feed her, carry her to the bathroom and such. RA drugs are very strong medicines and can raise absolute hell with your system. Patients with advanced RA will be taking derivatives of chemo drugs. Along with the bad times, RA often goes into remission cycles for what can be years at a time. It is VERY important that if you are diagnosed with RA that you do what your doctor asks you to do. Don't treat it with a "so-what" sort of attitude. Follow your treatment regimen, and you most likely can still live a reasonably decent life. My former wife now takes the drug Humira, which has allowed her to live almost symptom free for a number of years. What happened to this good lady? She now holds a Doctor of Divinity degree from Colgate, carries the title of "Dr. Reverend" and is the senior pastor at a small church. So you can live with RA, but please, take the diagnosis seriously, and follow your treatment.
> Take Care.....



Thanks for sharing.


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## GoddessNoir (Oct 9, 2008)

My mom has RA. Has been diagnosed with it since I was about 9, I'm now 30. I can ask her about some things personally and then pass it on to you but, for the most part, she has had both knees replaced, one hip joint, her left ankle has been rebuilt then fused and her hands are basically deformed, they don't look like regular people's hands. She is on a variety of medication, including a steroid and asthma medication to keep her airways clear and she has been diagnosed with an (forgive spelling) auortic valve, due to the RA. Her immune system is not as strong as others because of the many drugs she is on. In 1999 I cam home one day with a nasty cold that turned into a horrible flu, my dad also caught this flu. We recovered in about a weeks time but this illness that was just a pest to us sent my mom to the hospital where she stayed for four months! She suffered respitory and renal failure, was on a respirator for months and had to go to a rehabilitation center to learn how to walk again. it was just a crazy situation for all of us. Like PP said, there were days when my dad or brother literally had to pick her up to take her to the restroom, at one point, she was confined to the second floor or our house, we basically set up a studio in our parents bedroom, with portable toilet, makeshift bathing area, etc. because she COULDN'T walk ANYWHERE. 

Currently, she is not in the best of health but, she is better than she has been in years. She is not in as much pain as she once was. She gets up with the help of her cane and goes to church, her sister's and anywhere there is a good sale on her own (she does use a servce available here in NYC where a public transportation jitney type vehicle picks her up and delivers her door to door) but, this is a VAST improvement considering she could not walk three steps before. She even makes the trek to my place sometimes where she has to walk up on big flight of steps. 

Following my way of eating, which is mostly natural, lots of fruit and veggies, she has fared a lot better than in the past when her style of eating was not so good. Her disease is not gone but, she manages it. She can feel a flare up coming on and will rest or slow down. On the days when she is feeling good, there is no stopping her. Feel free to contact me with any questions I may be able to pass on to her.


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## Sugar (Oct 9, 2008)

GoddessNoir said:


> My mom has RA. Has been diagnosed with it since I was about 9, I'm now 30. I can ask her about some things personally and then pass it on to you but, for the most part, she has had both knees replaced, one hip joint, her left ankle has been rebuilt then fused and her hands are basically deformed, they don't look like regular people's hands. She is on a variety of medication, including a steroid and asthma medication to keep her airways clear and she has been diagnosed with an (forgive spelling) auortic valve, due to the RA. Her immune system is not as strong as others because of the many drugs she is on. In 1999 I cam home one day with a nasty cold that turned into a horrible flu, my dad also caught this flu. We recovered in about a weeks time but this illness that was just a pest to us sent my mom to the hospital where she stayed for four months! She suffered respitory and renal failure, was on a respirator for months and had to go to a rehabilitation center to learn how to walk again. it was just a crazy situation for all of us. Like PP said, there were days when my dad or brother literally had to pick her up to take her to the restroom, at one point, she was confined to the second floor or our house, we basically set up a studio in our parents bedroom, with portable toilet, makeshift bathing area, etc. because she COULDN'T walk ANYWHERE.
> 
> Currently, she is not in the best of health but, she is better than she has been in years. She is not in as much pain as she once was. She gets up with the help of her cane and goes to church, her sister's and anywhere there is a good sale on her own (she does use a servce available here in NYC where a public transportation jitney type vehicle picks her up and delivers her door to door) but, this is a VAST improvement considering she could not walk three steps before. She even makes the trek to my place sometimes where she has to walk up on big flight of steps.
> 
> Following my way of eating, which is mostly natural, lots of fruit and veggies, she has fared a lot better than in the past when her style of eating was not so good. Her disease is not gone but, she manages it. She can feel a flare up coming on and will rest or slow down. On the days when she is feeling good, there is no stopping her. Feel free to contact me with any questions I may be able to pass on to her.



Thanks for sharing.


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