Will I be in pain for the rest of my life? Is there any medication that truly works?
Hi
. The trial and error method of searching for an RA medication is certainly frustrating. I don't know what medications you have tried to this point, but I do want to share a story with you to provide a little hope. My wife, Kelly Mack (a contributor here), was diagnosed at age two, 46 years ago - before modern treatments, with the damage to show for it. She tried many treatments over the years. About seven years ago she started a new one that brought her inflammation numbers into the normal range for the first time. I know another contributor, Daniel (diagnosed at age 9), had a similar experience. Finding an effective treatment is possible.
In addition, I want to note that there are also advances in precision medicine for RA, where biomarker testing will help identify the best potential treatments for an individual (see: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8977251/). One example is the PrismRA test, which predicts individual response to TNF inhibitors (see: https://www.healio.com/news/rheumatology/20210114/precision-medicine-arrives-in-ra-biomarker-test-predicts-tnf-inhibitor-response). I know some of this doesn't help in the here and now, but sometimes it helps to hear that someone is working on these things. Wishing you some relief soon and please know that this community is here for you. Best, Richard (Team Member)Is there anyway to calm a flare down? I so tired of hurting and just sitting or laying down.
I am doing a hot bath in the morning to help get the body moving and taking my meds Drinking gallons of coffee and still as I wait for the second shot on Thursday I am getting? Angry frustrated lonely annoyedI know how are are feeling. After almost 40 years of RA myself, I get how much it wears you down. While everyone is different I can tell you what I do when I flare up starts. First I look back on what I ate because, usually, for me personally, it means I ate too much sugar (which usually means any at all - it's one of my big triggers). Another big trigger is stress, that can flare up my RA as well. Those things aren't immediate cures, though, just something to keep in mind. For me, flare up means extra rest, heating pads, hot showers, and probably a bump up in the small amount of prednisone I take. That, and maybe a few more pain meds (or Advil if I don't have pain meds). Beyond that just be aware that the gallons of coffee could also be doing more harm then good - it really depends on your own personal triggers. I also learned in my 40 years to keep moving until I'm ready to stop for the day because once I stop, after about 15 mins it starts to get exponentially more difficult to get moving again! I know it's frustrating and draining but most people I know who have RA do eventually figure out their main triggers and discover routines that work for them to have a decent daily life. Just know that you are not alone, though, and let us know if there's anything we can do to help! Keep on keepin' on, DPM
Thanks.
Just waiting for the new meds to work is so frustrating and then if they don’t work! Another 12 weeks of trying to function. Just once I would like the easy trail.
, I hear you and I don't blame you. It would be nice if, just ONCE, it was the easy trail, right? Hoping those meds start working soon!
Best, Erin, Team Member.
