A chronic, degenerative, autoimmune disorder with no cure. It that can effect your heart, lungs, liver, skin, eyes, blood vessel's, and various organs and systems throughout your body. The flu-like symptoms of fatigue and complete, total exhaustion come on strong and suddenly. It causes joint swelling, extreme pain, and grinding. RA is a total body experience, also effecting your mental health. It pushes you to the point where you don't want to go. If I described it in one word, that word would be TORTURE.

Refer them to RAWarrior, a comprehensive RA website begun by a woman who has RA herself. It is reliable, helpful and hopeful.

I have 5 autoimmune disorders and none of my specialists can tell me or sort it out. My neuro once told me that she would be learning from me. What? I needed help not providing education. My rheumatologist has been a God send to me. He has told me he stays in the wheelhouse of his speciality. He tells me the truth, always. He did tell me that RA and MS are polar opposites in treatment. If he treats the RA then it will likely make the MS flare and vice versa. I have had so many problems with the RA meds that all I can take at the current time are the plaquenil and Methotrexate injections. So, my pain is treated with analgesics. Before I consider any treatments, my husband researches to make sure there is no risk of PML. Neither he nor I want any med with that risk. So, I pretend that RA is all I have, LOL. At Thanksgiving 2021, I officially added my 6th diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia. That one is very painful! Stress really causes everything to flare! So try to avoid it! If you can bottle it, let me know and I’ll be your first customer, LOL, until then, I use laughter to keep me going. Soft hugs to all and I hope and pray for relief for 1 day from the pains and aches you constantly have!
DeEtte

Thank all for your soft hugs!!!! I send them right back at ya!🥰

No disrespect, but You must be kidding me or you have a very resourceful and very humble physician. Except for my RA doctor, none of my specialists wants to venture out of their wheelhouses. I love them all, but the ox is in the ditch and when I need help, I need someone to get me fixed pronto Tonto! My RA has found a medicine plan to keep me going, not pain free but going. Whatever I try for RA makes the MS flare and vice versa! The MS drugs, most of them, carry the risk of PML, a deadly, non-reversible, non curative brain disease. My husband and I are not willing to try those. Remicade can help both and I did well and worked for 5 years. After 5 years, I couldn’t breathe when I took it, so we had to stop. I have had reactions to Humira, Simponi, Orencia IV and injection (the absolute worst reaction yet) and many others. I’m a hot mess! However, I still have my hospital humor!