When your swelling goes away, the over all pain that burns or is throughout your body, you will know if your inflammation is getting under control. When your joints in your fingers and toes loosen and you can bend or grasp things easier, you will know, also.
If you have Osteo-arthritis and/or Fibro myalgia, you may still have pain, stiffness and fatigue. But the heavy oppression goes away when RA goes into remission.
Anyway, that's how it is for me. With RA my fingers can't can't bent to touch my palms and my second joints pop when bending. The first joints won't bend. And my socks make imprints on my feet. Shoes are painful and I have to loosen the elastic lacing, a lot, on my sneakers.

There are other issues that will get better or go away. But being able to walk and do housework is a real blessing to me.

I'm thankful for the research and effort that goes into RA drugs so we have some options in therapies. I hope all of us can find the one(s) that gets us moving and active again. The pain and fatigue part still needs some work.