I know it really is no fun and the pain varies from day to day and nobody understands what it’s like… unless they’ve suffered it.

Yes I do have both RA and OA .My hands,wrists,shoulders,hips,knees,ankles and feet. all have some of both .It is not fun and very painful.It is a terrible disease and not much seems to help.I have been on many drugs.Now I am on idacio,celebrex,gabapentin,morphine and Tylenol 500. We just have to try and do our best.

Yes.I have RA and osteoarthritis in most of my joints. It is not fun.I have had both for many years. You just have to deal with both as you go.I have many joint replacements. I would hope you have a good rheumatologist.I wish you all the best.

EliL, and you live in a place with abundant humidity. UK is so lush and beautiful. High humidity is great for keeping the skin moist to fight wrinkles and infections, adds body to hairdoos. However, it can complicate Arthritis pain and stiffness.

Did you ask to get Physical Therapy? They evaluate and walk you through specific stretches and exercises for hands, spine, hips, whatever you need to stay flexible, stabilized and operational. Low impact exercise, with oversight, to target exact muscles to strengthen our core, spine abdomen.

PT can get you braces for sleepwear or support so your joints stay aligned and don't wear wrongly (to prevent malformations and pinched nerves).

Occupational therapy teaches all kinds of neat tricks to simplify everyday activities and movements that cause less stress to the joints. If your doctor doesnt mention those, you might ask about them.

HilaryLoveLife
You could not be anymore right when you say nobody can understand unless they have RA, To go one step further a lot of people still don’t get it when you try to explain that RA and OA are completely different diseases.