Explaining RA

[dover]

Hi all, although I have had RA for 6 years, I often find it difficult explaining what RA is to someone new. All my friends are used to my flare ups and understand, but whenever I say I have RA to someone new they will say "oh I have arthritis " and I usually just let it go rather than go into too much detail. I wondered how you explain RA.

[hawker955]

Most people get confused between wear and tear of osteoarthritis and do not know that RA is different. It is not just stiffness as you get older! Tell them RA is more a disease of young people, like you!!

[nomoreheels]

Many of us don't say we have Rheumatoid Arthritis or RA any more, instead we say we have RD, Rheumatoid Disease, an autoimmune condition where my body's immune system mistakenly attacks my joints. It's the arthritis tag that doesn't help, Osteoarthritis is as you know the more common wear & tear type so unless you have RD you probably wouldn't realise there's another type. That said OA can be blinkin painful if not medicated correctly so maybe those who compare can be forgiven in thinking this is what you have.

[helixhelix]

Primt this out and give it to them (or click on the order button & get NRAS to send you some). It's available in Hindi too.

nras.org.uk/publications/wh...

Generally I just say I have an auto-immune disease that can attack my whole body, and have to take strong drugs to control it. I don't give it a name particularly as I find that people make assumptions that rheumatoid disease is the same as rheumatism - which is just what their granny had (i.e. Osteoarthritis)

[nomoreheels in reply to helixhelix]

Maybe it helps that I have OA as well so they realise I can't have 2 conditions the same but I'm pleased to say that's not been the case in the 4 years or so I've said I have RD. In fact there's only been one person who still doesn't understand, a family member who unfortunately is competitive & a creaking gate so I've learnt to just let it go & sympathise when she's relaying her aches & pains.

[helixhelix in reply to nomoreheels]

I have OA too in hands, knees and spine, but doesn't seem to help make it clear. But then I generally don't mention my health at all except on here. For example I belong to a walking group, and Pilates group, and everyone has something so we just ignore them all!

[nomoreheels in reply to helixhelix]

I only use it if I'm asked. I'm not the type who likes to have a fuss made but sometimes you're faced with someone who wants to know & then it's been successful.

[Nettac]

Same as helixhelix.

If I say psoriatic arthritis people just glaze over!

[ITYFIALMCTT]

I've been thinking about this in relation to the advertising campaign and because of the infographic that Hidden posted recently.

It looks as if the research might eventually split into something that indicates that OA is metabolic or associated with the lifecycle and that some inflammatory arthropathies might be better categorised (as nomoreheels and others do) as autoimmune arthritis/arthopathies.

Not that that helps generally! Look at the sometimes poor media coverage of diabetes altho' it's been known for a very long time that there are auto-immune and lifestyle/metabolic underpinning for the different varieties (crudely Type 1 and Type II).

Something that comes to mind for me is the decades of missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis of what is now known as Type 1.5 diabetes (LADA - or late onset Type 1). Plus all of the recent activity about forms of Alzheimer's Disease that might more accurately be categorised as Type 3.