Arthritis Hot Flash Article

[RAreyna]

Finally, an article that addresses the 'arthritis sweats'! Though now I'm afraid they'll never go away.

creakyjoints.org/living-wit...

[Dobcross1]

OMG at last! I've been suffering badly with this and Rosacea on my face since a flare started last December. My GP was clueless and I feel like whatever it is that regulates my body temperature is broken. I'm on an increasing programme of MTX anyway and am going to mention this to the Rheumatology nurse when I go in April - but I expect she'll look at me like the GP did. At least this article makes me feel as though I'm not going mad!! Thanks so much for posting.

[Mmrr]

Thank you, a good article.

My rheumatologist denied any knowledge of people with RD feeling hot, she said my experiences were most probably menopausal, except I went through the menopause 17 years ago. She shrugged.

[Dobcross1 in reply to Mmrr]

Mmrr, a lot of your symptoms seem similar to mine - and I've been reading about psoriatic arthritis as I think I may have that rather than RD (heat, tendons affected, itching, rashes etc - but no psoriasis). Though tbh treatment seems to be about the same so not sure how much it matters... In another post you mention your RD seems to be developing and changing and that's certainly true of me too. I'm sure you've already considered PsA but just in case...

[Mmrr in reply to Dobcross1]

Yes, I have considered PsA, my daughter does have moderatley severe psoriasis zo it seems it is our gene pool to develop these conditions. Thank you

[RAreyna in reply to Dobcross1]

My formal diagnosis is inflammatory polyarthritis. It's most likely I have RA, since I'm seropositive, but I've got psoriasis and symptoms of both. It doesn't much change my treatment but leaves it open, in case I have both. I usually just say RA since that's better known.

[Shalf]

I respect of course the Rheumatologists in their specialised field of medicine but I haven't met any yet who suffer from RA/RD. I think it would be wrong of any Rheumy to say hot flushes, extreme heat, sweats, poor temperature control isn't a symptom in the same way it would be wrong to say one drug will work and another won't. They can't say that because no one knows. Only we know how we feel. I get hot too and I am certain this disease is the reason.

[notsochunky]

My nurse seems to put a lot of my symptoms down to menopause. I was past all that years ago. I feel like saying how many women have hot flushes on their feet? I have to move beds in the middle of the night to cool down.

[Dobcross1 in reply to notsochunky]

Haha, this is exactly what I'm expecting to hear when I raise it!!

[Hidden]

I could have written this. I have mentioned this on previous posts. Peri menopause. The menopause was blamed by gp for the last 20years and still my Gp doesn’t recognise it as a symptom of RD even though it’s definitely worse during a flare and the burning feet OMG if they shrug their shoulders again 🤯I’m gonna copy this and give it to my gp

[Dobcross1 in reply to Hidden]

Yes, I thought about taking this article to my next appointment because if they suggest menopause I think I really will explode!

[MissMinto]

I suffer terribly from overheating/sweating, but only from the neck up. Yesterday I walked to the bus stop and within two minutes ripped off my scarf and shrugged my coat of my shoulders as my face and hair were dripping with sweat (not a good look!)

It’s years since I went through the menopause, but reading the article (thanks for posting) it occurred to me that the thyroid gland is called the body’s thermostat - could it be that RA attacks the thyroid in some way so that it begins to go haywire?

Hypothyroidism is strongly linked to RA (another gift from the autoimmune spectrum) so my gut tells me this might be the cause.

[Hidden in reply to MissMinto]

Mmmm got a point I sweat all over when having a flare I wonder if the thyroid is attacked like everything else?

[Thingybob in reply to Hidden]

I had a semi thyroidectomy resulting in hypothyroidism 3 years prior to diagnosis of RA. Now if I flare my throat around the op site /thyroid area flushes bright red🤔

[Yellowrattle]

Yes to the must be mad face on the doctor. Yes to it must be the menopause and then the mad face again when you say it's gone and this is entirely different. Yes to sometimes neck sweat and flushing on neck. Except over thyroid which stays wet. Yes to drenching night sweat when joints are lively.

Also get shivers when I've cast off bedclothes and fallen asleep.

When I take methotrexate I get joint pain as swelling shrinks and I pour with sweat over the 24 hours. There's a whole other doctor face when you tell them this. They'll still go for menopause despite my never having come across a weekly regulated menopausal symptom.

They need to add some more boxes to their spreadsheets. 5 min admin job maybe.