Early signs of RA

[Leepeelee]

I am currently taking 15mg of prednisolone a day to control what my Dr had diagnosed was PMR. He then referred me to a Rheumatologist for an expert opinion

So, the Rheumatologist thinks that it is more likely to be RA. I am waiting for blood results etc.

I have just started to get some strange feelings in my toes and fingers, is this a common sign for early RA

If I do have RA, is it likely to end my career as a builder? I am only 50yrs old!

Is there medication that can control it?

Would I have to stay on prednisolone ?

This is really quite scary!

[sylvi]

No one can say whether you would lose your job at this early stage. If you get the medicine regime sorted out you can work, but then again you might not be able to. There is really no answer to the question you pose because one person can sail through work without any problems Then you can get someone else or will have to give up work. So I am sorry I really don't have a answer for you, but I will say if they get the right drugs in you early you can certainly live a normal life.xx

[FunBalloon in reply to sylvi]

Hello I think sylvi explained things quite nicely already. I just wanted to add that there are plenty of drugs or there to treat RA and if one doesn't suit you then you try another one. It can take some time to find the right combination but the us certainly hope for you. The most common drug for RA is methotrexate which is one lots of us are on. I've been injecting it for 5 years (diagnosed at 20 and I'm now 25).it has really given me my life back. I'm now taking it with sulfasalazine and hydroxchloroquine. It works really well. Prednisolone just gets on top of the inflammation but doesn't stop the joint damage. So it isn't a longterm treatment. I hope your rheumatologist can help you soon

[Deniseelk]

Sorry to hear that you are having issues.... whatever the diagnosis may end up being. In this “ waiting period” I would recommend you look after yourself ( don’t push yourself physically too much.... hard when you’re a builder), try not to stress about what these symptoms may be, keep a diary of any symptoms, changes, photos of things such as swellings, strange colour changes on skin, rashes etc as this can be very helpful to the medics for diagnosis. Watch for any patterns ( carried out a type of physical movement at work and next day this body part was an issue, etc). Best of luck!

[Hidden]

Hi and welcome although I’m sorry you have had to find us. The strange feeling in toes and hands .... before diagnosis I use to get numbness in the tops of my toes and tingling in my hands. I now get burning in my feet and hands and tepid water from a shower is like hundreds of pins striking me.

The key to this disease is early detection and treatment and it sounds like your gp is on the ball. Some people’s treatment works immediately others it takes time with lots of trial and error on meds. A big part of it is managing your disease knowing what sets a flare off.

Your are builder are you self employed? Know one knows how this is going to effect you or even if it will.

All this is hypothetical until your diagnosis and fingers crossed you have not got RA.

Any questions you know where we are.

[Leepeelee in reply to Hidden]

Hi J1707,

Yes, I am self employed. I'm right in the middle of a large building project which has large responsibilities. I am hoping to reach a stage on the project soon where I am able to step back and relax a bit!

My rheumatologist has told me to taper the preds from 15mg to 10 mg over 4 weeks. I've got a feeling that this is going to be quite difficult , today was the first drop, in ok at the moment but the last taper that I did was just by 1mgand that caused a huge flare up 3 days later that lasted about a week

Thanks for your advise 😊

[Hidden in reply to Leepeelee]

WORK is going to be difficult not only physically but stress is SO BAD for RD. have you got health cover? If so you might want to use your payout to get a project manager or foreman. It’s going to be difficult if you like to be in control . I’m afraid there’s no easy way oral steroids are difficult to stop if on for too long and until you start any treatment you may have to rely on them . Good luck let us know how you get on

[Leepeelee in reply to Hidden]

I started on 20 mg prednisolone beginning of January this year, I’m now on 12.5mg. My doctor thought I had PMR. I’d rather have pmr than RA to be honest! (What is RD by the way ?)

I really don’t like the way that I feel whilst on preds but it beats the suffering of symptoms from what ever it is that I have.

I read somewhere that a higher Prednisolone dosage is required for management of RA symptoms than PMR .... good old Google!

Anyway, thanks again for your help

[Hidden in reply to Leepeelee]

No problem... I call it Rheumatoid disease as it is much more than just the joints involved. It’s a very complex disease.

[stbernhard]

Hello Leepeelee, if you do get a RA diagnosis, it's very important that you know as much as you can about the illness, the medication available and how you can help yourself. Please do NOT use Dr. Google. NRAS has clear unbiased and extensive information about everything there is to know about RA. Then there is us on here of course. Hope not to see more posts from you. I have RA since 2009 and live a normal active life.

[Leepeelee in reply to stbernhard]

Thanks srbernhard

[john140]

15Mg of Pred isnt that much TBH. Your symptoms don't strongly suggest RA. Mine started 11 years ago with sharp joint pain jumping from joint to joint mainly in wrists hands and feet, but also flu like symptoms. I wouldn't panic just yet unless you are getting joint pain accompanied by joint hotness. I took Methotrexate for years until I got fed up of the side effects. Now I use Prednisolone tactically only when I get a flare up so on average twice a year which works quite well for me, but you dont want to get hooked on Prednisolone as the withdrawal symptoms on long term use are unpleasant..

[Leepeelee]

It’s so strange, yesterday evening I had all sorts of weird feelings going on in my hands, fingers and toes, this evening it’s just the usual upper arm muscles & shoulders!

The pains are quite mild though, I guess this could be withdrawal symptoms as I have just tapered the prednisolone from 15mg to 12.5

Time will tell

[JAnnT]

I'm on the same meds. as Crazyxxx, I've been diagnosed for over a year and a half. I think the older you are the worse it is or maybe we were diagnosed to late, I had polyneuropathy for over 20 years, then in 2018 it was getting so bad with my feet I went back in to my neurologist, who tested me for lime, lupus, etc. And during these test he found I had the RA factor and its went down from there, can hardy walk, had to quit my job this year and no relief. I am know looking into spinal cord simulator. I know it affects people different ways. I took humira and thought it might be helping, but the test came back saying it wasn't so now they have me on the same stuff Crazyxxx is on and it's not doing good at all in my book. I wish you luck and everyone else with this crap. I don't want you to feel negative, but just want to let you know that there is a possibility it could make it where you won't be able to work.