Hello and welcome. Firstly I'm sorry your mother as RA ,it can certainly be difficult for you to watch her in pain. I have a son of my own who is 16 and only ever known me with RA and been through some very difficult family times due to my RA.
Naturally you will feel scared for her but take it from, me as a mother myself she will be more worried about you and what you have to put up with.
Brilliant you have been doing research as this can only be a good thing for you to understand the disease. You will have all the help and support you need on here and I'm very pleased you decided to join us by writing your first Blogg!!
Look forward to hearing more from you.
Take care
Mandy xx
Hi Oodesh
Welcome to Health Unlocked! Sorry to hear that your Mum has RA but you have come to the right place for lots of support and information.
RA is an incurable auto-immune disorder. The progress of the disease can only be slowed down by use of the appropriate disease modifying drugs, such as salazapyrin (sulfasalazine). Although your Mum has done well to cope without drugs it is not a recommended route in this country and it would be in her future interests to be referred to a rheumatologist or appropriate specialist for further investigation. Medication has moved on in leaps and bounds in recent years with the introduction of many new drugs. I'm not sure which country you are in and things may be quite different where you are to that in the UK.
The fact your Mum is now experiencing problems with her feet and ankles could mean that the disease is beginning to take hold. It is difficult to know from the ESR as the range you quote may be regarded as 'normal' for some people.
There is no need to be scared of RA but it is good to be knowledgeable about it and know what to expect.
In fact the safest drug is salazopyrine. But mom is afraid of taking the drug because last time she was having GI upset.
I thnk enteric coated salazopyrine would avoid that but anyway I will monitor her by the DAS criteria. If I notice the score increasing, I will talk to a rheumatologist about her case and start the drug.
I told her not to start the drug by herself as it requires monitoring.
ARA now recommending monthly review of patients instead of 3 monthly.
And those on salazopyrine needs LFT, as well as lung function test.
I will monitor her by the DAS criteria and in the meantime I will change her lifestyle. I means less work load, and daily cod liver oil, weekly turmeric intake and so on.
If still I notice her worsening, she will have to start the treatment.
But if she improves, that will be great.
I will then continue her monitoring, do a pulmonary function test, a cardiac echo. I will keep examining her for any sign of lymphoma.
In case she suddenly gets a flare, quick but proper steroid and start of DMARD will follow.
Take care u all
I'm a junior doctor, these days I'm reading lots of new research articles about RA. Will keep posting them. BY discussing, new ideas crop and we also share knowledge for a better living.
I did wonder what the 5yrs MBBS was. Sorry if that sound a little ignorant.
Your mother is very lucky to have you and all your knowledge by her side, I would imagine though that you too will also learn a lot from your mother RA.
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