Hi there,I have RA and recently have noticed that i have a large lump on my left elbow its not painful and I have never had one of these before? Is it serious. I live in Valencia Spain and its difficult communicating with the Spanish Doctors so thought would just ask. I have had RA for 3 years now but take herbal medicine and have been ablee to live a fairly mobile life but recently since moving to Spain (10 months here) have noticed a little pain in my knees and now in my shoulders. Since being in Valencia the pain is not as intense but still there. I am however working longer hours but less stress! I have fallen slightly off the band wagon and am not eating as healthily as I should but as a Teacher In Spain I will have two months off where I'm hoping I can get rest and back on track. My biggest worry about not taking conventional drugs is that am I playing devils advocate wth my health I still have a lot of stiffness so by not taking drugs am I causing more damage.My concerns of taking drugs is the side effects and long term damage I am a Primary School Teacher which I think makes it worse because of the different types of germs you can get from being around children! I'm just feeling really desperate and need some friendly advice that wont scare me. I dont feel like I can talk to any of my family or friends and feel really isolated and alone and just need advice from people who understand how this effects you mentally and physically.
Poppy
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poppykhanom
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Don`t be scared to talk to your family as i am sure they worry about you and don`t want to ask you but are waiting for you to tell them. The lumps u talk about are all to do with RA and as far as i remember the dr telling mr are nothing to worry about some sort of nodules my brother and i both have them , I have RA OA OStiopyoris heart failure so am not in great form with weather here in northern ireland. Does the heat in spain help your pains?
Don`t let the pains get you down u will nrrd stronger pills at some stage. Take care
Hi poppykhanom, you are asking a really difficult question to a forum. Whatever your symtons are , I can only say, that it is so important you do not neglect yourself and ignore RA. I don't know if you have any doctors in Spain, or if you have any doctors in the UK, that you can contact, but surely your health is absolutely, the most important thing. Many years ago, I lived abroad, with RA, and I recognised I had to return to the Uk, so I contacted my consultant at home, who saw me as soon as I returned. These days, there is expertise all over the globe, so do try to pick up courage and see a doctor in Spain first, if it is easier. You cannot hide from arthritis and believe me it' s so much better when you confide in a doctor. Do take care and wishing you very well.
Jennyxxxxxx
Hi Poppy. I know it's scary having RA because we are all faced with the dilema of taking drugs or hoping we can just stall the disease by keeping to a healthy lifestyle. At the end of the day it's your choice and you have to live with it - no one else. If you are finding that the symptoms are worsening slowly then you have to ask yourself what you want for your future - are you prepared to sacrifice yourself to an older age with many problems and probably quite a lot of pain in order to keep off the drugs and continue to work with kids. All I can say is that I wasn't prepared to take that risk and am currently on 17.5 mg of Methotrexate and 400 mg of Hydroxychloraquine having been diagnosed last November - about 7 months ago.
I have found that the Methotrexate - the most commonly used of the DMARDs and the one that people seem most scared of - has made a big difference to my condition and I have much less pain and greater mobility for it. I'm always a bit sceptical of drugs but when I look back to the levels of pain I was experiencing for about 9 months prior to diagnosis and to where I'm at now I realise how far I've come. I eat very healthily and exercise properly every day - get lots of fresh air etc. But I live in a Northerly place where lack of Vit D is a huge problem so I make sure I compensate now for the meds and my location by looking after myself very well. I have two teens and a couple of 20 year olds living at home for the summer just now and have had frequent exposure to bugs of all types all through the winter and only had one cold - very badly but only one - so I think your concern re the lowering of you immunity is maybe a tad exaggerated? There are quite a few teachers and classroom assistants on this site who don't seem to suffer from more bugs than others and many with young children and grandchildren here too.
I'm afraid I can't advise you at all on how you get medical help in Spain but RA is pretty much evenly spread around the world I believe so I'm sure they have rheumatologists and GPs where you are too. Otherwise you could travel back to the UK as one other on this site does sometimes, but that does sound like hard work to me! I think you really do need to speak to your family about what you are going through - it's the only way. Good luck. Tilda xx
PS the lumps sound like rheumatoid nodules to me. Apparently they used to be more common when RA was untreated but now with DMARDs and Biologics they are becoming less common. I have never had them but then my RA is not very aggressive.
I was diagnosed in 2001,I am on 30mg Methotrexate weekly,plus hydoxychloriquine,sulphasalazine,naproxen and others.I too have "Rheumatoid Nodules" on my elbows (The pressure points) mostly they are not too painful,but occasionaly they become very tender.Make sure that you look after your heart,as I had a heart attack in 2008,and have been told that R.A. sufferers are far more likely to have a heart attack in the first ten years of having the disease than those who do not have R.A..(I was not told this when Diagnosed,otherwise I might have recognised the symptoms) Good Luck.X
Hi Poppy I have had RA for almost 40 years and have had several operations including the removal of a septic bursitis from my right elbow. My bursitis was eventually the size of a tennis ball right on the underside of my right elbow. It is a lump that is produced generally through RA when the bursae to the joint (cushioning) that holds the senovial fluid makes too much fluid and pushes out. A bursitis can be caused by over activity to the joint, i.e. continual bending of the elbow through playing sport, etc.I would have it checked out as although it is painless at the moment, if it becomes bursitis and septic it is extremely painful. My joint has been ruined by bursitis and I need an elbow replacement which I am trying to make up my mind to have done as there are some nasty complications in my case. Do not neglect your RA as it is likely to get worse if you do not get the proper treatment. I wish you luck and please let me know how you get on. Brian
thanks everyone for all the support Im seeing my doctor today and a colleague who speaks Spanish is coming to me I reached out to my friends and their being great. Ive also joined private healthcare where the Doctor speaks English so I feel better for this. Im going to speak to my doctors and see whats happening and take necessary action. I have tried the natural way for 3 years and now need to really think about what im doing. Thanks again.
Hi again, I am so pleased you have found the strength to discuss your RA with your friends, believe me, I know exactly what it's like to keep RA in the background and it is so much better to reach out, to those at work, it' s amazing how others will rally. I do hope your RA is not too lively and your worries are put to sleep, good luck with your treatment, and very best wishes. Jennyxx
Hi Poppy, I've just read through this post and am really pleased that you've decided to go and see a doctor. Once you've seen the doctor and are better able to decide which way to go, do please remember that the treatments now are much better understood and you are carefully monitored for side effects. Also, if you decide to start the drugs you can stop them later, but once your joints are damaged then they're damaged permanently. Anyway, just to say that I spend a lot of time in the middle of London, eg on public transport with people coughing and sneezing everywhere and I've not had problems with that despite being on immune suppressant drugs. I look after myself to compensate for taking the drugs and apart from the RA I think I'm probably healthier than I've ever been! So it's not all doom and gloom. Good luck. Polly
Hi Polly thanks for that. I saw the doctor today and was told its inflammation and they have given me some deflazacort and zamene and some omeprazol (To protect my stomach) this for 20 days. She then referred me to the rhuematologist and said I would be fast tracked which is good news. My blood test results showed good lungs,liver etc apart from a rhuematiod factor of 97 and reactive protein was 11.5 she said these results are not good. If im honest im scared the effects the drugs will have on everything else but i guess they monitor that and i can take it from there. Poppy
Hi poppy, I am sure you feel better for seeing the doctors, and getting thinngs under control. Obviously, your bloods are a bit high , and that's where the rheumatology drugs come. Depending on what you may be put on, most probably a Dmard, disease modifying drug, it, will most probably be tablets and blood tests monthly at first. I thave taken many different medicines throughout my life, but am currently on a Dmard(azathrioprine) and a NSAID ( non-steroidal anti- inflammatory Naproxen). All drugs have side -effects some mild and others that seem terrifying, however getting and keeping your arthritis under control will make you feel so much better and keep your joints from deteriorating. Good luck wih seeing a consultant, and look forward to seeing you here again. Take lots of care. Jennyxx
I'm glad to hear things are moving forwards regarding your rheumatology appointment. We have a good article on our website called 'Which drugs are used?' which you may find useful, and lots of information about the usual process of RA diagnosis (please follow the links below). As others have mentioned, the standard medications used to treat RA (DMARDs) are the only scienticially proven way to control the disease, but lots of people find that using complementary and alternative therapies alongside the drugs, and keeping a generally healthy lifestyle, can also be beneficial. Please do bare in mind that all of our information is UK based, but if you have any specific questions please feel free to email the NRAS helpline here on: helpline@nras.org.uk.
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