Hi All
It's been raining here since about 1 - persistently. Also the temperature has dropped, so its cold rain and I can already feel my joints being affected. I have sore knees & hands. Not enough to take painrelief as yet, but I won't be in walking the dog today!
Sorry guys, my fingers must be more affected than I thought, I pressed the wrong digit!
Cheers Joanne x
First of Joanne i can't see anything wrong with your spelling. I too suffer with the dramatic change in temperature. I should have gone to a parade at Kenilworth this morning,but it was deemed unwise as the weather was closing in,so Joanne your not alone. I have been out to the garden to put bread on the bird table and thats all i have done. When my two came home they were freezing and we have had the heating on since they came home. My commemnt to them was i wise not to go Grace said yes in no uncertain terms.
Keep warm my friend.
Love sylvi.xx
Yes I have suffered today with my hands fingers and wrists,after havin a very good week without any painkillers,but today I had to take painkillers and ibuprofen.so defintly rain and cold do it for me.im emigrating lol !!!!!!! Take care Michelle xx
Yes , hot weather helps me so much, but my dad was worse with his RA in the heat and he loved the cold weather !! Axx
Yes and our gas central heating is broken. Man didn't come yesterday they promise to come today. It's 14 degrees in bedroom. Gloom
Yes and our gas central heating is broken. Man didn't come yesterday they promise to come today. It's 14 degrees in bedroom. Gloom
Yes and our gas central heating is broken. Man didn't come yesterday they promise to come today. It's 14 degrees in bedroom. Gloom
I feel my joints have been more uncomfortable this year and don't know if it is all the damp and cold we are suffering or if it is psychological. However, I do go out every day for my two mile walk and think this eases the stiffness so maybe it is better not to stop walking the dog? I go on on the treadmill in the gym if if is really bad outside. The exercise does not make my jonts worse and probably makes them better?
Hi Sciqueen, yes the cold and damp affects my joints as well. We had heavy rain all yesterday and the temperature dropped enough to put the heating on. My finger and toe joints are all inflamed and painful. It's supposed to get warmer today and the rain will stop so hope my joints will settle again.
Warm weather definitely helps but I also find that extremes of temperature including very hot weather cause my joints to flare up. I need a steady temp round about 70 degrees for comfort, not that we will get this in the UK! the really dry cold winter we had 2 years ago suited me fine and I had never felt better!
I had a friend I worked with many years ago and her whole family emigrated to Australia as she was so bad with RA. The dry warmth there helped her no end and for the first time she was able to use her hands again properly.
Exercise is good and walking the best of all but don't overdo it if the joints are irritable as you will make them worse. Little and often is best. I find if I work my dog just round the block - takes me about 10 minutes,, that is fine. I can then go out again later in the day for another 10 minutes. Anything longer than that and I am finished for the day. I used to walk 5/6 miles before the RA and the dog did twice that distance but I cannot manage that now. Wish I could. Lavendarlady x
Same here LL, both extremes affect me also, but I am definitely worse in the winter months. I was awful last winter, I fell down, regular flares etc. I am so scared now of this forth coming winter.
By the way last thursday was my first aniversary (19 September), when I got my official diagnosis form rheumy consultant! The year has gone so quick, but what a year!!!
Take care LL
Joanne x
PS glad your back 
I went to Barcelona at the beginning of the month.
It was a lovely temp, and my joints fest great, but my feet and ankles swelled up loads.
Think I walked too much and did a lot of standing around.
The cold really makes me ache.
I've stopped getting things out of the freezer and avoid things if I can which expose me to the cold....going to be a challenging winter methinks.
I was in Barcelona last summer (2011). One of my favourite cities. Visited 3 or 4 times. I did not know it at the time, but I had ra. When I got back my hands were locked in the hook position with fat sausage like fingers. I suffered when we went onto Italy, as the temp there was 36 c. But was unawares that the weather was causing my hands to ming even more!
We live and learn and yes I would go again. FAB holiday, despite the massive flare up I had.
Cheers Elsa
Joanne x
Yes always affected by the weather, my husband tells me I could be a barometer!
I suffer when the temp goes up with swelling in the joints. At the moment i am being boiled alive with hot sweats and keep stripping off ( at home of course) but in work the heating is on which is killing me!!! Xxxx
I'm the opposite Treesha (there's no chance you are menopausal is there?). I'm the opposite of you now and feel the cold terribly these days. I'm okay so far if I wear my new thermo gloves, scarf and a hat and warm clothing when I am out at first and then I slowly but surely put them in my bag as I warm up with the exercise and sunshine but first thing in the morning I'm usually freezing and husband keeps opening the windows so I go round closing them crossly. All my flares used to start (haven't flared for while unless pins and needles was actually a flare?) with icy cold hands and feet last winter so like everyone else I'm dreading the winter but am learning that dressing up appropriately is the key thing. If my main trunk gets cold then I'm done for and have to have a hot bath and go to bed to stop my fingers and toes going white! Our freezer has been broken for a year now and we will get a new one but I find myself shivering when I think about it! Tilda x
Hi Tilda yes possibly menopausal although all my probs started with hot sweats day and night 2 and a half yrs ago Steroid injections usually stop them in their tracks??. I think i might be having a flare which might have something to do with hot sweats. On the other hand i should have had a period 4 weeks ago but nothing yet?? And of course as Sciqueen says it could just be RA or meds. Who knows? The strange thing is i go to bed naked because i cant cope with the heat but then about 5 oclock in the morning i am FREEZING! That only lasts until i get up and then back to intense heat. The heat is so intense i feel like i may pass out.
Well I know RA is a very strange disease but I've never heard of it causing hot sweats of this order before? For me meno and RA have gone hand in hand but I've never had classic sweats or flushes once so sounds like you're having mine?! Periods just get much heavier for most people in the run up to menopause I believe but mine just stopped entirely about 3 years ago. I know that my gynae said that oestrogen is a steroid much like Prednisolone and that's why HRT works well at soothing some women's joint pains as well as calming hot sweats and flushes etc. if its a possibility for you then speak to your GP and they can run hormone tests etc? Tilda x
Cheers all, its always nice - sorry when others are in the same boat. You don't feel so alone and isolated.
Had to use my stick this morning, havent used it for a while. My right side was sore most of the day and now my feet are acheing, but tha'st normal after going to work. Dread tomorrow as its more of the same thing and I have a full teaching day arhhhhh.
Wrap up warm all
Joanne x
Sorry Treesha and hijacked your weather question Joanne. Here the weather has been chillier than it should NE for a while and I'm dressed up warm but joints aren't bad still so I guess that the answer for my RA is no but for my newly acquired Raynauds it's yes! Good luck for tomorrow. Xxxx
Oops blasted iPhone changing my words again sorry! Xx
Is it the cold weather?
Who else has cold hands? 
Enjoying the nice weather
Changes in the weather
