fluid on ankles outside and knees front and back

[artyone]

Can anyone clear up my problem please. i get fluid not loads half and egg size on the side of my ankles it get wporse as day goes on. I also get a pouch front of knee left side on both. with what i think also pouch of fluid at the back. Now i have been told keep joints moving for arthritus( diagnosed ra) .But as the day goes on more fluid appears. so i am confused to keep walking and moving and going up and downstairs or to rest more.

I find it very confusing specialist says i should start mtx but i really dont want to , i dont feel it is the right time as just starting meds for blood pressure little high and hot flushes. so move or rest

over to you all

[Hidden]

Hi there,

sometimes with posts & questions I think I understand & start tapping away only to find out that I've missed something! But on the face of it, if you've got RA there's a risk that your joints will be damaged permanently over time. MTX (which I guess nobody really loves taking) is a DMARD & the DM stands for 'Disease Modifying' (sorry, I bet you already know this) i.e. it should reduce the impact of the disease & help protect your joints. So I do think you should talk to your Rheumy / Rheumy nurse / GP again and have a rethink about taking the MTX 'cos RA is serious.

As for whether to exercise or not and how much to do, I am confused too. I have very swollen knees and high inflammation just now and some recommended forms of exercise seem to make things worse. I think one Rheumy nurse told me to 'use my common sense' but I'm used to applying common sense to my healthy body, not to this complicated sick one! If I get some good advice about this I'll let you know.

But artyone, swelling usually means inflammation, another sign that your RA is active. So please, please think again & ask more questions, whatever it takes, before dismissing the MTX.

All the best,

Christina xx

[emsyb1986]

it could be a bakers cyst? i had one and it rutured causing my leg to fill with fluid

[Hidden]

I think Christina is right. Many of us on this site take various drugs for various conditions and are actually healthier for it. RA can not only attack your joints but also your soft tissue and even, quite rarely the bood and organs. From everything I've read the only proven way to slow this down or modify this is by taking DMARDs or biologic drugs. Tilda

[helixhelix]

Hi there, It does take time to get your head round all of this stuff, and I often find that I've forgotten to ask the doctor/nurse important questions so get back home and find that what they've said seems confusing. However, to me the important thing about exercise is that it keeps our muscles strong, and that protects our joints from even more damage. So too much rest isn't a good idea. But, if you've got inflammed joints then make sure that the exercise is gentle, so things like walking and swimming, and do short amounts and then stop and rest. When I was at my worst, I would try to make sure I kept moving for 10 minutes every hour. And then over time I slowly increased the time I was on my feet and doing stuff.

But unless you start the drug treatment as others have said, it's probably just going to get worse. So do rethink. And quite a few people take drugs for BP alongside drugs for RA, and other condition s too, so they can be ok together. polly

[artyone]

IT is dif to get my head round. I am just 60 and was taken ill 15 years ago and was told lupus. But no mention of it now. I work im wardrobe mistress for a world wide company. I try and work no more than 15 hours a week cos i feel exhausted and ill. my other half say i should just get on with it its just getting old. but i see people older than me working full time i couldnt do that. Im sitting here typing this with really sore eyes stingy and bloodshot i can barely stay awake thats not just getting old surely. sorry that was a moan. lol i am used to being busy. And i have a confession for 50 years i have been phobic about getting sickness and diahrea, my problem taking tabs is i am frightened they will upset me. I havent told doc or specialist that cos i am embaressed by ti. it comes from illness i had aged 10 and my best friend dying aged 14. .

thank you i shouldnt have wasted your evenings listening to me.

have a good night all v

[nottsexsportfanatic in reply to artyone]

So sorry to hear of your phobia, it certainly explains your reluctance to take the MTX suggested. I think you should explain this to your doctors as there are so many ways they might be able to help (but cant if they dont know why you are turning down their advice).

I too get fluid on my ankles which gets worse throughout the day, specially if I am on my feet or sitting at my computer desk with my feet down. The main advice I can add to the above (frequent, but gentle, movements plus swimming is brilliant if you can find a pool which is not too cold at this time of year) is the icing and elevating the ankles throughout the day whenever possible.

Hope you get some relief from this soon. Gentle cyber hugs.

Tina

[artyone in reply to nottsexsportfanatic]

thank you so much for reading about phobia i feel really embarrsed about it. Wish i knew a good hypnotherapist to help. I do swim i am member at a gym, but when so tired i done know wether its better to go or not. I am so busy at work i cant wait for it to stop. Hypnotherapy would be great. my best friend died at 15 she had diahre and sickness, and i had had dysentry at the age of 11, somehow i think the two things have got linked in my head. lets hope i can find a hypnthereapist nearby who can help and sort it at last.

thank you for your support

[Hidden]

Hi Artyone

As the others have mentioned, the only really proven way to control RA and prevent joint damage is with DMARD treatment, so it may be worth discussing options with your rheumatology team and explaining how you feel. Methotrexate does come in an injectable form, which is often given if people do suffer any tummy-related side effects, so this may be an option for you. We have lots of information on the DMARDs on our website which you may find useful: nras.org.uk/about_rheumatoi...

As for advice on exercise it may be worth seeing if you could be referred to a physiotherapist who would be able to give you some really specific, tailored advice on which types of exercise would be best for you. Your GP, or rheumatology team should be able to organise this. As has been discussed, exercises like swimming and walking are often recommended to help keep the muscles strong and the joints mobile while not putting too much impact on the joints. We have some general information about exercise and RA which you may also find useful: nras.org.uk/about_rheumatoi...

It would be worth discussing the fluid on your ankles with your rheumatology team, especially if this is a new symptom. I hope they are able to make some suggestions for you.

Kind regards

Sarah Kate

NRAS

[knobblyknees]

One thing you can do is soak your lower legs and feet in a bucket of hot as you can stand water with epsom salts in it. And to do this every day. The heat will feel glorious and make you feel more mobile and the salts will draw out impurities.

The other thing you can do is to press on the lumps, quite hard, all over, with the handle of a wooden spoon, press all around the ankle joints and around knee and if you can, the back of the knee. This breaks down the matter and makes it easier for the body to dispose of it.

In fact if you do the wooden spoon first then the soak. For the knees dip a towel in the water, wring it a bit then wrap the towel round the knee until it cools and do it 3 or 4 times per session.

This may take a while depending how solid the lumps are, but try to do it every day.

I have been to Goa for the last 6 winters and found a wonderful doctor who has got rid of several lumps for me. One year I had a knee the size of a small football and over two weeks I watched it go down.

I wish we werent so frightened of 'hands on' in the uk

[artyone in reply to knobblyknees]

Hi THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY. i AM STILL TRYING TO WORK THIS OUT. MY SPECIALIST SAYS RA TAKE MTX. BUT I HAVE A BUT LOL

THE FLUID ON MY KNEES AND ANKLES IS SOFT AND SQUASHY NOT LUMPY OR HARD. MY KNEES FEEL LOSE AND MUSHY. THE FIRST SPECIALIST I SAW SAID OESTO THEN HE LEFT AND MY NEW SPECIALSIT SAYS RA. I AM JUST NOT SURE.TRYING TO WORK IT OUT.

THANKS FOR YOUR TIP ON EPSOM SALTS WILL GET SOME.

[knobblyknees in reply to artyone]

this sounds like mine. I wish I could send you my Dr from Goa. Mind you, I wish I could send him to me while Im in the UK. Have to wait till Jan. before I go there again.

Take care