How do you explain what rheumatoid arthritis feels like?

Signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may include: Tender, warm, swollen joints. Joint stiffness that is usually worse in the mornings and after inactivity. Fatigue, fever and loss of appetite.

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How would you describe the pain of rheumatoid arthritis?

A person with RA may feel intense pain in their joints during flares. This may feel like sustained pressure, a burning sensation, or a sharp pain. However, people with RA may also experience periods of remission when they feel few to no symptoms. In addition to causing pain in the joints, RA can affect the whole body.

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How do I explain rheumatoid arthritis to my family?

Explain RA.

Tell them that it's a long-term health condition that affects your joints and other parts of your body. You also may want to mention that it can happen because of genetics and environmental factors. Talk about your symptoms. Tell your friends and family how RA may limit what you can do.

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How do you describe RA in your hands?

People with rheumatoid arthritis may experience tingling and numbness in their hands and fingers. These symptoms are the result of swelling and inflammation in the carpal tunnel, a narrow channel between bones and ligaments within the wrist through which a major nerve passes.

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What is commonly mistaken for rheumatoid arthritis?

Lupus and Scleroderma

The autoimmune diseases systemic lupus erythematosus and scleroderma often present with joint involvement that mimics rheumatoid arthritis. While lupus and scleroderma are two different diseases, they often overlap with one another.

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Rheumatoid Arthritis - Signs & Symptoms | Johns Hopkins Medicine

24 related questions found

Does rheumatoid show up in blood tests?

Blood tests

No blood test can definitively prove or rule out a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, but several tests can show indications of the condition. Some of the main blood tests used include: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) – which can help assess levels of inflammation in the body.

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Is rheumatoid arthritis a big deal?

RA is a very serious autoimmune disease, in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body's tissues and causes severe joint pain, stiffness, severe fatigue, and sometimes deformity, usually in the hands, shoulders, knees, and/or feet.

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What does living with rheumatoid arthritis feel like?

The difficult nature of rheumatoid arthritis can mean some people develop depression or feelings of stress and anxiety. Sometimes these feelings can be related to poorly controlled pain or fatigue. Living with a long-term condition makes you more likely to have emotions such as frustration, fear, anger and resentment.

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What triggers rheumatoid arthritis pain?

Overexertion, poor sleep, stress or an infection like the flu can all set off RA symptoms. With a predictable flare you'll temporarily feel worse, but your symptoms will resolve in time. Unpredictable flares have more uncertainty associated with them.

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Does rheumatoid arthritis hurt all day?

You may have difficulty getting out of bed or walking in the morning because of stiff and painful ankles, knees, or feet. This stiffness is usually worse in the mornings and can last for 45 minutes or more. RA can also trigger swelling in the affected joints.

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What are the worst symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis?

Signs and symptoms of RA include:
  • Pain or aching in more than one joint.
  • Stiffness in more than one joint.
  • Tenderness and swelling in more than one joint.
  • The same symptoms on both sides of the body (such as in both hands or both knees)
  • Weight loss.
  • Fever.
  • Fatigue or tiredness.
  • Weakness.

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What type of arthritis is the most painful?

Rheumatoid arthritis can be one of the most painful types of arthritis; it affects joints as well as other surrounding tissues, including organs. This inflammatory, autoimmune disease attacks healthy cells by mistake, causing painful swelling in the joints, like hands, wrists and knees.

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What should you not do if you have rheumatoid arthritis?

What triggers your RA? Tip it forward and let other with RA know how you avoid those triggers.
  1. Leading a Sedentary Lifestyle. ...
  2. Eating a Pro-Inflammatory Diet. ...
  3. Overdoing Activities. ...
  4. Smoking. ...
  5. Stressing Out. ...
  6. Focusing on Negativity and Pessimism. ...
  7. Becoming Dehydrated. ...
  8. Forgetting to Protect Your Joints.

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What relieves rheumatoid arthritis pain?

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Over-the-counter NSAIDs include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve). Stronger NSAIDs are available by prescription. Side effects may include stomach irritation, heart problems and kidney damage.

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How do you calm rheumatoid arthritis?

Use cool packs.
  1. Use aids, for example, a stick if your knee is a problem.
  2. Wear the right shoes.
  3. Do gentle exercises, to help relieve the stiffness that makes the pain worse.
  4. Take your pain medication regularly and at the right dose.
  5. Use hot baths or showers to relieve early morning stiffness and pain.

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Does rheumatoid arthritis make you feel unwell?

People with rheumatoid arthritis typically have several permanently inflamed joints. The inflammation inside the body can lead to general physical weakness, drowsiness and exhaustion. This feeling of extreme tiredness is also called "fatigue." Some people find this to be the worst symptom of the disease.

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How do you explain rheumatoid arthritis fatigue?

“It is a systemic type of exhaustion, meaning it affects your whole system instead of just a certain body part.” People who have RA often describe their fatigue as a deep tiredness or slowing down, akin to the feeling someone might have while recovering from the flu.

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Is rheumatoid arthritis classed as a terminal illness?

RA is a chronic condition with no known cure. People do not die from RA. However, it can lead to serious complications that can compromise overall health. A person with RA may have a reduced life expectancy.

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What is the average lifespan of someone with rheumatoid arthritis?

It's possible to live a long life with RA, but it is estimated that the disease can potentially reduce life expectancy by 3 to 10 years.

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What is the peak age for rheumatoid arthritis?

You can get rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at any age, but it's most likely to show up between ages 30 and 50. When it starts between ages 60 and 65, it's called elderly-onset RA or late-onset RA.

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What organ system does rheumatoid arthritis affect?

Key Points about Rheumatoid Arthritis

RA is a long-term (chronic disease) that causes joint inflammation. RA can also affect many nonjoint areas such as the lungs, heart, skin, nerves, muscles, blood vessels, and kidneys.

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How do I know if it's osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis?

Both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can affect the hands. However, osteoarthritis often affects the joint closest to the tip of the finger, whereas rheumatoid arthritis usually spares this joint. And while rheumatoid arthritis can appear in any joint, its most common targets are the hands, wrists, and feet.

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What blood test is usually positive in patients with rheumatoid arthritis?

CCP antibodies test

Between 60 and 80 percent of people with rheumatoid arthritis have CCP antibodies in their blood. An anti-CCP antibody test — also called an ACCP test or CCP-test — looks for the presence of these antibodies to help confirm rheumatoid arthritis.

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Do I have rheumatoid arthritis or fibromyalgia?

Rheumatoid arthritis causes visible damage to joints. Fibromyalgia does not. Rheumatoid arthritis also gets progressively worse, causing swelling and sometimes deformities. The pain from fibromyalgia is more widespread, while rheumatoid arthritis is concentrated initially to hands, wrists, knees and balls of the feet.

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Does walking worsen rheumatoid arthritis?

Weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, can help prevent a loss of bone density (osteoporosis), which can result from rheumatoid arthritis. Studies indicate that exercise will not worsen rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.

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