Rheumatoid Arthritis and Pool

I was recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (in addition to a whole bunch of other problems). I was wondering if there are others here who are dealing with RA and would be willing to share their experience and knowledge. I am 54 years old and dealing with Hep C w/ cirrhosis of the liver, COPD, venous insuffiency (legs), and now RA.

As far as RA goes..what has kept you nimble, flexible enough to play pool without a lot of pain?
 
I was wondering if there are others here who are dealing with RA and would be willing to share their experience and knowledge.

Hello there! The below paragraph was referenced on AOL today and may be of some help, a natural remedy for RA. My wife has RA in her hands and feet on and off and she has been staying away from any drugs which may or may not help her symtoms and pain.

I am going to print the below article and let her read it tomorrow, and I hope you find some relief in your health issues as well!

FISH OIL
"Fish oil can ease pain and inflammation in people with rheumatoid arthritis. Fish oil capsules may, in fact, be as effective for relieving pain and inflammation as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (like ibuprofen and naproxen), according to Kolasinski. RA patients in the study who found fish oil helpful took high doses, typically four grams a day or four standard fish oil capsules. Most people consuming fish oil for overall health take one or two capsules daily. But there's no strong evidence that other dietary supplements or herbs, such as glucosamine or evening primrose oil, have any benefit in RA patients. "The herbals are really not where it's at," Kolasinski says. Also, be sure to tell your physician and pharmacist about any nonprescription remedies you use."

Here is the website address of the article: http://www.aolhealth.com/condition-center/arthritis/rheumatoid-arthritis-alternative-therapy?

Here is another website you may want to visit with all of your health issues pending:
http://besteloans.org/inthelastdays.html
 
If you're thinking about taking fish oil, I found one called coromega. Someone put me onto it. They are supposed to be absorbed by your body 300 times better than a capsule. It is a liquid in a little pack. The ones I got were orange and they taste like melted creamsicle. I feel more rested and more able to concentrate and I've only been taking them for a few weeks.

The best part of all, they are pretty cheap. You can get them on Amazon for $18 for a 90 day supply (you only have to take one a day).
 
I was recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (in addition to a whole bunch of other problems). I was wondering if there are others here who are dealing with RA and would be willing to share their experience and knowledge. I am 54 years old and dealing with Hep C w/ cirrhosis of the liver, COPD, venous insuffiency (legs), and now RA.

As far as RA goes..what has kept you nimble, flexible enough to play pool without a lot of pain?

I was diagnosed with RA about 8 - 9 years ago. So far the drugs they have me on have contained the disease where I am relatively normal. Nobody that sees me play would know I had it unless I had a flair up. I have flair ups now and then but they are managed through some short term steroids and generally go away pretty quickly.

I now take Enbrel, which is a once a week self-injection, which has been working very well. I have not experienced any side-effects with the use of enbrel but I believe it is safe for the liver. Some of the drugs they prescribe for RA are very harsh on the liver (methotextrate).

However, I hope you have insurance because Enbrel can be very expensive ($400 per Shot).

Also, I discovered something about 3 years ago, which I knew nothing about. In addition to attacking your joints, RA can also attack the back of your eyes, "freezing" your muscles keeping your pupils open/dilated.

This condition is called "Uveitis." Therefore, if you start having issues with your eyes (sensitivity to sunlight, red, eyeball hurting or feeling pressured; almost like being squeezed), you should go see an opthamologist ASAP.

I didn't and an Optometrist could not detect it; they thought it was irritation from my contacts. Therefore, because I was not aware of this condition, I was in pain for about 3 months before finally being diagnosed. There was no long term damage; however, you want to get it taken care of as soon as possible.
 
I was diagnosed with RA about 8 - 9 years ago. So far the drugs they have me on have contained the disease where I am relatively normal. Nobody that sees me play would know I had it unless I had a flair up. I have flair ups now and then but they are managed through some short term steroids and generally go away pretty quickly.

I now take Enbrel, which is a once a week self-injection, which has been working very well. I have not experienced any side-effects with the use of enbrel but I believe it is safe for the liver. Some of the drugs they prescribe for RA are very harsh on the liver (methotextrate).

However, I hope you have insurance because Enbrel can be very expensive ($400 per Shot).

Also, I discovered something about 3 years ago, which I knew nothing about. In addition to attacking your joints, RA can also attack the back of your eyes, "freezing" your muscles keeping your pupils open/dilated.

This condition is called "Uveitis." Therefore, if you start having issues with your eyes (sensitivity to sunlight, red, eyeball hurting or feeling pressured; almost like being squeezed), you should go see an opthamologist ASAP.

I didn't and an Optometrist could not detect it; they thought it was irritation from my contacts. Therefore, because I was not aware of this condition, I was in pain for about 3 months before finally being diagnosed. There was no long term damage; however, you want to get it taken care of as soon as possible.

That's about when I was diagnosed with it also. Mine has been under control really well for about the last 5 years. I'm able to do just about any thing I want to do most all of the time. When I first came down with it, it hit me like a hammer for a couple of years until they got it in check.
I took the once a week injections of Humira combined with Methotrexate and had a terrible experience with those. Those drugs suppress the immune system and since I live in a region where hystoplasmosis is common I came down with it up and it nearly killed me. I spent 3 weeks in the hospital and while there they told me the medicine had made my immune system about the same as a aids patient. The hospital went as far as to tell my wife that I wasn't going to make it and to be prepared, thankfully I made it. So my advice if they want to put you on the injections be sure and know all of the possible side effects.
After all of that they put me on Sulfasalazine and have had good results on it. I think many of the meds used to treat RA are pretty rough on the body. I've read that the first couple of years are the worst and for me they were. Even though it's really tough at times try and stay as active as you can, it'll help with the stiffness or at least it does for me. Good luck in your treatment.
 
Rheumatoid Arthritis

I have had Torn rotator cuffs Arthritis Tendinitis Bursitis and Tendinosis and herniated discs for the last 8 years. I take pain medication but it just takes the edge off . I tried fish oil glucosamine Chondroitin Savella Lyrica etc etc etc ad nauseum. Nothing helped. I quit playing for several years and finally I thought . I'm in pain whether I play or not , I might as well play and have some enjoyment.
Sometimes I play great, sometimes I can't make a ball, then I shoot the lights out.
Every shot is an adventure , wondering if I will get to the point in my stroke where the pain is and jump straight up in the air.
{One guy I played said "You would play better if you didn't jump up on some shots "} LOL
I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy but I would sure like to give a lot of people 5 minutes worth and see what they have to say.
Imagine you got hit by a car a couple days ago and you just fell down a flight of metal stairs.
If I can do it, you can do it.
 
I was recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (in addition to a whole bunch of other problems). I was wondering if there are others here who are dealing with RA and would be willing to share their experience and knowledge. I am 54 years old and dealing with Hep C w/ cirrhosis of the liver, COPD, venous insuffiency (legs), and now RA.

As far as RA goes..what has kept you nimble, flexible enough to play pool without a lot of pain?


man i'm sure sorry to hear that buddy, I dont know much about RA, and I'm not a BSer so I really dont know. Seems to me that if you dont have it bad, my uncles girl friend who is 60 just got it and she plays darts, said it hasnt been to bad with medication. But I dont know anything beyond that. Sorry I cant help you. If you ever get a back ache(God forbid) I can help you there.

Main thing is please take care of your self, If I can help call me anytime 702-241-8000 after jan 3, I'm in Germany until then and am hard to find. I'm glad to do what I can. even if its just to talk, dont hesitate to call,

happy holidays,

Eric
 
I was diagnosed with RA about 8 - 9 years ago. So far the drugs they have me on have contained the disease where I am relatively normal. Nobody that sees me play would know I had it unless I had a flair up. I have flair ups now and then but they are managed through some short term steroids and generally go away pretty quickly.

I now take Enbrel, which is a once a week self-injection, which has been working very well. I have not experienced any side-effects with the use of enbrel but I believe it is safe for the liver. Some of the drugs they prescribe for RA are very harsh on the liver (methotextrate).

However, I hope you have insurance because Enbrel can be very expensive ($400 per Shot).

Also, I discovered something about 3 years ago, which I knew nothing about. In addition to attacking your joints, RA can also attack the back of your eyes, "freezing" your muscles keeping your pupils open/dilated.

This condition is called "Uveitis." Therefore, if you start having issues with your eyes (sensitivity to sunlight, red, eyeball hurting or feeling pressured; almost like being squeezed), you should go see an opthamologist ASAP.

I didn't and an Optometrist could not detect it; they thought it was irritation from my contacts. Therefore, because I was not aware of this condition, I was in pain for about 3 months before finally being diagnosed. There was no long term damage; however, you want to get it taken care of as soon as possible.


IT can get tricky when you have Hep-C any hepatoxic drug is out of the question. With that in mind Fats is going to need a good Dr that is mindful of the side effects of any new drug prescribed. I'm sure there is a solution.
 
It took me almost 9 months to get over Hep C. I had to inject myself with Interferon 3 times (like giving yourself the flu 3 times a week) and take several Ribavirin (sp?) a day. Miserable. But it has never returned. All this was squeezed in between bouts with cancer. Hang in there, because you have to do that before anything good can happen.
 
It took me almost 9 months to get over Hep C. I had to inject myself with Interferon 3 times (like giving yourself the flu 3 times a week) and take several Ribavirin (sp?) a day. Miserable. But it has never returned. All this was squeezed in between bouts with cancer. Hang in there, because you have to do that before anything good can happen.

I tried the Ribavirin / Interferon treatment and it was working, but it caused my platelet count to drop too low so the doctor had to stop it. I plan on asking my doctor if perhaps I could try again but with the addition of a new medicine called Telaprevir which cuts the treatment time in half and works better against genotype 1 Hep C. BTW, I'm glad to hear you managed to clear your Hep C!:)
 
Thank you to all for your replies and advice. I'm going to make absolutely sure that my Rheumatologist consults with my Hepatologist to avoid any potential drug hepatotoxicity problems.

Again, thank you to all--you guys are the best! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! :smile:
 
Not sure if there is any medical fact here...

I hav a friend w/ RA and he has cut tomatoes from his diet, claiming there is some kind of aggravating substance in them...I dunno!
 
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