Managing Arthritis without medication?

NewToThis

Evening all,

Apologies if this sounds very naive but as I'm still waiting my first appt at the hospital I don't really know whats going on!

RA suspected & although can be painful, it's not too bad at the moment. Anyway, I usually avoid medication where ever possible & I wondered if this can be done with RA ie alternative medicines, natural treatments etc? I don't like the idea of being on medication for the forseeable future and I understand that they usually come with a whole host of problems of their own.

Also, as well as aches/pains I've also been getting weird tingly & numb type feeling in my hands and arms. Is this normal?

Thanks for reading!

valval

welcome, there are lots of people trying changing diet, taking omega 3 and all different things.
the thing is you can cause joint damage if it not controlled so it a hard one no one wants to take the meds and if a cure comes along the ques will be so long so we can all get off these awful meds. but we also do not want hands like claws and feet so miss shapen that to walk is agony.
i think talking to rhummy would be best they will know where you are how bad it is affecting you and if it worth trying other things good luck val

dreamdaisy

RA is an auto-immune based arthritis and as such is a powerful thing. You say it's not too bad at the moment so I guess you are in the early stages. The whole point of the the foul meds is to slow its progress, thus reducing the impact of nasty joint damage. If we could treat it with natural remedies we would, and if they worked this forum would not be here but this is a most foul and un-natural disease. Before diagnosis I wasted a huge amount of time and money on a homeopath, private physiotherapy, supplements, magnetic things etc etc etc when I should have been chasing the doctor to refer me. (I had a left knee that grew from about 16 inches to around 24 before referral - now that is not natural and will not fix itself (as she kept telling me!) - ain't hindsight wonderful? )

Having said all that, we are all different in how we are affected and with the rate of progress/deterioration. I began with one joint in 1997, then two in 2003, now it's considerably more. C'est la vie, non? I am convinced that if I had been given the nasty drugs earlier I would not be in the pickle that I am. I am on a lovely variety of stuff which I reluctantly think is helping the PA (psoriatic arthritis) but does nothing for the OA (which has resulted from the PA damage, of that I am sure).

Don't dismiss the meds: they can be effective and work really well but it can be a matter of trial and error before you find the one (or ones) to suit you. As for the tingly thing, well I do occasionally get that in my fingertips but as it's bearable and doesn't last long.

None of us celebrate taking this junk, believe you me, but in my opinion it is necessary to try to bring the dross under control. I wish you well. DD

theresa4

HI
I can tell you how I started maybe that might help I too was against medication Id been on a holistic regime for years after having meningitis and 2 years of antibiotics. I used herbal, homeopathic and aromatherapy and struggled to get my immune system back up which I feel was the constant antibiotics.

In Jan 2006 I had pain in my middle finger joints and wrists a bit painful and stiff but nothing major. It came on and off over 6 week periods and I saw my GP who felt a trip to rheumatology was a good idea as it was getting worse.

My first appointment I saw the Proff who said a steroid injection was required to reduce the swelling and pain as I was strugggling to walk by this point. I argued as I didnt feel that was a good step for my holistic body. I tried many 'remedies' spent a fortune on chiropractic, acupuncture and homeopaths with no results ( with exception to chiropractic which does ease some back & neck pain bought on by limping so much)

after a year I begged for a steroid jab a few times per year to give me mobilityfor 6 ish weeks. I kinda live for them now. I still use natural remedies for some things (i have to be careful with herbal due to danger of mixing with the potent pharmaceuticals Im on now ieMethotrxate and was on biologics).
Its all aboout choice and need only you can decide whether youve reached that stagethat holistic isnt doing it for you. If its RA Im not a fan of the natural cures anymore and my bank account is much lighter.
Wishing you well
Theresa x

NewToThis

Really interesting replies & definately food for thought.

Am a bit worried though as I often read that people start with one or two problem areas which progress but although my pain is managable, it's all over! Hands, wrists, elbows, arms, knees, feet etc. Any ideas if this is 'normal'?

Thanks again for your replies.

theresa4

mine started in my hands it is now in my fingers wrists shoulders knees, ankles and toes :eek: . my hips and elbows are good so far

As for 'normal' whats youre definition of normal my OH thinks not

seriously normal is normal (for you) pain is pain (no such thing as pain threshold ) we cant compare as we are two different people but its the changes it has made to your life that counts. Whether in one joint or 10 if it has an effect on your life it is impacting on your life.
Hopefully youre pain will stay manageable you never know everyones condition is personal to them. Stay positive and take one day at a time. If youre offered meds then it must be for a reason and you can say no if you want or ask to wait a few more months and see how its progressing (or not as the case may be)first.

Take care
Theresa

frogmorton

Hi Newtothis

good to meet you. I have inflamatory arthritis and some Oa too for good measure.

Thing is that if RA or inflamtory arthrtis of any type is diagnosed you may need to think about 'real' meds as opposed to avoiding it/taking homely meds. Reason being that inflamatory arthritises (of which RA is only one type) do damege to your joints which we can't see and may not even totally FEEL. Once the damage is doen it can't be reversed. Pain meds could be avoided if your pain is under control...that is very much a personal thing and your choice (mind it ALL is isn't it?!)

Have you had time to download any of the arthritiscare leaflets yet? If you can then you can have a read of the info there and make a more informed decision about your treatment.

Love

Toni xx

dreamdaisy

I forgot to say - try to resist the temptation to Google/Bing or whatever. We know our stuff, all of us with inflammatory versions of this dross have been there and done that with the meds and we can tell you what's what. Yes, they seem very nasty but I am very, very rarely troubled by any side-effects (I am on meth, sulph, humira). Just 'cos they're listed don't mean they will happen. DD

tillytop

Hello and welcome from me too.

I am so sorry about the situation in which you find yourself. I guess that, at the moment, you feel pretty much in limbo - you are hurting but until you have your rheumatology appointment you don't really know what's what.

If what you have is RA, please do take the advice of the rheumatologist rather than trying to manage it yourself with herbal remedies, diet etc. I am all for a healthy lifestyle but RA is not the kind of disease where you can "wait and see" because, by the time you realise that the herbal remedies etc are not working, irreversible joint damage may well have already occurred. I was diagnosed nearly 16 years ago with aggressive, erosive RA and I know for certain that it is the meds which have kept the joint damage to a minimum.

You ask about whether having pain all over is normal in the early stages of RA. Well mine started in my feet but within a matter of weeks spread to many of my other joints. For others I think it starts more slowly. From the other forum posts I have seen, the numb tingly feeling you describe seems to be quite common. I have had it myself in my hands and, in my case, it was due to inflammation in my wrists pushing on the nerves and, when my wrist inflammation improved, it went away thank goodness.

I hope you don't have to wait too long for your rheumatology appointment. But if, in the meantime, you have a look at some of the information leaflets on this website (Arthritis Research Campaign and National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society - NRAS - also have some good information) you will be well informed for your appointment and better able to make the most of it by asking pertinent questions.

Hopefully your GP has prescribed anti-inflammatories and/or painkillers to help you through until your appointment.

Thinking of you - and please don't hesitate to post with any other questions.

Tilly xxx

julie47

Hi newtothis

I have ra and had it for 23 years and like tilly it started in my feet and within weeks travelled to hands shoulders and knees.

I also don't like taking these meds but if I don't I am sat in a chair or in bed unable to move at all.

I ask you to think again about not taking the meds and as toni says listen to your rheumatologist he is the expert in these diseases.

Take care
Juliepf x

stickywicket

Hi NewToThis,

You’ll see we’re all speaking with one voice here and there’s a good reason for that. We, who have chronic, uncurable diseases are the rainbow chasers. We are always looking for that magic crock of instant healing. That’s why we are so beloved of quack remedy manufacturers.

I wasn’t always so cynical. I started out, like you, determined to beat this thing and not fill my body with pharmaceuticals. I tried the lot - vitamin pills, herbal remedies, cider vinegar, vast quantities of cod liver oil (on an empty stomach), weird and wonderful diets some of which were composed almost entirely of foods other ones rejected, liver to boost my iron levels and strength. I cut out alcohol (then drowned my sorrows in it when that particular one failed). I think it was the ‘Powdered New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel Gonads (dried) capsules’ which finally convinced me this was an expensive idea but not a good one. That, plus the doc who told me bluntly I’d be in a wheelchair before I was 30 if I didn’t stick with the official stuff. I’m 65 and I do use a wheelchair but not for everyday stuff like the supermarket.

All meds have their potential side –effects (as do very many of the alternative, herbal and quack ones) but that doesn’t mean to say you’ll get them. And you’ll be well-monitored. It is scarey at first but it gets much easier. Good luck.

skezier

Hi New to This,

Its easy in the start to go into the future and see only pain and disability without looking at google.....

Its never as bad a s you fear it to be mind.....

I think the answer to your question is actually you do need the drugs...

I have had the oa for years, a lot of it as untreated and left to just get on with it.

Then the pa started and that was also ignored and left to get on with it....

I tried everything out there to feel better and stop it from being the problem it was, nothing worked..... something gave a bit of respite but nothing worked.

waited hundreds on miracle cures over the years and well... non of it worked.

Some bits might have helped but it was only when i had the intelligence to ask the rumo who i had been seeing for 4 years about the state of my bones that I got real,help and all of it was prescription drugs.

I know the listed side effects are scary but a lot of people don't get them at all so its worth ago.

See what comes from your appointment but don't be fooled by the claims of all the manufacturers cus they don't work like that... if they did the HNS would be using it already really.

Nice to meet you and good luck with you appointment. Cris x

BarryVictor

Arthritis is common problem for adult and there are also some reliever to manage your arthritis.

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