Spread to Another Finger :(

DewdBro

I had a flare a couple weeks ago that mysteriously resulted in a finger on a previously unaffected hand becoming very swollen.

A one-week pack of methylprednisone has reduced inflammation among all the arthritic fingers but, sadly, the newly affected finger continues to have residual swelling like my other two fingers.

My concern is that this finger will never return to normal just as my other two arthritic fingers have never completely returned to normal regardless of treatment methods. Is that usually how it works...once it spreads to a joint, it never fully leaves?

This is rather depressing considering this could happen ever six months or so until all my fingers are affected.

I've only had arthritis for a few ears so any tips/feedback anyone has will be appreciated...

FYI - I gave up Humira and Methotrexate a year ago and converted to a Paleo/AIP diet which seemed to help but this recent flare is discouraging...

stickywicket

RA, PsA etc are autoimmune diseases ie our immune systems are overactive and attacking our own bodies. Diet won't prevent this but the Disease Modifying Anti Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDS, such as meth and humira) can slow down the process. Sometimes we can go into remission for no obvious reason. I used to in my early years. But I doubt the paleo diet will help. It's never a good idea to cut out entire food groups. I suggest you get back on the meds asap. I know just how tempting it is to think we can deal with this naturally but the truth is that, while we're trying in vain, we hand control over to the disease.

DewdBro

stickywicket wrote:

RA, PsA etc are autoimmune diseases ie our immune systems are overactive and attacking our own bodies. Diet won't prevent this but the Disease Modifying Anti Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDS, such as meth and humira) can slow down the process. Sometimes we can go into remission for no obvious reason. I used to in my early years. But I doubt the paleo diet will help. It's never a good idea to cut out entire food groups. I suggest you get back on the meds asap. I know just how tempting it is to think we can deal with this naturally but the truth is that, while we're trying in vain, we hand control over to the disease.

Thanks...I'll do that. Back to Humira *sigh*

stickywicket

As my US grandson frequently says, it sucks. I tried so much stuff in my early years. None of it made any appreciable difference and Colin Dong RA diet actually made me a lot worse. Twice. After that I stuck with the meds.

Will your fingers recover? I think it all depends on damage done. If not too much then maybe. I hope so.

dreamdaisy

Arthritis does this - it spots a lovely, clean healthy joint and goes 'AHA! That won't do, not on my watch.' and settles in. Vile beast.

We can control our immune systems to a certain extent with diet but, for many of us, it isn't the complete answer. One man's RA is very different to another's, from my reading on here over the years I think it can occur in degrees of virulence. Strictly controlling my diet as a child eased the worst of my eczema - and it was very strict and made life extra miserable - but with hindsight I can understand that the benefit was worth having (because my skin was clearer it reduced the bullying at school). I have tried to isolate various triggers for the PsA but it does take time (months), patience (not my strong point) and dedication. I know what they are for the OA because the feedback happens within hours but that is so different in nature to the auto-immune nonsense. Diet also eased some of my asthma symptoms but, as that was mostly triggered by factors out of my control, it wasn't worth pursuing. I feel that my PsA is also triggered by factors out of my control: yes, my immune system is part of me but it doesn't belong to me, like the arthritis it's another squatter.

The DMARDS and anti-TNFs have a valuable role to play in slowing disease progression and joint damage. They won't eradicate it but they do the next best thing. DD

daffy2

It is discouraging when something we thought was helping appears to 'fail'. However if you are happy with your diet regime it may be that it will help you to cope with the drugs better and perhaps at lower doses. It would be worth checking out for any possible interactions though, especially if you are consuming large quantities of a particular food or food type. I don't know the situation with DMARDS but grapefruit for instance is known to be a problem with some drugs.