RA new diagnosis. Link with food intolerances?

DebsM

Hi,

my dear old mum has had RA for 35+ years, so in October I had a couple of “episodes” (hands & wrists), and thought - oh yes, I know what this is! Got a quick referral from my GP, but the scans didn’t show the typical damage, although bloods showed some inflammatory factors. I suggested to the rheumatologist that the scans etc were done very early, so he said we’ll do them again in a few weeks.(The pain/ inflammation shortly became a constant companion). The radiologist confirmed the diagnosis at the repeat wrist scans on 27 Jan, I am seeing the rheumatologist for the 2nd time next week, and I hope to get some disease mitigating medication. At the moment I am using naproxen morning & at night. Occasional paracetamol, esp in the morning (have to have the tablets ready by my bed, as often the hands/fingers can’t get them out of the blister pack, especially in the morning.

Oh yes, sometimes I feel pretty down. And tired. And sometimes lacking in energy & enthusiasm.☹️I have had a gradual increase of food intolerances, starting with wheat 25 yrs ago, and I feel that my RA reacts to my diet. At the moment I am eating a very limited diet, which is helping me to gradually try introducing foods to see if they are culprits. Latest surprising suspect : an orange!😮on 2 days, 4 days apart, I have had a bad day following the orange day. So do need to have another trial day.

I would be interested to hear from anyone whose RA has a link with food.

Thanks for reading my history 🤗

Debbie

Lane

Hi @DebsM welcome to our community.

You have recently been diagnosed with RA and had your 1st visit to the rheumatologist and taking medication for the pain and inflammation. It sounds like you are having a difficult time and feeling down. You also want to know if anyone else has food intolerance with RA. I have attached a couple of links from our website for you to have a look at:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/your-experiences/your-questions-answered/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/

Let us know how you get on with the 2nd appointment. In the meantime you will connect with our members.

Thank you for reaching out to us.

Best wishes.