Unsure what remission feels like

Bella27
Bella27 Member Posts: 5
edited 18. Oct 2024, 09:19 in Living with arthritis

Hi, can anyone help. I'm newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis about 9 months ago and I'm now on methotrexate injections for past 3 months. My question is if I'm in remission should I be pain free or is pain I'm still feeling, from damage caused before I started treatment. My CRP is down to 5 but I don't know how I'm meant to feel if I am in remission. Any advice would be much appreciated

Comments

  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 30,057

    Hi @Bella27 Are you saying you feel as though your disease is still quite active, but your consultant has said you are in remission? I believe it means '….diminution of the severity of disease or pain.' So, to them, better bloods might mean remission looking at that definition.

    @Hairobsessed123 might be able to help you there she has done very well. In fact I think she has come off her meds.

    It is possible that your ongoing aches could be damage caused to joints from before you started treatment many of us do go on to have osteoarthritis due to damage.

    You could look at other aspects of the disease to help you decide (none of us are really able to answer completely as we aren't Drs), such as whether you are still exhausted or still having fevers?

    It's a tough one isn't it? Nothing clear-cut.

    Sorry that wasn't much help

    Take care

    Toni x

  • Bella27
    Bella27 Member Posts: 5
    edited 17. Jul 2024, 09:39

    Thanks for the reply @frogmorton. Sorry I was a bit vague, I guess what I'm asking is, if you are in remission are you pain free? I haven't seen a Nurse or Dr from Rheumatology for a while, just not sure if my meds need increased as still have some pain but soo much better than before

  • Baloo
    Baloo Member Posts: 528

    @Bella27 at least this is a question about pain that doesn't involve offering medical advice, but it does seems to involve describing how wierd arthritis really is compared to normal life. I would say all my aching joints seemed to stop aching at the same time for a change, that to me is a remission,

    If I stand on my feet for even a short time my feet start to hurt, they always have done, but normally it stops when I take the weight off. With arthritis it seems to be very different. The joint hurts and doesn't stop.

  • Bella27
    Bella27 Member Posts: 5
    edited 17. Jul 2024, 11:12

    Thanks @Baloo, that's good enough for me, if all joints stop aching at the same time. I'm not quite there yet

  • Hairobsessed123
    Hairobsessed123 Member Posts: 165

    hi @Bella27

    So sorry for such a late reply !!
    I am in remission and for me that is near enough pain free 95 % of the time !
    deffo not stiff on waking either !!
    i did have to have steroid shot in finger in June ! But all is well still !
    Having and X-ray on my hip and mri on back I have a few niggles consultant wants to make sure what’s causing this so fingers crossed it’s mechanical and not inflammatory

  • Baloo
    Baloo Member Posts: 528

    @Bella27

    Cool. It does seem like to encourage others, we aught to say that the seemingly endless pain can stop, and the seemingly endless nursing of pain can eventually pay off.

    I stopped painkillers on 1st July, so 3 1/2 months later it is still true. There are still turns of stiffness each day, which warns me all is not well, but still relatively pain free, relatively strong.

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