Falling

sunshine14

Hi, I have just posted on the living forum about falling. My legs are really heavy & weak, and my knees & feet are painful. I have recently had a number of falls, I think it is because my legs are weak. Do people with RA fall and get heavy legs, and also what can I do to help my legs?

helpline_team

Hi Suz,

Welcome onto chat to helplines. Reading some of the postings you've put on the forum recently has helped me put things into context. As right now there may be some question over your diagnosis and you've not mentioned any drug treatments I suspect that you may not have been offered much treatment yet.

As other forum members have already shared with you, some people with RA can experience muscle weakness. For some that can mean that they may be prone to falls. But the thing about life for people with conditions like RA is that people's experiences can be very different, so not everyone will necessarily have the same issues.

I wonder what might be helpful right now? My first guess would be that you may be living in a bit of a limbo waiting for the results to come back from your rheumatology tests, so that the diagnosis may become clearer.

I realise that RA is only one possiblity, but I'd just like you to be aware that many people with arthritis are able to find treatments which help them. Having a long-term condition at times can be difficult, it's not all gloom. I hope you will find on here that there is a community of people with arthritis commited to empowerment and support.

If you ever want more information or a chat you can email helplines@arthritiscare.org.uk with your postal address to get more to read, or just ring our freephone.

all the best
Guy

sunshine14

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. My head is all over the place at the moment. I've had some symptoms for many years, but never saw a Dr about them until about 18months ago when they became worse. I'm under Neurology as MS was suspected, my ESR & CRP were raised, VEP normal and MRI brain inconculsive. Since Sept I've been off work as some days I am in so much pain (but never knew where it was coming from) and could barely walk. I then started taking tablets for the nerve pain, after a few days I knew where the pain was. It was then that my GP tested for RF, as my wrists and hands were swollen and painful, along with my feet. It was slightly raised, so then I saw a Rheumy (still under Neruo as well). Rheumy said before tests, he's sure it's RA, and I was totally shocked as to be honest I always thought one day I would be dianosed with MS, and MS is in my family, but so is arthritis. I'm still taking the nerve pain tablets, I take cocodamol and Naproxen.

Work are pushing for a diagnosis and I am very emotional over it all at the moment. I'm just getting my head around RA, and now frightened I guess that he'll change his mind and I'll stay in this terrible place of limboland. I need to know whats wrong so I can get treatment and know what I'm dealing with, and for my workplace as well. I think I'm trying to confirm everything in my head, as the 26th seems so far away. Sorry to ramble on. Thanks