Comments on: Rheumatoid Arthritis Breaks Your Heart

By: jennifer

jennifer — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:44:30 +0000

Truly live with all the evidence daily, losing jobs, eviction from group homes, lost a marriage. 3 mins post diagnosis, my husband life me. Diagnosed and grieving almost Took me away. Every person should read and learn, disease is life long and incurable.

By: jennifer

jennifer — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:37:08 +0000

Good FYI

By: Kelly Young

Kelly Young — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:50:59 +0000

Wow, Bon, you certainly have some veteran tales to share! RA treatment has made progress, but I also wonder how we’ll look at today’s issues 20 years from now – perhaps it will be much the same experience.

You’re right about symptoms in the head area. I’ve had RA inflamed jaw many times & neck, causing headaches. Do your drs have any suggestions about your headaches? Since it’s so common for RA to affect the cervical spine, I hope they’ve checked that out. It can cause terrible headaches.

By: Bon Crosby

Bon Crosby — Sat, 12 May 2012 10:31:37 +0000

Yes, RA does affect every part of the body and it is in the head, I have had migraines every day since the mid 1990′s and sometimes I wake up with one and get one in the day later. Imitrex helped a lot but insurance only lets you get 9 a month. I have always been headache prone, but while on Methotrexate I started getting them every day. Took this drug for 3 years till I told the doctor I couldn’t stand feeling like I had the flu and the headaches every day. I lost the flu symptoms when I stopped Methotrexate but kept the migraines. Now my vision has suddenly gone so blurry I can;t see as far as I could 2 months. I have an appointment to have cataract surgery evaluation, When the RA first hit me so hard in the beginning, it was in my head. My jaws locked up to where I couldn’t get my mouth open more than an inch or so. I couldn’t stick my tongue out or run it across my front teeth without extreme pain. I lost so much weight I was skin and bones before the doctor brought out what he called the “Big Guns.” Since this was the mid 1980′s he used a shot of gold and a cortisone burst. That is what he called it, but it was a miracle and brought me out of it even though the gold shot gave me a rash that lasted a few months.

By: jasmine

jasmine — Mon, 09 May 2011 04:42:43 +0000

RA breaks my heart a little more each day…….my 11 year old daughter has been “suffering” since she was 2 years old. She has ups and downs, but this year it seems to be mostly downs. She is home more than at school and it makes me feel so sad for her I’m feeling very overwhelmed by it all at the moment, I can’t imagine how bad it feels for her, she is soooo brave and tolerant. Such a cruel disease.

By: Kelly Young

Kelly Young — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:27:29 +0000

It must be a great relief to have someone who believes in you Betty. You said it so well – RA breaks hearts over & over for many reasons.

By: Betty

Betty — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:48:02 +0000

RA has broken my heart, over and over again. I became disabled four years ago. I’ve had eight surgeries in those years but the mental anguish I’ve experienced has been much worse than the pain. I felt that I’d let my family down. We lost half of our income and struggled financially. The medical bills were horrendous. I couldn’t garden, do most housework, watch my grandchildren etc. It took a very long time to come to terms with it all. Fortunately I have a very loving and understanding spouse. He assures me everyday that I am still beautiful and important to him. That helps alot.

By: Kelly Young

Kelly Young — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 00:06:47 +0000

Wow, Tanya. How’d you know that? Nursing training?

By: Tanya Tudor

Tanya Tudor — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 23:57:50 +0000

Raini yes experience this often. RA frequently affects the membranes in the Bursea, causing bursitis. I wont bother to list all the “strange” places we have them, but most your complaints seem to center around the one located inside the chest, just behind the aortic arch. It can hurt so bad you think you are having a heart attack.

By: Kelly Young

Kelly Young — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 17:24:23 +0000

hm. Well you have ribs & they can hurt where they attach to other bones. And there could be symptoms in lungs or heart. Digestive problems or pains are common too. Have you asked a dr yet?