All posts filed under: RA body

What is RA

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Those of us with rheumatoid arthritis have what is called a malfunctioning immune system. Big words. Simple. Complex  The job of the immune system is to protect us from infections and cancer. Ours doesn’t work the way it should.  For us, our bodies see the lining of all moveable joints,  synovial tissue,in our bodies as foreign. Our immune system reacts. Our neutrophils, which are plentiful in our joints already, change from a resting state into an active state. Neutrophils and other white blood cells from other parts of our body move into our joints. Inflammation ensues. Think about it. This inflammation can affect every joint in our body that is able to move. A lot of joints. Other people with autoimmune diseases such as Lupus, MS or Type One Diabetes have a similar fate. Their immune system malfunctions.  The target is different for each disease. The symptoms different. All are devastating. There is about one hundred autoimmune diseases. Today there is no cure for our rheumatoid arthritis. But there is medication that will slow the …

RA and Heart Disease

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The number one cause of death for those with rheumatoid arthritis is cardiovascular in origin.The mortality rate for those with RA is 2.5 times what is normal for everyone else. The increased rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in those with RA is caused in part by accelerated atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) due to the chronic inflammation of RA. Atherosclerosis is the most common cardiovascular manifestation in RA. Inflammation is bad for the body. It causes damage. Early aggressive treatment for RA may reduce the inflammatory process and reduce the number of deaths due to atherosclerosis. Paradoxically in RA, a low BMI (less than 18.5) has been associated with a high CVD risk. RA doubles the risks of most heart related disorders including Those with RA have twice the risk of heart failure. The risk is higher in those with seropositive RA than  it is with those who are seronegative RA. RA patients do not have the typical signs of heart failure so they might be treated less aggressively than they need to be. Rheumatoid …

The Balance of an RA Life

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Rheumatoid arthritis is unlike many diseases. RA is a disease that is chronic. It is a disease that is progressive meaning that it will get worse over time. It is debilitating meaning that it will interfere with your ability to have a normal life. There is no cure. It is a tough disease. It may start slowly. It might not even be symmetrical right out of the gate. Or it might be like mine. Acute. Severe. All the classic symptoms. And it never really stops. Mine is seronegative which means the test for certain factors is negative. Those with seropositive disease have more joint damage but those with seronegative have more systemic inflammation. I recently had a full body scan after I had surgery for melanoma. There doesn’t seem to be more melanoma lurking in my body, but my whole cardiovascular system has atherosclerosis. No wonder those with RA die of heart disease! A diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is not a ticket to feel sorry for yourself. It doesn’t help. I was lucky to learn that as …

Rheumatoid arthritis Hands

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My feet were the first to become affected by rheumatoid arthritis, but my hands were right behind. They were painful and swollen as big as melons. My knuckles and wrists were affected. My fingers kicked in later. As time went by the tendons in my hands failed to work properly. First the left and then in a little while my right joined in. For a while I lost the use of both hands. I could use my pointer finger on my right hand. I was used to typing the whole keyboard (typing class in high school). So my one finger had difficulty finding the keyboard my brain knew well.  Eventually I gained the use of my left pointer, but not the use of my other fingers on the keyboard. So I peck away. The worst of it was accidentally knocking things over. I lost several cups of coffee that way. Glasses. Anything in the way of my poor hands. It was frustrating for me. That has improved. My grip was fine as long as I …