These are some of my experiences with conventional rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

I was referred to a Rheumatology specialist at the Osprey Unit at GWH.  She told me: ‘Of course your problems are because you are overweight’.  Did I have fat eyes too, is that why I got Iritis? She also told me to get more exercise, but as it took me a good five minutes to walk along the corridor to the toilet, telling me to go walking was like telling me to jump to the moon.  When I asked about riding my horse, she replied ‘Oh, no, you don’t use many muscles on a horse’.  There sits someone who has never been on a horse then.  On a later visit she advised me to go Power Walking!  The two hardest things for me to do are stand for a long time and walk!  I was beginning to wonder if I was going to get anywhere with her perspective of what rheumatoid arthritis treatment should involve.

I had purchased a watch from Aldi that reads your pulse rate.  Even walking round school my heart rate was 130 –140 and riding my horse it went up to 170-180.  No wonder I had read that several RA sufferers died of heart failure.  When I told my specialist she just said ‘Oh, you must be very unfit!’

Somehow we got through it and I went back to work full time at the end of February, now diagnosed as having RA.  My rheumatoid arthritis treatment started with Sulphasalazine, which is a DMARD or disease modifying drug and takes 12 weeks to work.  It has to be started gently as it can have an adverse effect on your liver and is a poison if chewed. Every four weeks I have a blood test to monitor the effects on my liver.  I had been taking Diclofenac and this was upped to 3 times a day.

A side effect of these drugs is that the blood is less sticky and I am often covered in bruises on the backs of my arms both lower and upper.  Apparently it is good for the blood to be less sticky as it is then less coagulated round the problem joints and swelling is reduced.  This is how this rheumatoid arthritis treatment helps reduce pain.

I had a particularly painful experience at school with stress caused by a stroppy pupil demanding back his mobile phone that I had confiscated in a lesson.  As I walked down the corridor I was struck in the calf by a searing pain - cramp.  I was debilitated and could not walk properly.  I had to go back to the doctor for painkillers and he prescribed Solpadol, apparently the strongest painkiller next to morphine.  Until recently I routinely took 6 a day, but by using the magents I was able to reduce this and now only take it when I need it. The doctor also prescribed Planequil, containing quinine to alleviate the symproms of cramp  This is not a usual rheumatoid arthritis treatment however it definitely helped me! One note of caution is that in rare cases it can affect the pressure in your eye and it is recommended to see an optician, who can check the back of the eye before starting this medication.  The rheumatology nurse also suggested drinking gin and tonic for the quinine, which I enjoyed doing with benficial results!

You may have realised that I am not the greatest fan of doctors and the conventional rheumatoid arthritis treatment that they offer however that does not mean that they cannot help other people.  It never ceases to amaze me how people are very different.  It may be that conventional rheumatoid arthritis treatment has worked miracles for some people so it is always worth trying it out.  In fact my new Rheumatology Specialist at Stoke Mandeville Hospital has told me I am not the classic RA patient, as it is usually symptomatic in the small joints initially, such as the fingers.  Of course, it was not detected until they x-rayed the small joints in my feet - my toes.

We have included in this website a variety of alternative pain relief therapies  for  rheumatoid arthritis treatment,  also please feel free to contact us with your own experiences.