What exactly does arthritis feel like?

I'll chime in with my experience with rheumatoid arthritis in case it helps others, too. I first had junior RA at age 10 in my right knee, around the year 1990. I'm not aware of the medical options then, but I do remember having an arthroscopy performed, and then my parents were told the only treatment would be physical therapy and monitoring the swelling. A year later, it vanished and the doctors asked for blood samples to see if my body could naturally counteract the condition. Apparently not. Both my knees severely swelled at age 24, and I've been dealing with RA for five years now. The pain is most severe when I lie flat with my legs stretched, or if I stand straight up for 20 minutes or more - then it feels like my legs are breaking in two. There's no pain at all when I go up and down steps, so I'm trying to incorporate moments to step up and down on something when I need to stand for long periods. Otherwise, the pain is a constant burning, and often that "mid crack" sensation Morticia32 mentioned, as if my knees are starting to dislocate. I constantly worry I'm damaging the skeletal structure of my legs, but my recent X-rays show no damage. I was taking Humira, but stopped because the thought of developing cancer wouldn't leave my mind (my grandfather died of leukemia before I was born, and I know such cases with Humira are rare). I hope this helps. I'm the only person in my family with RA, and I joke that I have a superhuman immune system and the rest of my physiological chemistry is still catching up to the process of evolution until balance is restored. You can use that if you wish.

I was a very healthy person until my mid 30's about 24 years ago. In the early years I felt like I had the flu and the aching was excruciating. These spells got closer together until I was having them weekly. The first time I fell due to a joint giving way was also mid 30's. My rheumatoid arthritis first diagnosed in my mid 40's. This diag confirmed when I had to have both knees replaced due to severe damage. ( should have replaced about 3 years sooner.) I also have osteoarthritis. Confirmed in spine MRI's. Have degenerate spine disease - lumbar disk rupture with removal of some disk and bone - cervical disk ruptured and replaced. I also have fibromyalgia. Lumbar surgery is a partial failure. I am no longer able to work for past 2 years. However, due to exercise, meds, and high pain threshold, I have a wonderful life. Good days are always followed by 2 to 5 really bad days. On good days I do as much of things I want to do as possible. It is worth a couple of bad days to dance at my sons wedding, or now years later play with my grandchildren, or go down a few water slides, or walk my walker all over a festival ( taking a lot of food breaks LOL). if you are going on a cruise take a scooter :). Out of 7 days I only spent 1 1/2 day in bed. I have been taking same meds for years: methotrexate, prednisone, cyclobenzaprine, lyrica, percoset plus tummy meds and sleeping pill prn., and supplements like calcium with d, potassium, folic acid, etc. One of my secrets is spreading meds over 24 hours; the other is my soaking bath tub and a good book while soaking. I have a rheumatologist, and a spine Dr. / pain clinic for over ten years. I live a happy life in spite my disabilities. Hobbies, maintaining rehab exercise, and a wonderful marriage are my secrets. If you feel so bad u need to go to bed - do it, BUT only for one to three days. Longer and you will lose this battle. I am also a Christian, and this is my biggest secret for rebounding after surgeries and a few bad bouts with all of this. I wish all of you great mental ability, love, and happy lives. I am proof that it is possible. I hated retiring, but have learned to measure my success on a daily basis. Cooking a great meal is a victory.

I have Crohn's which is accompanied by severe arthritis. I've been seeing a Rheumy since I was 20, about 20 years ago now. Hard to believe I've been living with this for that long. I can't really remember what I felt like before it.

My arthritis also jumps around as others have described. I tend to get a more dull ache with stiffness in the bigger joints. My knees are pretty bad and get really swollen, but the pain is worse in the smaller joints. My fingers, ankles and elbows tend to get the shooting type of pain. Those tend to be my bad days, when it decides to attack those joints. I got off of Prednisone a few months ago as I was putting on too much weight. Happy to report that I've lost 30lbs since then and my face no longer looks like a balloon. The pain is worse though, I'm hoping if I lose more it will take some stress of the joints and the pain will be better.

I've had the IBS since I was a kid as well. I had some embarrasing issues when I was a kid. It wasn't until my knee sweeled up to the size of a canteloupe that I was diagnosed with Crohns. I was 20 at the time. I'm 41 now. It definitely explained why I had such bowel issues, but noone knew about these things 30 years ago.

I was on prednisone for the better part of 5 years. For the first few years it ws on an as needed basis, I wsa allowed 15 mg a day. I probably averaged taking about 15 a week for the first year or two. At that point I hit a wall and I seemd to have nothing but bad days. My rheumy put me on 15 mg a day every day. I stayed on that for 3+ years until this past May. I had just the opposite reaction to the steroids, I was hungry all the time. No matter what I ate, I was hungry a few hours later. I've got a much more normal appetite now.

 I'm a big guy and have been for a while, can't blame it all on the prednisone or the arthritis but they sure didn't help. I was a hyper active kid and now I'm more of a couch potato. Hard to be super active when every step you take hurts.  I'm 6'2 and 250 now, I got up to 280lbs when I told my Rheumy I had to get off it. He said OK if I could take the pain.. The pain has gotten worse, but at least I'm heading in the right direction.

 

I haven't been to a Dr yet I'm waiting for our new insurance to take affect. But, I can't stand the pain and I was wondering if these symptoms sound like RA.

It started in my fingers. If I were to touch something against the outside of my thumb (for example) The pain is just awful. It feels like someone is just tearing my thumb out of place. The hot stabbing pain is so intense all I can do is grab the finger hunch over and cry. It is now affecting both wrists, hands and knees. The achy pain is always there and my hands feel like they are all swollen up. Can it come out of nowhere? Last month I was fine and now it seems to be taking over my body! Am I going insane or is this real?????? Thank you so much for any insight you can give me!

my pain is different by how much fluid is there. Bone on bone gives me a horrible feeling like a butcher knife is stuck in my knees, other times i have this shooting pain like someone has an ice pic and is stabbing me over and over in the same spot while other times i just feel like a tree fell in my leg and won't get off, a heavy pressure pain.

For me I feel like my hands are weak like the grip is weak I can close my hands but can not squeeze them, my hands swell at night and I feel like I need to crack my knuckles (I don't of course) not half cracked but like I need to crack them to release the pressure.

Does anyone else have multiple locations of tendonitis? or what they say is tendonitis? I also am finding during this flare up (currently) I am very tired.

I am diabetic so can not do the steroids as it sends my sugars through the roof. a few years ago they checked my blood and I was neg at that time but I know my doctor is planning on testing for it again soon. Writing with a pen or pencil is darn near impossible and causes great pain, so I prefer to type. The shooting pains mentioned I had not thought of but I do have those so at least now I know what they are.

Thanks all
Pamir

It sounds like for some of us, the pain is similar and others not. My joint pain started when I had colitis. At first it was in my knees and feet but then my hands and shoulders. It makes me feel achy all over and very fatigued, sometimes feverish. When it first came on me a few years ago my ANA and sed rate were positive but now the ANA is negative. The sed rate and CRP are still high. Mine comes and goes like the wind. I can be in remission for a few weeks then it comes back. I keep hoping one day it will go away and not come back. lol....... Sometimes it will lift and I will feel like I did years ago and it taunts me for sure. But, so far, it always comes back.

My sed rate and crp are similar to yours jim.... I sure wish I had the energy to work out. They have to find something that I can take long term besides prednisone. Prednisone and tramdol are helping me through this current flare, 10 mg of pred isn't much but it sure helps. I can get my household chores done, I have energy to clean and might have energy to even work out a bit. It's heaven. I would like ( i think) a definitive diagnosis though, but if it's RA, I probably won't want it, if you all know what I mean. Answers are good sometimes b/c you know what you are dealing with. It might be a relief. Gotta go get the MRI on my hands in the next few weeks to see what that shows. I am thinking it might not be RA even though the doc at mayo thinks so. I think it's some other connective tissue dz. Whatever it is, it responds to prednisone, so it has to be auto immune or inflammatory. It doesn't respond to regular doses of motrin or ibuprofen.

I can totally relate to having trouble getting moving. I'm 44 and was running 10 miles a day less than a year ago. Now, my grandmother could kick my butt getting going in the morning...or after sitting for even 30 minutes...except she's dead from complications of RA.

I find the knee pain crucifying, personally. Explosive and just plain awful. It's like your worst sprained ankle (or knee) times 10, except it's in several joints. And you can add to that feeling like a bad case of the flu. My feet usually just burn (like they are on fire) or ache. Same with my hands. Elbows are just stiff without any pain.

I guess the trick is to keep moving. Lol

Back in the day when Vioxx was still on the market, it made me feel like a new person! But, it's off the market and I am allergic to Celebrex.
Mine started with swollen achy fingers, it was sausage like swelling. Also my toes and feet hurt, shoulders, hips and knees. I felt extremely tired. I also have Sjogrens. I don't seem to have any "disfigured joints". I am RF negative but had a positive ANA and sed rate.
Sometimes it is an achy pain all over, sometimes it's specific joints. Right now my knees are killing me. Mine can move from one site to the other and it is also very sensitive to the barometric pressure/storms. The sunlight can also make me flare.
It really helped so much to read others descriptions here. Nobody else understands.