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Hello, new neighbor!
Just an FYI - don't put your e-mail addy in a post to the general forums!! put it in a Private Mail Post (you can send those through your profile page).
RA is a little different for each person. Diclofen is one of the NSAIDS (non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs) and will reduce the inflammation associated with RA. However, it does not reduce the underlying disease the way some of the other treatments do. Your doctor probably will start you on some other drugs after getting basic blood work.
The underlying truism for RA is - "if you don't move it, you will lose it." So gentle daily exercise is a must!! However, I don't know how involved your joints are, so it would be inappropriate for me to suggest specific exercises. Ask your MD to refer you to 1) a rheumatologist (if he is not a board-certified rheumatologist) and 2) to a good physical therapy program. A rheumatologist is basically a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating autoimmune diseases (like RA and Lupus, and fibromyalgia, among other diseases). While many family practice docs are knowledgeable about RA, a rheumatologist knows all the latest things and all the "in's and out's" of the disease. I go to one who practices at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. It is a long drive for me, but it is very much worth it. He is very "aggressive" against RA, and has one of the very best outcome records in this part of the country. I also went to the physical therapy department at Piedmont, and received special exercises for my body and for my hands. I wear hand and wrist splints at night that were designed for my hands by the hand physical therapist. They will help prevent or at least delay the joint distortions so often seen in RA patients.
If you follow the links in my previous posts, you will find specific and very solid information about RA, how it affects your body and how it is treated. There are many treatments, many medications. It has been found, however, that by treating early with the "big guns" (powerful drugs that used to be saved for later in the disease), the RA is often slowed or even stopped in it's tracks (put into remission).
RA is a progressive destructive disease that causes permanent damage to joints. All joints in the body can be affected, but the ones most frequently affected are the hands, feet, knees, and shoulders. There is pain, and swelling of the joints, and severe fatigue associated with RA. in fact, the fatigue factor is the one I have most of the problems with. There are days I just can't "do" anything without napping 2-3 hours morning and night! That eats up a day!
I hope your doctor finds the drug combination that will work well for you. I'm glad the Diclofen (Voltaran) is helping you get through your days and continue your crocheting.
Cheerio!
Elizabeth
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Today heaven and earth are united, for Christ is born. Today God has come to earth, and man ascends to heaven. Today God, who by nature cannot be seen, is seen in the flesh for our sake. Let us glorify Him!
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