Sed Rate

I hear your pain! All I have is inflamed toe joints. It doesn't sound like much-just litty bitty joints in my feet, just one messed up joint per foot. But walking sometimes reminds me of the story of the Little Mermaid. She had feet but couldn't walk without pain if you remember the same story. The podiatrist said it might be the meds I'm on for the cancer, but other folks get the same foot problem without cancer meds, so who knows? Just because we have cancer doesn't mean we can't get anything else. In fact, studies show we tend to almost always have other problems as well as cancer, often overlooked in doctors' zeal to get good scans and deal with the "beast". Anyhow, in my case they gave me orthodics and toe splints. Then one bright nurse at the onco's office tested me for vitamin D deficiency. I turned out to be low in spite of supplements galore. The prescription vitamin D had me off the toe splints in two weeks. Unfortunately the over-the-counter stuff is not working as well. I'm tolerable, but not as good. We will talk to the oncologist in August. Even one aching joint is one too many if it can be corrected. I read my mom's magazine Arthritis Today. It does a lot on ways to cope and things that help. Lo and behold the same things we do for cancer prevention are the things on their routine for RA: salmon twice a week, lots of fresh fruits and veggies, daily exercise (not so strenuous as to aggrevate existing conditions,swim if you can't or shouldn't run or walk), daily sunshine (and/or vitamin D supplements), and stress reduction stuff like gentle massage, deep breathing, guided relaxation and so forth. Oh, and of course meds prescribed by the doctor and regular checkups, but that goes without saying. The GP put me on prednisone for pneumonia two years ago for one too short week and all my joints felt so good I was ready to go jogging. Don't! They don't usually keep you on it for all that long and you don't want to injure anything esp if you have RA. However, the pain in my hip disappeared and didn't come back, not that the doctor was aiming at that. My knees have been better ever since too. If only the toes had followed along. . . Here's hoping your pain disappears and doesn't come back as well!