Rheumatoid Arthritis, Anklyosing, what's next?

[groovieknave]

Well, I have suspected I had some form of arthritis for years. It started in my lower back and I had several bad flares that put me in bed and no one believed me. I developed anxiety and panic attacks.  Anyway, I managed with this back massage thing I bought for years until one day one of my fingers couldn't bend. From there my wrist on one hand has swollen up and fingers on my other hand. Now my feet hurt and shoulders and my upper back are all painful and inflamed. On top of that I have horrible fatigue and anxiety and basically an all around hypochondriac now. Everything *****!

Recently my tongue is slightly enlarged and it seems hard to breathe although I wake up feeling great besides have swollen joints. As the day goes on I feel worse and worse.  I wish I could sleep forever honestly. It is the only time I manage to have peace but unfortunately I only get a few hours.


I am probably about a year and a half away from when I noticed my finger problems. I have high rheumatoid factor, high c reactive protein, and some other stuff related to Anklyosing and rheumatoid arthritis. Currently I am worried about amyloidosis because of having an enlarged tongue which feels like it puts pressure on my throat.

I have tried minocycline, methotrexate, sulfasalazine, plaquenil, and prednisone with no help. I am about to start humira. I currently take 5-10mg of prednisone and have been for about 8-9 months.

I also take turmeric, glucosamine, probiotics, msm, vitamin d3, fish oil, marijuana, among many others that don't seem to have any effect on my condition. The swelling never goes away but the pain varies.

I have tried many diets, paleo, vegan, Atkins, low fodmap, gluten free, grain free, and currently on a ketogenic diet that I like but have no idea if it is helping me or not. In a mixture of all these diets I have lost 70lbs over a year and a half. Which doesn't seem to help at all other than feeling lighter I still have overwhelming fstigue.

Some days I get so depressed I want to give up but most days I am trying to continue. I mostly stay in bed unless I have to go somewhere like the store or walk my dog. I don't get much exercise at all but I am trying to get to where I force myself to walk but I may just go to a swimming pool to get my exercise.

I used to have a terrible diet and I suspect I have horrible gut problems which I have been addressing with my diet. I now eat vegetables and fruit and meat which has been reduced to fish and chicken. I have added fermented foods and goat milk along with every different probiotic I can find, namely vsl3.

I don't think I am as bad as some people are, but I do feel like my life is over. I am currently not working, I was a photographer but now I am just a lay in bed and wait to die kind of guy. I am watching my debts pile up and don't know where I will live and all of that. It's pretty draining.

I guess I just don't know what to do when I have tried everything they have given me and everything the Internet tells me. Aside from becoming dr Frankenstein and attempting a brain transplant I have no other ideas.

[akshayv]

Hi,
I have planter fasciitis and my heel pain has decreased considerably since I have been wearing Orthofeet. It's great to find a shoe at a reasonable cost that seems to be just what I needed.