Ugh the dreaded health problems topic...

This has nothing to do with sex or anything but, I thought i'd ask this board of people since i really dont know a huge amount of people to talk to about this issue (outside of my mom and Grandma and i already know their stories well)

Do any of you have Rheumatoid Athritis? I recently began to have problems with this and its been hell with the constant doctor referrals and medications. I don't want to be a whiney wuss, but its interfering with sex positions, sleep and my desire to want to run the dog, go shopping and stand up for long periods of time. I find myself putting off roadtrips because of being stuck in the car. I feel like a gimp wearing knee and hand braces at 27.

I dont care if im stuck in a body cast, i will make them cut a hole out just enough to fit my husbands cock- i wont go down easy!!!

I have not been diagnosed with RA, but then again, I've never specifically asked my doctor to run those tests.

I've been having increasing problems with most of my "major" joints - wrists, ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders. The elbows aren't too bad yet.

My Mom had pretty severe rheumatoid and inflamatory arthritis (of course, everyone has progressive osteoarthritis, that's just normal wear & tear on the joints.) One of Mom's brothers had really bad RA, to the point where bones in his fingers pretty much just disappeared. It was awful.

I guess I've inherited the gene for it, and should probably get tested. There are some medications that can slow the progress of the disease.

I'm sorry you are going through this, BHR.

I have a rheumatoid condition which is a first cousin of rheumatoid athritis. There are several things that can help fight the progression of this disease. Any rheumatoid condition is viral in nature. Some of the things that help fight it are:

1. Regular excersise designed for this condition
2. Don't be under or overweight
3. Take garlic, b complex, natural vitamen E. vitamen C
4. Google rheumatoid arthirtis. It will give you a list of foods to avoid and food you need to eat.
5. My doctor gives me the smallest dose of prednizone available and I only take it every other day. The goal is to slow the progession of the disease to a standstill or as close to that as is humanly possible. There is a substance in the blood that the prednizone lowers which also slows the rate of the progression of the disease. Don't over do prednizone. The side effects can be just as rough as the rheumatoic arthritis.
6. Some people have had good luck with using various metal implants in their mattress etc. You can spend a fortune doing this or do it on the cheap. I dont know that it really matters.
7. Various products with menthol in them make excellent rub on ointment or cream that really helps mask the symptoms.
8. There are some herbs that their manufacters say are like prednizone.
Since I take prednizone, I haven't really researched them.
9. Pain manaagement. One tylonol and one advil or asprin is as powerful as four tylonol or four advil or asprin. The key is to take several different kinds of pain medicatins in low doses that together make a powerful pain pill. Advil, aprin, Alieve, are all kinnds of NSIDs. You can only take one NSID at a time. You can then add tylonol which will double or trible the pain meidcation effect. Add ultrum, a prescription pain medicaiton and that adds even more pain killer. Yet, the dosage for each is well within safe limits.

Good luck. At 27 you are mighty young to go through this. I hope there is a support group for you located within a reasonable distance to you.