Hi Pea,

Yes - all the damage is a result of RA. Constant inflammation can cause tendons to become brittle and prone to tearing. I suspect my shoulder had been getting worse for years and at some point the tendon tore right through. Partial tears are more common. The other shoulder also plagues me but isn't as bad. Will have to be careful not to get a tear in that one.

In both my hips, the cartilage has been completely destroyed by RA so I'm down to bone on bone with no gaps any more.

I've been on methotrexate for several years but the rheumatologists had been quite dismissive of me for several reasons - I tend not to get much swelling, I'm seronegative, I have a very high pain tolerance so could carry on working etc. which gave the impression there wasn't much wrong with me. As a result, all this damage occurred without anyone realizing. Now my new rheumy is very concerned and is working through the protocols required in British Columbia before you can be considered for a biologic. It's requires me to do a six month trial of mtx plus one other DMARD - in this case plaquenil - and, if that doesn't work, then another six months with a third DMARD added in. After that, I will be eligible for a biologic. The shame is that, if a rheumy had realized how seriously I was being damaged by RA, they could have started this protocol much sooner.

Ah well!

Does your pain pump work well?

Wendy

Rheumatoid Arthritis
Methotrexate, Celebrex, Plaquenil