mild/moderate/severe category

[chelleybelley]

i was wondering what are peoples thoughts as to the severity of their PA or what they would expect the symptoms of each category are?
i hope this makes sense lol  , i was wondering if u had mild/moderate/severe PA and what you would think each category would be the symptoms.
i ask this because i saw my rheumys registrar the other day (for the first time) and she looked at my hands/feet (that was all) as they are normally the worst and she said that my PA was mild to moderate,which has left me thinking if she is right  then what is the moderate/severe symptoms?
i have very active PA, my fingers are bent (the joint by 1.5 Cm's downwards) and one of them has been constantly swollen for 2 years next month,my toes have been swollen since January this year,i have a lot of pain in my hips,knees,elbow and wrist and my feet/heels sometimes swell and lots of pain in my back but i do suffer other back problems too.i also do not have great movement in my shoulders at the moment. now if this is part of the mild/moderate range of PA then, what are the next levels or what would you expect the next levels to be?? thanks for any replies x

[LondonKate]

Did she not look anywhere else, Shelley?  no x-rays, no manipulation or probing? If not she didn't do her job too well, I reckon! But then again it's a registrar who may not yet know what they are doing!

I don't think they start you on DMARDS if they think the disease is mild..they leave you on anti-inflammatories. If it is deforming your joints it is already moderately severe.

[moanalot]

As we are all different, its not really a valid statement. Whats mild to me, may be moderate to you and so on. I think its a personal issue and if you feel its moderate, then it is moderate to you. Hope it makes sense
I would class mine a severe, ever the pessimist I am 

[chelleybelley]

hi thanks for the replies, no she didn't look elsewhere the rheumy did last year and i had xrays etc and have attended an arthritis care group and had lots of splints etc. I'm on mtx and sulfasazaline.
i suppose in my head i thought maybe mild pa - aches/pain occasional swelling (like i started with). moderate pa - swelling more prominent and signs of joint damage/deformity starting. severe pa - deformed joints ( needing operations etc)severe pain etc.
i was just shocked she thought mine was mild that's all 

[david_8]

hi, Chelleybelley

 have prev posted about my 2 different diagnoses form the same MRI scans

from I'm amazed you can still walk   to you only have mild pa

have had loads  of  yo/yo diagnoses/prognoses over the many yrs
even in the 6wk follow up rheumy apt
from gp's/ derms let  alone other consultants who didn't seem to be reading from the same bk

PS
 have  loads pa stress fractures in my hand especialy
 drmds & even mtx  where ruled out IE they not drug induced

how they can get such a vast difference when working from set guidelines/rules
IE pasi score  and pase score & facit score etc etc
it makes you stop and think how they got there qualifications IE £50 from Kenya

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[chelleybelley]

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           OW OW OW OW AND OW!!!

[flower fairy]

Was just looking back over posts and came across one of your earlier ones where you were started on sulfasalazine and painkillers after having been given the run around by docs for a while and as i had the same expierience myself untill eventually diagnosed last week and now on sulfasalazine i was wondering if this drug has helped your arthritis. I have minimal pustular psoriasis on hands and feet so thats why my rheumie put me on it as afirst choice dmard for the arthritis/tendonitis.

[chelleybelley]

hi flower fairy i have been on sulfa since nov 2nd 09 and no side effects at all but it hasnt helped my pa either so my sulfa is being added to with other drugs which i think they like to put people on 2 different drugs from the sounds of it as it has more beneficial affects than just the one drug. good luck with yours though it may help you as we are all different x

[flower fairy]

thanks for your reply chellybelly, just wish i could relax and hope for the best but my life/work/finances everything is on pause waiting to get on top of this arthritis and well i'm sure you all know how that effects us.