Looking for anyone who has this combo? I was recently tested postive for RA but see the specialist in a few weeks to confirm disagnosis.
I have re-occuring adhesive capsulitis which will not heal even after 2 surguries. It is frozen again and my orthropedic surgeon is recommending a 3rd capsule release but see the RA specialist first.
Looking for anyone's feedback and comments.
Hi There!
I have Type 1 and severe RA. I had frozen shoulder years ago and had physical therapy sessions for quite some time before it felt better. I did not need any surgeries thankfully.
RA can cause painful shoulder joints and deterioration. This includes the countless RA patients without Diabetes. RA requires agressive treatments sooner than later. It takes a while to fit with the correct "chemical cocktail" for each of us to put our RA in remission for a while.
I hope your appointment goes well and that the surgery greatly improves your shoulder pain.
There are some others on here with Type 1 and RA. For what it's worth, you are not alone.
Thanks…I did have alot PT as well but it actually made my shoulder worse. The PT person said she had never seen that situation before.
Hi marty. I don't have anything helpful to say, other than you are not alone, but here's a bit of my RA history. I first got Juvenile RA in 1942 at the age of 12. I wrote a blog here called A Walk in the Park; this is an excerpt:
"When I was teenaged, I had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. They didn't know what to do with me, so just said, go to bed. I couldn't move anyway, with enormous pain and swelling all over my body. So I laid in bed for months, until I figured I could walk again and snuck out to walk in the park with my friends. (Good thing--now they know you've got to exercise, and they have medications that get you out of bed.) Well, anyway, after some walking in the park, I came down with poison oak. Busted! Back to school."
My hands and knees were hit the hardest. I kept having episodes until I was about 40. The only meds I had were aspirin in my 20's and later Aleve. I now have Osteoarthritis and take Celebrex, but I still walk and type -- not as much as I'd like, nevertheless... I was 16 when I heard my doctor tell my mother that I would be either dead or in a wheelchair by the time I was 21, so I've sure been lucky. I wish you the best of luck also, and repeat that you are not alone.
I have severe RA and diabetes. If you do have RA then your surgeon is correct in having you see a Rheumatologist before or at least as part of an overall surgical plan. I have had frozen shoulder at least twice and each time it was able to be unstuck with PT. But I can certainly understand why surgery might be required.
There is no definitive test for RA. It is a question of symptoms, as well as supportive tests that may indicate the presence of RA. You will likely have an RA factor test, and a variety of others that will allow the doctor to make a diagnosis.
If you do have RA it is likely the doctor will place you almost immediately on one of several drugs that will control the disease. These may or may not have a long term or short term impact on your diabetes.
Steroids will have a greatest impact, driving you blood sugar higher, and the other drugs will have less impact or in some cases even no impact. This is survivable, and yes it might be rough if you do have RA. But the good news is that there are more drug choices today than ever, and one or more of those will likely work on your RA. My best advice is find a great Rheumatologist. They will control most of you treatment, not your diabetes, but most everything else.
One other thing, it is best to understand that frozen shoulder is also a diabetic issue. It may be an issue of RA, or osteo arthritis or diabetes. Only a Rheumatologist will be able to tell if it is RA.
Good luck and know that Terrie and I have kept in touch over the years, mostly to laugh about our trails and tribulations. Drop either of us a line and I know I will be happy, and I imagine Terrie will be happy to make fun of the lunacy of it all. After all nothing is as important as a good laugh.
YES type 1 diabetes and RA are often linked. Most autoimmune diseases are part of the spectrum. It pretty much all involves getting your auto immune system ramped up to the point where it attacks your own body.