Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone has had their GP say to them that RA will eventually just burn out. I am so confused if that was the case why are we being treated with such serious drugs or is this part of the burning out process!! I did challenge my GP and said my rheumatologist advised me there is no cure for RA to which she replied that eventually the body heals itself and I will have no pain as an old lady!!! This is the second doctor in the practice to say this to me............ is there any truth to it?

Love
Natalie xx

That's what I thought Sue,

I think sometimes the doctors are living on another planet yet these are the very professionals we trust !

I know what you mean Louisa, a bit of honesty though would be nice lol xx

This is outrageous. Your GP quite obviously knows nothing about RA. Can I suggest you either ask NAS to send him some information or take some in yourself. It really is quite serious for a GP to have this attitude and the reason NRAS push so hard to educate idiots like this. I make no excuse for being furious. Presumably they also take for ever to refer people to rheumatologists? If I wherein this position, I would write to the practice manager and suggest the GP's in question need some education regarding RA?

Natalie

What an outrageous statement. RA is a chronic incurable disease. Yes it can go into remission but unfortunately this does not happen for many people.

Your GP practice definitely needs to be educated by NRAS information, otherwise you and some possible new RA sufferer are not going to get the care you need.

As suggested already, I would seriously consider writing to the Practice Manager expressing your concerns.

Jackie
x

What a strange thing for a GP to say!
I think some literature from NRAS is needed.
Think I might start looking for a new doctor.
Mary x

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for your support and replies.

I feel this is a tricky situation as on one hand she has been helpful with me financially, we have to pay for GP visits here in Jersey and as she has wanted to see me so regularly due to being on the steroids she has not charged me for my last three visits. I feel that I should write to the practice manager regarding my concerns but at the same time would this be deemed ungrateful for the help I have received?

What do you think?

Hi Natalie

Actually to a point the GP is correct! Some forms of disease can burn themselves out, but these are few and far between and not in the case of sero-positive RA. I was told this amazing 'fact' myself some 25 years ago and waited with bated breath ... hmm, it didn't burn itself out, just got a damn sight worse!

Sero-negative RA can sometimes be misdiagnosed as blood test results can be inconclusive and symptoms difficult to manage. The 'arthritis' in certain disease patterns may not actually be Rheumatoid but some other form of the disease which may be reactive and can actually disappear with time. I was part of a study at the time along with two ladies with similar medical history; we had all given birth in the 3-6 months prior to symptoms starting. Of the three, I was the only one to develop aggressive RA disease, in the other two the disease symptoms did in fact burn themselves out and neither has had a recurrence since. The only conclusion we could reach was that some years previously I had had glandular fever which left me susceptible to immune problems. The symptoms in the other two ladies may well have been a reaction to the change in hormonal activity which mimicked RA but settled down in time.

How you deal with it is a difficult one but if you trust the GP and feel confident I would let it go. It sounds as though she was trying to incite an element of optimism to spur you on. Find out as much as you are able about the disease and your own patterns of symptoms, that way you will be able to report back more ably and perhaps cut down on routine appointments. Taking control of your disease, finding out how it affects you personally is one of the first steps to 'being in charge of your life' again.

Good luck with it Natalie,

Lyn xx

Hi Jenni and to all for your lovely replies and advice,

I am just going to take it on the chin, I have wonderful support from my rheumatologist nurse and team and I feel they are the ones most involved with my care also my OT has been amazing.

I am a lot more positive these past few weeks, this is an awful disease to have and some days are better than others but if we do not fight on we can only stop and with a young family its not an option for me.

I am so grateful for all of you for making me feel so welcome and your advice is cherished and appreciated. Seems to be the best place to arm ourselves with all the information we need.

Big hugs
Natalie xxx

It's sad to hear that so many people here struggled to get diagnosed. I was seeing GPs for 2 years and begging them to find out what was wrong. I even suggested it might be RA as the symptoms seemed to fit but I was told that as I wasn't losing weight it couldn't be RA. Eventually I had such a massive whole body flare that I could barely move and couldn't stand up unaided or even feed myself. It makes me feel angry when I think back to how the GPs kept telling me it was my age (so why didn't my peers feel the same in their mid forties) or that I needed to exercise more or that I might be depressed. Having RA is bad enough without having to fight battles with the medical profession. Eventually when I got diagnosed my overwhelming feeling was relief that at last I was being believed. At one time I had even questioned my own sanity when the GPs were telling me there was nothing wrong. I actually had to change surgeries to find a GP that would refer me. It's not as though RA is extremely rare with 1% of the population getting it so why are so many GPs so ignorant?