I’m baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Don’t suppose anyone missed me (sob) but if you did wonder where I’d gone, I’ve been quiet because I’ve been having MAJOR computer problems at work and major getting my City and Guilds embroidery modules done on time problems at home!
Yesterday I was completely convinced I’d sussed my R.A.! I know there’s a link with the weather and I know there’s a link with hormones. I haven’t kept a diary but I thought I saw a pattern emerging. The pattern I thought I saw was that hormones were in the lead – provided I was menstruating or there abouts then, regardless of the weather, I’d be pretty good. If was in the midst of hot flushes then I would be less good and even worse when it rained.
Of course that turned out to be far too neat and tidy! Today I’m menstruating again (oh joy!), grumpy as hell and full of aches and pains. Aaaaargh. Of course things are complicated by the fibromyalgia, but it all FEELS like joint pain right now (apart from the period-related back ache of course!) A little hard to be sure though.
Pollyanna Penguin's RA Blog 
Oh no. I hope you’re feeling better soon.
My RA feels just hooooorrrrible when I’m menstruating. Every joint throbs – I feel like I’m about to shatter. Ugh. I hate it.
My rheumy is involved in a study into the effects of hormones on RA in women. I’ll be so interested to hear the findings.
Me too – it’s about time someone did a proper study into that! There’s got to be a link, I reckon, to explain the higher proportion of women to men that get this, and the fact that so many get it during menopause … yes I know there are MANY exceptions to that, including your good self (but then I’m not sure if JRA would be a totally different cause anyway??), but I think statistically there are quite a few that do get it around menopause time.
One thing about rheuma — it just won’t be neat and tidy!
Glad you’re back, Polly. I DID miss you, so dry those tears. I’m also glad that it wasn’t RA or fibro to blame for your absence. I was (as my daughter used to say) woo-wied. Being busy is much better than being in pain.
That said, sorry you’re dealing with nasty aches and pains right now. Maybe it’s time to settle down and take care of Polly, now that all the other priorities have been dealt with?
Feel better! Hugs,
Wren
Aaaaaaaaaaw thanks Wren – it’s nice to be missed. ;o) Too right about RA not being neat and tidy. It’s very annoying! But I’m feeling a lot better at the moment apart from the odd stabbing pain in my knee now and again.
You’re right Polly, I don’t know if JRA would have different causes. I don’t imagine hormones would have been affecting it when I was a toddler, but boy oh boy they certainly do now. I’ve also heard that a lot of women feel much better during pregnancy, and that it’s common for some to develop RA after a pregnancy as well. Very interesting!
(I missed you, too!)
ooh d’you know what? I was reading a very interesting article about Dr Katharina Dalton and her work on natural progesterone supplementation in menopause and for PMS. It mentioned pain and other issues that made me think, ‘I wonder if RA would be helped by natural progesterone?’ And on a quick search around the interwebs, a lot of the things she picked up on haven’t been followed up by the medical research community, mainly because natural progesterone can’t be patented (or whatever the right term is), so big companies aren’t going to invest in it. There are big trials with synthesised progestin for various things which don’t seem to be very successful, but that would fit with Dalton’s thinking. Anyway, here’s the article:
Click to access dalton.pdf
Anyway, apparently natural progesterone can be got relatively easily on private prescription…?
Hello Mrs M – I’ve met Kitty Dalton (once at a party when I was about eighteen; she certainly wouldn’t remember me but I remember her! A real character.) Frankly I’m rather scared to play around with my hormones – they give me enough trouble as it is!
I swear my RA predicts the weather. I am not quite if my monthly patterns play a role in my RA but I will keep track. With Fibromaylgia, they say that women have more painful periods, but since I am on birth control, I have not really noticed.
I’m glad you’re back!
I kept a diary for a couple months and I have a hard time too when “Aunt Flo” visits. Interestingly enough, about 6 months before I started experiencing symptoms, I had all sorts of weird hormonal things going on. I’m glad someone’s spending some time on this!
I hope you start feeling better soon!
Hey Polly! Wondering how you’re doing with all that snow. Are you getting a lot of it where you live? Be careful out there, OK? And stay warm…