[handscreate]

I was diagnosed with RA about 12 years ago. Recently I've been experiencing a lot of discomfort and pain after short periods of using my hands, cooking, playing guitar, etc, more than usual. My biggest fear is that this will only get worse as I get older. I keep telling myself that it's all in my head . . . not my hands!

I don't take prescription meds for my RA anymore since I got my rec several years ago and decided I was going to get myself off of as many scripts as possible and use cannabis to treat myself instead. Well it worked pretty well until maybe a month or so ago. I've been feeling it a lot in my hands, especially joints at base of finger/hand and middle joints in fingers. I should mention that I have had reconstructive surgery on my wrist about 7-8 years ago after an accident I was in. I've also been noticing a lot more discomfort and pain in my wrist (where the surgery was) which sometimes starts to feel like carpal tunnel syndrome.

Does anyone else suffer from RA or CTS and if so, what have you found helps you deal with the pain/discomfort? Excerises, tinctures, wraps, ice/heat, anything non-prescription related. If it's prescriptions that you're taking to help, what are they and how well do they help? As much as I don't want to be on anymore scripts, if it will help me, it's worth talking to my doctor about.

I really do appreciate any help finding a remedy, preferably other than pills, that will work for me. Thanks!

handscreate,

The only thing I know of that really helps RA, other than medication, is diet.

There are a lot of foods that exacerbate the immune response in RA patients and foods that help to minimize it.

You might consider looking into what helps keep MS, Lupus and RA patients' symptoms at a "low roar".

Lot's of info on what foods and supplements help RA is on the web as well as medical studies that show a reduction in symptoms directly related to food.

Most RA people also get osteo as they age. There are supplements like Glucosamine / Chondroitin / MSM that help with osteo but not on RA alone.

CTS is mostly helped by avoiding movement, anti-inflamatory foods or the (relatively simple) surgery....(I know, I know..surgery, yuck)

Hope this helps. When you have some time, hit Google for "diet and nutrition for RA" and "immune disorder nutrition".

Sorry you are hurting friend...

[handscreate]

Living Green, thanks for the info. You're a good guy! I know that diet can help, and I eat well most of the time, and try to eat lots of food with anti-inflamatory properties to keep the swelling down, but it's been getting worse over the last few days even. I'm not as worried about the CTS as I am about the RA, and the high chances of it leading to osteo as I age (I'm still young, and I'm not looking forward to this getting any worse).

My uncle had surgery for CTS about a year ago. He said it was simple outpatient surgery, but he couldn't use his hand/wrist for a couple days afterward during healing. My only concern about the surgery is that it's a one time deal. If you have the surgery, and it fails or the CTS comes back, you're stuck with it for life since they can't do surgery more than once for it. I'm waiting on surgery for CTS until it's so painful I can't stand it, and even then I'll wait a little longer.

I've been looking online in the last few days for home remedies/treatment, also kinda hoping that some fellow WeedTRACKERS have some more experience or knowledge about RA and CTS than I do and can help me out with some excercises or something of the sort.

Anyone else have some input/advice?

[dwynn8822]

I have beginning stages of RA, OA took over my body long ago, as well as A-vascular nacrosis in my hips, Turns out i was born with a type of Hip Dysplacia like a german shepard as the A-VN is usually caused by steroids, traumatic accident and or heavy drinking, of whcih i did and had none hence the explanation of the dysplacia from my Doctors ( if anyone know's any more or anything different please lemme know). Anyway it caused the Osteo and degenerative joint disease, and comsequently the RA as well. I tried the scripts they gave me for RA and they did NOT help at all and due to the spread of both the RA and OA i have had both hips and knees totally replaced and i am only 43, had 1st surgery when i was 37, and completed when i was 40. My point is, Please look into as many alt's and 2nd opinions as you can as i learned a very late but important lesson and i learned it from a Physical therapist a few months ago and had i known to ask about this when i was 37 i may not of had to have the joints replaced as soon as i did. If anyone wants to know more about that you can pm me and i'll be happy to answer, but again ask questions, ask questions, and get as many opinions as possible, I take almost 200 mgs of ms Contin everyday as well as a sleeping pill and a couple other pills and if it wasn't for MMJ i really don't know that i'd be here on WT or any where for that matter as w/o mmj i can't sleep right, i can't eat at all, or function at a somewhat normal level. Okay so to make a short story even longer lmao, ( didn't realize i had so much to say lmao ) i was at a co-op and i wish i could remember which one but anyway he had a topical rub that was made with THC, so i rubbed it into my thumb area and it seemed to work a little bit on my thumb area. Couldn't tell you if it was the THC or maybe another ingredient that made it work, i'll try to remember where it was. My long winded point summed up is this, Don't do the hard "traditional" meds like vicodine ( i was addicted to that after my surgeries as well ) or Morphine like me IF you can help it, because like just about anything else in life too much is not good and the side effects FAR out weigh the benefits unless you are in SERIOUS daily pain, Try everything else first before giving into surgery or hard core drugs, it's a slippery slope this path, and it's hard to stop once yer on it. Get LOTS of Opinions Please, next to trusting your gut, i think that's most important. I hope there is something helpful in my long-winded response, if not i am sorry for babbling lol. Peace!

I don't excactly know what causes the pains in my left hand's wrist, middle finger joints and right thumb but what i do know is this. For the past three years (since my senior year in high school) i've been noticing a tingling, sometimes itchy pain in these said joints that has been followed by calcium deposits being built up around these joints. I have fractured the left hand twice in high school and i guess it never healed. Being an active weightlifter, i attributed the pain to excessive weight lifting coupled with the injuries plus pressing really hard on a pen or a pencil as long as i can remember writing. I think it's the accumulation of all of these things. When my middle finger first started developing calcium deposits around the joints, I noticed the skin around it would get itchy and start to dry as it was being strectched by the growing joint. I am only 20 years old so this scares me as I probably have a couple more of those 20 year periods in my life left and things just tend to get worse. I find relief with medical cannabis and putting my left hand in an Ace bandage that's wrapped around a c.d. case every night to keep it straight. In the morning, i take my hand out and it is very stiff. Is there a surgery that can fix the problem? I figure that i just don't have much cartilage left in those joints.

[handscreate]

Thanks everyone all for your help so far. I was curious about the THC lotion and it's working ability (strength). I going to try and pick some up today and see how it works for me.

Jim - Your calcium deposits could be a few different things.
1) Arthritis, which is not too common at your age, but it does occur more often than people would think.
2) Improper healing of fractured/broken bones. When something irritates your body/bones, our bodies naturally will develop additional calcium, fats, etc to coat the irritation and try to cause less pain/discomfort from it. Horses do this in their stomaches when they get stones. These stones can turn out as large or larger than grapefruits, weighing upwards of 6 lbs each and often they come in pairs. Sucks huh! Just be glad you're not a horse walking around with those in your stomach all day. It's very painful I'm told. Anyway, it's possible that after a break and improper healing, the injury was still irritating your body, causing the calcium build ups in an effort to reduce pain/discomfort.
3) Lack of cartilage. This is much rarer than the above 2 as far as creating calcium build ups. I have little to no cartliage in my knee. After 2 surgeries to replace, repack and re-stitch damaged and lost cartilage, I have worn it all down over and over, and I'm not that physical of a guy. Seriously, walking is often the only excerise I get (I'm also very thin and can't afford to lose any weight from working out, so little fat as is)
4) Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Deposits/build ups are not as common, but the numbness and pain are associated with this. Get a better desk & chair and use a wrist or hand support when engaged in activities where you feel it starting to bother you. Surgery is available for CTS, but it is a 1-time deal. I don't suggest it until you've seen several doctors who all say get the surgery. Minimal chance of losing sensation in your hand/wrist area afterward. Again, speak to your doctor and several specialists before doing this. I have gone to Dr. Lane in the past. I think he's in Beverly Hills. Will find his contact info and post later today or tomorrow.

If it's arthritis you have a few options. See Living Greens post above regarding diet and medication. I stopped taking those pills though. I just don't want to be a slave to my meds anymore. I'm trying to use cannabis to treat all of my ailments.

If it's CTS surgery is available, but like I said above, there are risks associated with it. Speak to your doctor to see if it's right for you (crap I feel like an infomercial for CTS surgery :) )

If it's due to an improper healing of broken/fractured bones, you should talk to your doctor and see a hand specialist as well. Leaving it untended to it can get progressively worse, ending in bone spurs in your hands. I'm guessing from your post that these injuries are not very recent and may require treatment to control/fix. If it was more recent they could re-break the bones and set them to properly heal. Again, that hurts like hell, but in the end it's worth it to have properly healing body parts.

I'll leave you with some wise words from my grandfather (who thankfully is still around in his old age). Just 3 letters . . . T-R-Y. TRY! Try to stay young! Getting older sucks, and I'm not even old, but I can tell you from experience, it doesn't get better as you get older.

See a specialist and get some answers from a professional. At the very least get it checked out so you know what you're dealing with and how to treat/control it a little more. And instead of the CD case, get a really good hand/wrist support. It's worth the $10 or whatever they cost. Got one at CVS last night for $8, wrist only

[handscreate]

I stopped by Pure Life tonight because I had a faint feeling they carried the spray and lotion that I have been wanting to try. I was able to sample the lotion and topical spray before buying and I must say that at first I was very skeptical, but thought I'd try it anyway. It did help relieve some of the pain in my hands and wrist.

Unfortunately I couldn't afford to get both the spray and lotion ($25 topical spray, $10 lotion) so I just got the lotion. The lotion alone does help. I noticed the topical spray was a little more immediate relief than anything else. The effects alone didn't last too long, but coupled with the lotion it lasted a little longer. And the lotion has a very nice scent to it. I'd like to see scent free lotion as well, since some people don't like scented lotions, etc very much (my uncle would flip over the smell, very sensitive sniffers).

Anyway, it seems to be helping my pain. I did medicate shortly after using the lotion and spray, which I'm sure helped, but let's put it this way. I applied it around 7:45ish - 8 and I've re-applied once (because I was doing dishes) and I'm able to type this without much pain. It's worth checking out.

Hands . . . stamp of approval!

Wow!! I really appreciate the advice. Who would've thought that i would get medical advice on a MMJ website that is better than a doctor with a P.h.D. gave me. My Kaiser doctor told me to take ibuprophen and wrap it every night. The wrap is useful because that is the only way that i won't feel too much pain the next day after a night of sleep with it on. Ibuprophen-something that will destroy your intestinal lining- in my opinion is more harmful than using cannamargarine which happens to be low in fat. So I refuse to take 3 ibuprophens every 4 hours. Thank you very much for sincerely looking at my story and giving me the main-case scenarios of what my pain must be from. My mom is going to take me into a hand specialist soon to find out what it is. I think it is due to the injuries. God Bless!

[eclectic]

Diet: switch to a near vegeterain diet! Allow good wild fish every so often;low mercury species or areas.
Animal toxins make RA worse. Though omega-3's are great.
Detox: Do a good liver, gallblader, and colon cleanse on a 3 or 6 month basis depending on severity.
pH: adjust bodys pH to 7.356.
Smoking: switch to vapor, hookah(alkaline charcoal), concentrates, or edibles
Exersize: get pelnty low impact exersize even if in pain, and yoga
Herbal/natural: cannabis, cats claw, Curcumin, Green tea, billberry, wine
Guggul, Lyprinol
Vitamins: To keep body as strong as possible; specially lots of folic acid(B9)
Anti-oxidants: To prevent further damage to joints/tissue. Opc's, CoQ10, etc
Homeopathic: get on a homeopathic treatment by a good homeopathic practioner
Topical: Traumel(german but available), cannabis salve/lotion no alcohol natural oil based, mineral salt soaks.
Other treatments: IPT, bio meridian homeopathic prationer, accupunture. meditation etc

[handscreate]

Originally Posted by jimsonseed

Wow!! I really appreciate the advice. Who would've thought that i would get medical advice on a MMJ website that is better than a doctor with a P.h.D. gave me. My Kaiser doctor told me to take ibuprophen and wrap it every night. The wrap is useful because that is the only way that i won't feel too much pain the next day after a night of sleep with it on. Ibuprophen-something that will destroy your intestinal lining- in my opinion is more harmful than using cannamargarine which happens to be low in fat. So I refuse to take 3 ibuprophens every 4 hours. Thank you very much for sincerely looking at my story and giving me the main-case scenarios of what my pain must be from. My mom is going to take me into a hand specialist soon to find out what it is. I think it is due to the injuries. God Bless!

Happy to help. I wouldn't discredit your doctors though. I didn't finish med school, I dropped out after 3 1/2 yrs to take care of my mom and grandparents (couldn't handle the stress and time commitment of full time school and work = 80+ hours, not including "homework" and reading, basically 18-22hr days). With that being said, please do see a hand specialist for some advice and a screening for RA, CTS or other damage/issues. Take the ibuprofen if you need it for pain. Taking it every now and again won't do much damage at all to your GI tract and liver, and they will heal themsleves if given some time (assuming your immune system is operating at a healthy level).

If I can help you out any more, please post here or PM me. I'm happy to help.

And if anyone else has some more ideas for us Arthritis sufferers, I welcome your words with an open mind.

[handscreate]

Originally Posted by eclectic

Diet: switch to a near vegeterain diet! Allow good wild fish every so often;low mercury species or areas.
Animal toxins make RA worse. Though omega-3's are great.
Detox: Do a good liver, gallblader, and colon cleanse on a 3 or 6 month basis depending on severity.
pH: adjust bodys pH to 7.356.
Smoking: switch to vapor, hookah(alkaline charcoal), concentrates, or edibles
Exersize: get pelnty low impact exersize even if in pain, and yoga
Herbal/natural: cannabis, cats claw, Curcumin, Green tea, billberry, wine
Guggul, Lyprinol
Vitamins: To keep body as strong as possible; specially lots of folic acid(B9)
Anti-oxidants: To prevent further damage to joints/tissue. Opc's, CoQ10, etc
Homeopathic: get on a homeopathic treatment by a good homeopathic practioner
Topical: Traumel(german but available), cannabis salve/lotion no alcohol natural oil based, mineral salt soaks.
Other treatments: IPT, bio meridian homeopathic prationer, accupunture. meditation etc

I don't know how I missed all this great info! Thanks a million eclectic!! Some very good points and info here.

I have been vegetarian for the past 12ish years, and just started eating fish about 1 1/2 yrs ago. Now I'm addicted. Omega 3's like crazy!! I take a multi-vitamin every morning w/ breakfast too.

I think I need to increase my excercise routine. Currently not doing too much in that dept which could be partially to blame. I should step it up, for my own health if nothing else. Starting tomorrow, 20 minutes of additional walking everyday! I also do smoke my meds. Can't afford a vaporizer right now and the hookah is packed away somewhere. I do consume edibles from time to time, sometimes nightly, depending on the pain and spasm intensity in my spine & pain in my hands/wrist from RA. I think a good detox is in order as well.

Thanks again for the plethora of information. I always appreciate as much info on this subject as possible, since I'm nowhere near as educated about RA as I should be for someone who's had it for at least 12 years

[WooWoo]

i just try to not move as much and be as medicated as possible... my knees and back are fuq'd up...and i gained some weight...if i lose weight again ill feel good but till then i try to not over extend myself.

[budter cookies]

Wow Eclectic you covered RA well Thanks for the info. Use cannabis in my cooking it helps alot.

Feelin the love

[Solrac]

Originally Posted by jimsonseed

Wow!! I really appreciate the advice. Who would've thought that i would get medical advice on a MMJ website that is better than a doctor with a P.h.D. gave me. My Kaiser doctor told me to take ibuprophen and wrap it every night. The wrap is useful because that is the only way that i won't feel too much pain the next day after a night of sleep with it on. Ibuprophen-something that will destroy your intestinal lining- in my opinion is more harmful than using cannamargarine which happens to be low in fat. So I refuse to take 3 ibuprophens every 4 hours. Thank you very much for sincerely looking at my story and giving me the main-case scenarios of what my pain must be from. My mom is going to take me into a hand specialist soon to find out what it is. I think it is due to the injuries. God Bless!

if you can get away from kaiser, my mother was with kaiser and they did nothing about her RA, at first they said it was all in her head. well 9 years later and a lot of doctors later she has been using ENBRIL and a topical spray with MMJ for 5 months, she is a new woman! she also just had bi-lateral knee replacement (which could've been avoided had the kaiser doctors acted earlier) and i get her edibles to help with the pain. (she also has a MMJ prescription)

good luck and i hope you get the proper treatment you deserve.

[DSW90049]

Sorry I didn't come across this thread earlier.
I have pretty advanced RA and I have been injecting Humira 2x month for two years- did Enbrel for about a year, then a gap due to sinus infection.
Infections are the wild card with these very high tech meds.
I also take a couple of Celebrex each day and vicodin during the day- just to get through the day. I wish I didn't, but, I have a family to support and a career that I will fight hard against giving up.

Although I was a recreational 'outlaw' MJ user since the 60's, early this year I got legal and got my certification as an MMJ patient and since then I have been on the hunt to find the strains that keep my pain and stiffness manageable and have been medicating when not working and before bed. Every day I thank those brave ones who fought to get the MMJ laws enacted in CA and who fight in the other states and against the feds and the ones who are prisoners of this struggle. They have made it possible for me to function this long!

Result has been that I have cut down on Vicodin and eliminated Ambien for sleeping and thanks to MMJ take less of those scrips, sleep better, have a better attitude (more about this below) and am fighting the good fight.

RA is plain and simple a bitch and few who do not have OsteoA or RA really know what I am talking about because it is hard to describe and imagine what this disease puts your body through and how difficult it is to bear it. It is beyond depressing and I seriously recommend that you watch your mood and try to keep yourself as upbeat and optimistic as you can because in the end, your attitude (positive & strong) is what will carry you through. The other horrible thing is that you may not look sick (I don't at all) hence the uninformed think you are faking it or that you just seem to get sick whenever anybody around is sick or that you are a hyponchondriac (or however you spell it!)

I suggest you research and learn as much as you can about RA and find a good rheumatologist who understands what you are going through and is not down on MMJ-- the good ones know that it helps a lot; they just cannot come right out and say it because the bad ones will get very down on them within their good old boy medical community.

Also, find a loved one who understands and even join a support group.

Best for me are the really intense indicas like most of the good Kushes and some of the hybrids. Specific strains that really help me with pain are all the variations of Sour Diesel, Kush (Diamond, OG, Westside, Platinum, you name it-- if its real Kush, it helps), and Jack Herrer- but the search goes on.

Some day maybe they will figure out why you get RA and how to stop its march towards destroying your joints and, yes, your mind, if you are not strong. I have lost 35-40 pounds over the last year and that has also really helped [the less weight you have to drag around the better] and I do try to eat as healthy as possible and I am sure that helps.

Good luck RA brothers and sisters in WT-land- it is a very hard road and the more you know early, the better you will be later. I am approaching 60 and my rheumatologist says I am going to have to slow down and work much less within the next couple of years-- so far, I have exceeded his expectations and he says that few patients with as advanced RA as me are still working.

Guess I get a gold star or something . . . .

[nedders]

Fellow RA sufferer here. I have found that light exercise, and even weight lifting (with verrry small weights) has worked wonders for my joints. The thing is, I need to be loose and relatively pain-free to do so. That's where mmj comes in-- a couple tokes of something strong (I prefer clear, up sativas) and I can literally hear the crackling of my joints as they loosen up. Then I can exercise.

Right now, I'm looking for Trainwreck, which has been fantastic for me in the past-- so strong, and a great analgesic.

[handscreate]

Thanks for the advice! And big thanks to everyone who has added information here! I really appreciate it, as do many others with this disease. Thanks again!

I have found a lotion, topical spray and salve/compound formed with wax and oils that all provide extended relief for me. I found the lotion & topical spray at Pure Life and the salve/compound/rub (whatever it would be classified as) at Perrennial Hollistic in Van Nuys.
The lotion seems to work best for my hands, knees, hip, and wrist, while the wax compound seems to work well for my hands, though I use it primarily for my knee, as the wax acts like a binding agent adhering to the skin to hold the medicine in place while it works. Very cool concept and good medicine.
If you need immediate relief without smoking or where smoking is not permitted, I recommend these products.

Anyone else try any lotions, sprays, compounds, etc, medicated or not that have provided relief? Share 'em!

[DSW90049]

The lotions and potions don't work on me because, I am told, my problems are systemic. A good massage works to release the knots and tension, tho.

There are like 100 different kinds of RA - don't know about Osteo as well. I suspect that there are many things that each sufferer can benefit from-- you really have to make it a serious hobby to experiment and use yourself as a living laboratory to find out what works best.

Same for MMJ- there are probably thousands of strains at this point; some better than others and some go right to that 'ol 'cough control center.'

For the Feds to say that MMJ has no legitimate medical uses is an evil lie and a hurtful lie to people who suffer from these maddening diseases. May the Fed decision-makers come down with these diseases so they can learn what harm they have caused. Is anything worse than making a sick person suffer because you are too ignorant to understand what they are going thru>?

[Lizzy65]

Originally Posted by handscreate

I was diagnosed with RA about 12 years ago. Recently I've been experiencing a lot of discomfort and pain after short periods of using my hands, cooking, playing guitar, etc, more than usual. My biggest fear is that this will only get worse as I get older. I keep telling myself that it's all in my head . . . not my hands!

I don't take prescription meds for my RA anymore since I got my rec several years ago and decided I was going to get myself off of as many scripts as possible and use cannabis to treat myself instead. Well it worked pretty well until maybe a month or so ago. I've been feeling it a lot in my hands, especially joints at base of finger/hand and middle joints in fingers. I should mention that I have had reconstructive surgery on my wrist about 7-8 years ago after an accident I was in. I've also been noticing a lot more discomfort and pain in my wrist (where the surgery was) which sometimes starts to feel like carpal tunnel syndrome.

Does anyone else suffer from RA or CTS and if so, what have you found helps you deal with the pain/discomfort? Excerises, tinctures, wraps, ice/heat, anything non-prescription related. If it's prescriptions that you're taking to help, what are they and how well do they help? As much as I don't want to be on anymore scripts, if it will help me, it's worth talking to my doctor about.

I really do appreciate any help finding a remedy, preferably other than pills, that will work for me. Thanks!

This might sound crazy - but I had Carpal Tunnel for YEARS (the Dr said after a 1 minute exam). I wore braces and heat etc. No relief. Turns out my thyroid antibody count was 6 to 7 times higher that what should be normal. The research / answers I found astounded me. Check it out, there are medications that I HAVE to take, I also have RA & Fibro. Trust me I understand where you are coming from. I also suffer from acute anxiety disorder (part of hormonal imbalance my endocrinologist is helping me with bio-idential hormones). In all MJ is the best pain reliver I have found. I've had ALOT of luck with Bubbleberry and AOTA, If you can get some Purple Lemondrop I hope you get the wonderful relief it brings. Best wishes!

[timberwolf]

This may not be the best place to ask this question. I'm new here, I tried to post a new thread but was unable to.
My question is regarding ointments or creams containing mmj or thc. Does anyone know if they will show up on a drug screening test?
I've been dealing with alot of pain in my hands and feet. I have been clean for about a month , but it getting really hard to deal with.
I'm on a vegitarian diet and am detoxing, also not any any pain meds.
I'm really starting to get depressed about the whole thing. It's getting harder for me to refrain from smoking when I've got a fat sack sitting here.
Getting desperate. Any help or comments would be appreciated.

[The Urban Spaceman]

i have OA and not RA but my hands are often unusable. one thing i have found that helps - for a short time anyway - is paraffin wax treatments.
i bought one of those home paraffin spas and when my hands cramp up i dip em in the wax and for several hours afterwards i am OK.
like i said - just temporary relief - maybe holding your hands under warm water would work ok too.

MMJ helps a lot but sometimes it just gets so bad i have to take an anti-inflammatory.

sorry for not having any REAL help but maybe you can get some short term relief from the paraffin.

Where do you find marijuana lotions that really work? I tried one called "THC balm" from a club in long beach
but it didn't do a thing for me. I like to smoke but if there was a cream or lotion that would help i'd try it.

[flylightly]

My mother suffers from RA. She's had her wrists fussed, her fingers and joints where so bad they had to break them and saw the joints right and straighten her fingers. Rather painful for her the first few days but now shes doing a lot better. The scars she has on her hands are just horrible. I love that woman to death. I do know one thing that does help is Boswellen Cream. Its much like a bengay type thing but its actually loosens the tension in her muscles more. I know that sometimes she'll use it on her hands and it helps that would be my best suggestion.

[flylightly]

Sorry just wanted to add for bay area members, Organicann in Santa Rosa and Peace In Medicine in Sebastopol both sell cannbis topical cremes and sprays.

[DSW90049]

Flylightly!

Welcome to WT- glad you are here with all of us!

Your Mom having RA means you have a chance to inherit it. Educate yourself. It sounds like hers is advanced and that she did not have a chance to take some of the really hi-tech medications available now that can save your joints from that kind of destruction, like Enbrel, Humira (what I currently inject 2x per month), Remicaid.

Give your Mom a big hug for me and tell her that I care and I understand what she goes through. Help her keep her attitude positive and optimistic no matter what RA throws at her. Fight the good fight with her! Don't back down. I am convinced that a strong state of mind is essential for doing this battle, although, as long as the medical gurus know so little, the war cannot be won against RA. Yet. But, as famously said, DO NOT GO GENTLY INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT!