RA = Rheumatoid Arthritis (auto-immune disease)

I have had arthritis for over 30 years, Doctors have for YEARS been telling me it was osteoarthritis. Both my knee have been replaced with prothestics. I went thru bilateral carpel tunnel surgery 2 years ago with the repair of trigger fingers. But it was the removal of a snyovial mass from a ruptured tendon on my right thumb this past Nov. that I was finally tested for RA. I went off the chart.

My doc says I have had RA for a long time. DUH! Even though he replaced my last knee, he said it LOOKED like osteoarthritis. I am BEYOND anger that it's taken so long to find this out. I have been seeking treatment for the pain and stiffness for YEARS only to be told, "take asprin, motrin, live with it, it's all in your head, you'll just get addicted to pain killers, we can't kind anything wrong, come back if it keeps bothering you...blah,blah,blah" Now my hands and feet are a nightmare. It's like wearing lava gloves and socks and having someone pound on them with hammers. We won't even discuss the back, hip, neck, elbow pain or the dry eyes.

RA is an autoimmund disease. It affects many different parts of the body including organs. The brain is an organ which CAN be affected.

No one in my family has epilepsy, only me. Mine was sudden onset at age 47. I had ONE grand mal in the back yard watering my garden about 40 days after my first knee replacement. I have always felt that the seizure had something to do with that surgery. But now that I know about RA, I just wonder if the RA wasn't the real reason for the seizure.

I never had another grand mal, but have had felt the same fluttery feeling many times, that preceded the GM. Over the next 3 1/2 years, I experianced several complex particals and 1000's of simple particals. ( I have been seizure free for the past year and a half and completely off all AED's since Oct.) I tried about 10 - 15 AED's and the VNS implant as treatment but it was the added protein, iron, Zinc and B12 that got me seizure free. Go figure.

I have searched the internet and RA message boards and web sites for ANY connection of RA and SEIZURES, now I will ask any members who have RA and epilepsy....IS THERE A CONNECTION FOR YOU? Does your RA cause your seizures?

Birdbomb, I don't have an answer for you, not having either RA or epilepsy, though I do have carpal tunnel. I just wanted to acknowledge having read your post. You raised an interesting question, and I'll be watching with interest to see what answers you get.
You seem to be dealing with your problems with dignity. I can sure sympathize with your feelings of being beyond anger when they finally got around to finding the diagnosis. Pain is not good as a close and constant companion! And then to have been told it was all in your head! Sometimes you wonder where the doctors have their heads!?!
Hugs,

Hello..... I have RA (dx 10 yrs ago) been living with it since I was 12 years old.... Go Figure, and I have had seizures as well - but IMO the RA is not the cause of the seizures, but rather a symptom maker, for as you said RA does and will effect many diff organs in the body, as all autoimmune diseases do.

I personally already have 3 autoimmune diseases to cope with and they might be adding a third to the list (Lupus), after I am tested for it on Feb 2, 2007 by my Rheumy doctor.

Hang in there and cont' to write and release your worries & concerns here.


Rhapsody -

I just posted if anyone had both..........now I hate that it took so long for your RA to get diagnosed (doctors are dummies imo). Anyways, since bipolar meds work for epilepsy and bipolar I wonder if you can take any drugs for your epilepsy and what you are taking for your RA.

Feel free to email me personally.............I am researching this because I got RA 12 yrs. or more ago from taking lithium & prozac and then got an overnight case of RA where I could not move and was in constant pain.

Now I cannot take any meds for the bipolar without the RA flaring like crazy.

Thanks for any help,
Sandy