Treatment Changes with RA Progression

As my Rheumatoid Arthritis progresses, how will my treatment change?

We have to think of Rheumatoid Arthritis as a chronic disease and that's a kind way of saying you will live with this disease for the rest of your life. Um, your treatment needs will change. For many people, we hope that that means that you will go into remission and that your drug therapies might be looked at and reduced. I think it is always reasonable to ask, do I still need this drug? What is this drug doing for me? So you will be seen by your primary care physician or your rheumatologist on a regular basis, probably for the rest of your lives. And you will become close friends and he or she will be a trusted advisor to you.

: Ok, how's the other side?

: It still hurts on this one. This one's the worst.

How can I best work with my doctor?

Everyone is different with this disease. Everyone should have their own goals and their own ambitions as to what they want from therapy. Open dialog with your doctor, an effective communication, so that you're setting goals, talking with your doctor about what it means to have Rheumatoid Arthritis so that he or she can sort of walk in your shoes, uh, is one of the ways that you can keep that communication going and improve your outcome.