I had as for 30 years before being diagnosed so a lot of damage had already happened. I will be 81 in August and I am still trying to take care of my apartment and myself. I live in a small province in Canada and health care leaves a lot to be desired. I try to focus on " good days" because they are so few. My caregivers are Advil and I take two gummies at night for pain and to sleep. I see my Rheumatologists only once a year, so I have learned to be my own health care giver. I try to do what is best for me.

Hi Q, , these symptoms can cause a lot of confusion. For me, the important thing is to listen to your body and what it is trying to tell you. It's important to realize people in the medical profession are human beings with good and bad days just like us. It is only recently that I have heard and read about our disease. What I read ten years ago may NOT be relevant today. If researchers can discover something for inflammation that the body can tolerate, we would all be on our way to feeling better. Would that not be a gift from the universe!!!.