Originally Posted by madscientist
Originally Posted by parksr5
While reading the "How Many More Years Of Racing You Got In Ya?" thread, it made me think, at what age did some of you start hurting or noticing your bodies starting to tell you that you were aging or that you've worked too hard for too long?

I'm about half the age as some of you on here but, I'm starting to feel stuff already and it concerns me a little. My index finger has been hurting me the last 6 or so months and I finally had a Dr. look at it, arthritis. What, I'm in my 30's, [censored]?

I worked manual labor jobs for about 8 or so years of my working life but, I've had a desk job for the past 16-17. I tinker with stuff all the time though, I'm re-doing my kitchen right now. I really think the arthritis in my finger is related to all the siding I cut by hand for my garage a few years ago.

There are a lot of guys that don't talk about stuff like this, so: I'm surprised when people do talk about it how many have issues.

So, when did your body start to let you ......?



At your age (I’m assuming you were told you have osteoarthritis in the finger) I would do everything possible to rule out Rhumatoid arthritis. That stupid blood test they use (that was developed between the world wars) is wrong at least 50% of the time. You can be easily blood negative RA and still have it. And the longer it’s missed, the more damage it does. If you are fatigued a lot, if you get out of bed and have stiffness at all, if you get unexplained rashes, weird body temperature changes...stuff like that you can almost bet you have RA.

I know this because in 1982 I went into the Army and I had some fatigue and joint pain issues. And they just missed it. The funny thing is you can go for months or even years and you won’t have any symptoms and then out of nowhere you just have a bunch of bad days and you’re like [censored]?? Then one day, you just feel like crap and it doesn’t go away. I wasn’t actually diagnosed with RA until 2006. It never occurred to me until several years after the diagnosis that I had symptoms in the Army, so my doctor suggested I get a copy of all my medical records from them. Sure enough, when I looked at the, I said yep, sure did hit every indicator that I had RA, but like everyone else, they relied solely on that blood test and didn’t bother to stop and clinically diagnose it. All it takes is a short time on prednisone. If you get better you know it’s RA. If you don’t it’s something else. There are other ways to clinically diagnose it, but that’s a simple one.

By 2006 I couldn’t walk, drive or much anything else. Damn sure couldn’t hardly work. A 3 day week was good for me. And in that time I was doing about 40% of what I would regularly do. I had a buddy come pick me up and take me to the ER. That was the ONLY time I’ve ever been blood positive for RA.

If you do have it, you are much better off knowing it now and getting after it. It won’t go away and it won’t get better. And pray like hell you don’t have it.

Just my thoughts.

I’m thinking you hit the nail on the head for me, all those symptoms I have for maybe 6-8 years now. I’ve burned up the internet looking for a cause always thinking vascular problems but with tests they all cleared.(did have a stent put in the lower aorta 4 years ago). Some days I feel like a tuck run over me, my legs are the worst can’t pick my feet up and stumble over lent and I’ve fell 3-4 times this year alone. First of the week I’ll call to get checked with my primary doc. Thanks in a way, btw I’m 72 and still working but getting slower
Where did you get the prednisone?
Update, found some in my cabinet stash (2004 but looks good)

Last edited by cudaman1969; 01/01/22 01:22 AM.