4 general things i do more now....

GENERAL (4)

Relax

Fresh Air

Make Someone Smile

Oooooh, fruity!

Tribesports

MY TOP ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR ON TRIBESPORTS

Held the Bridge Position for 2 minutes.

The Tree

Give your skin a natural boost -2 litres of water per day for a month

Held the plank pose for 3 minutes

Tribesports

http://tribesports.com/users/khadene

Tribesports help you keep up your Exercise and Fitness needs lots of people there to encourage you .... Started to use my Elliptical Machine now some pain but it feels great to be working out...I encourage everyone a little exercise is better than no Exercise ... Exercise & Fitness training today
Already started 3 days of Exercise 30mins. morning and evening on my new Elliptical ....

Stretching & Recovery

 Just a few stretching i do to loosen up my joints sometimes it hurts like hell but i have to do it !!!!!

Well guys as you can see i look good and feel good. My combination of Zinc and Fish Oil seems to be working pretty good thus far and no swelling in the feet ... I do have pain but very little, so it works for me but i don't know if it would work for you .....you could just start the fish oil once a day do not take Zinc because i also take it for something else to do with my weight ... lot's of research was done before i tried this i did not just decide to try this combo, you have to do blood tests to see how much Zinc you have in your system because you don't need an overdose it will cause complications ... So it's safe for you just to try the Fish Oil i take 1200mg  a day  one capsule..

Healing Hand Of God...

Toothbrushes

Toothbrushes
People with hand arthritis should avoid pinching items between their thumb and forefinger because this puts extra stress on already painful joints. Try adding a short length of foam tubing over the handles of toothbrushes and eating utensils. Certain types of pipe insulation tubing, which can be found at hardware stores, may be useful.

Coping and support

Coping and support
By Mayo Clinic
The degree to which rheumatoid arthritis affects your daily activities depends in part on how well you cope with the disease.
Talk to your doctor or nurse about strategies for coping. With time you'll find what strategies work best for you. In the meantime, try to:


Take control. With your doctor, make a plan for managing your arthritis. This will help you feel in charge of your disease.
Studies show that people who take control of their treatment and actively manage their arthritis experience less pain and make fewer visits to the doctor.
Know your limits.
 Rest when you're tired. Rheumatoid arthritis can make you prone to fatigue and muscle weakness. A rest or short nap that doesn't interfere with nighttime sleep may help.
Connect with others
 Keep your family aware of how you're feeling. They may be worried about you but might not feel comfortable asking about your pain.
 Find a family member or friend you can talk to when you're feeling especially overwhelmed. Also connect with other people who have rheumatoid arthritis — whether through a support group in your community or online.
Take time for yourself. It's easy to get busy and not take time for yourself. Find time for what you like, whether it's time to write in a journal, go for a walk or listen to music. Use this time to relieve stress and reflect on your feelings.

Lifestyle and home remedies

Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic
You can take steps to care for your body if you have rheumatoid arthritis. These self-care measures, when used along with your rheumatoid arthritis medications, can help you manage your signs and symptoms:

Exercise regularly. Gentle exercise can help strengthen the muscles around your joints, and it can help fight fatigue you might feel. Check with your doctor before you start exercising. If you're just getting started, begin by taking a walk. Try swimming or gentle water aerobics. Avoid exercising tender, injured or severely inflamed joints.
Apply heat or cold. Heat can help ease your pain and relax tense, painful muscles. Cold may dull the sensation of pain. Cold also has a numbing effect and decreases muscle spasms.
Relax. Find ways to cope with pain by reducing stress in your life. Techniques such as hypnosis, guided imagery, deep breathing and muscle relaxation can all be used to control pain.

Alternative medicine

Alternative medicine
By Mayo Clinic

Some common complementary and alternative treatments that have shown promise for rheumatoid arthritis include:

Plant oils. The seeds of evening primrose, borage and black currant contain a type of fatty acid that may help with rheumatoid arthritis pain and morning stiffness. Side effects may include nausea, diarrhea and gas. Some plant oils can cause liver damage or interfere with medications, so check with your doctor first.
Fish oil. Some preliminary studies have found that fish oil supplements may reduce rheumatoid arthritis pain and stiffness. Side effects can include nausea, belching and a fishy taste in the mouth. Fish oil can interfere with medications, so check with your doctor first.
Tai chi. This movement therapy involves gentle exercises and stretches combined with deep breathing. Many people use tai chi to relieve stress in their lives. Small studies have found that tai chi may reduce rheumatoid arthritis pain. When led by a knowledgeable instructor, tai chi is safe. But don't do any moves that cause pain.

Treatments and drugs

Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic
 
There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. Medications can reduce inflammation in your joints in order to relieve pain and prevent or slow joint damage. Occupational and physical therapy can teach you how to protect your joints. If your joints are severely damaged by rheumatoid arthritis, surgery may be necessary.

Medications
Many drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis have potentially serious side effects. Doctors typically prescribe medications with the fewest side effects first. You may need stronger drugs or a combination of drugs as your disease progresses.

NSAIDs. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Over-the-counter NSAIDs include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) and naproxen (Aleve). Stronger NSAIDs are available by prescription. Side effects may include ringing in your ears, stomach irritation, heart problems and liver and kidney damage.
Steroids. Corticosteroid medications, such as prednisone, reduce inflammation and pain and slow joint damage. Side effects may include thinning of bones, cataracts, weight gain and diabetes. Doctors often prescribe a corticosteroid to relieve acute symptoms, with the goal of gradually tapering off the medication.

Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). These drugs can slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis and save the joints and other tissues from permanent damage. Common DMARDs include methotrexate (Trexall), leflunomide (Arava), hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), sulfasalazine (Azulfidine) and minocycline (Dynacin, Minocin, others). Side effects vary but may include liver damage, bone marrow suppression and severe lung infections.

Immunosuppressants. These medications act to tame your immune system, which is out of control in rheumatoid arthritis. Examples include azathioprine (Imuran, Azasan), cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune, Gengraf) and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan). These medications can increase your susceptibility to infection.
TNF-alpha inhibitors. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is an inflammatory substance produced by your body. TNF-alpha inhibitors can help reduce pain, morning stiffness, and tender or swollen joints.

Examples include etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade), adalimumab (Humira), golimumab (Simponi) and certolizumab (Cimzia). Potential side effects include increased risk of serious infections, congestive heart failure and certain cancers.

Other drugs. Several other rheumatoid arthritis drugs target a variety of processes involved with inflammation in your body. These drugs include anakinra (Kineret), abatacept (Orencia), rituximab (Rituxan) and tocilizumab (Actemra). Side effects vary but may include itching, severe abdominal pain, headache, runny nose or sore throat.
Therapy
Your doctor may send you to a therapist who can teach you exercises to help keep your joints flexible. The therapist may also suggest new ways to do daily tasks, which will be easier on your joints. For example, if your fingers are sore, you may want to pick up an object using your forearms.

Assistive devices can make it easier to avoid stressing your painful joints. For instance, using specially designed gripping and grabbing tools may make it easier to work in the kitchen if you have pain in your fingers. Try a cane to help you get around. Catalogs and medical supply stores also may be places to look for ideas.

Surgery
If medications fail to prevent or slow joint damage, you and your doctor may consider surgery to repair damaged joints. Surgery may help restore your ability to use your joint. It can also reduce pain and correct deformities. Rheumatoid arthritis surgery may involve one or more of the following procedures:

Total joint replacement. During joint replacement surgery, your surgeon removes the damaged parts of your joint and inserts a prosthesis made of metal and plastic.
Tendon repair. Inflammation and joint damage may cause tendons around your joint to loosen or rupture. Your surgeon may be able to repair the tendons around your joint.
Joint fusion. Surgically fusing a joint may be recommended to stabilize or realign a joint and for pain relief when a joint replacement isn't an option.
Surgery carries a risk of bleeding, infection and pain. Discuss the benefits and risks with your doctor

Tests and diagnosis

Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic
Rheumatoid arthritis can be difficult to diagnose in its early stages because the early signs and symptoms mimic those of many other diseases. There is no one test or physical finding to confirm the diagnosis.

During the physical exam, your doctor will check your joints for swelling, redness and warmth. He or she will also check your reflexes and muscle strength.

Blood tests
People with rheumatoid arthritis tend to have an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR, or sed rate), which indicates the presence of an inflammatory process in the body. Other common blood tests look for rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies.

X-rays
Your doctor may recommend X-rays to help track the progression of rheumatoid arthritis in your joints over time.

Symptoms

Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic
Signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may include:

Tender, warm, swollen joints
Morning stiffness that may last for hours
Firm bumps of tissue under the skin on your arms (rheumatoid nodules)
Fatigue, fever and weight loss
Early rheumatoid arthritis tends to affect your smaller joints first — particularly the joints that attach your fingers to your hands and your toes to your feet. As the disease progresses, symptoms often spread to the knees, ankles, elbows, hips and shoulders. In most cases, symptoms occur in the same joints on both sides of your body.

Rheumatoid arthritis signs and symptoms may vary in severity and may even come and go. Periods of increased disease activity, called flares, alternate with periods of relative remission — when the swelling and pain fade or disappear. Over time, rheumatoid arthritis can cause joints to deform and shift out of place.

When to see a doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor if you have persistent discomfort and swelling in your joints.

Complications

Complications
By Mayo Clinic
Rheumatoid arthritis increases your risk of developing:

Osteoporosis. Rheumatoid arthritis itself, along with some medications used for rheumatoid arthritis, can increase your risk of osteoporosis — a condition that weakens your bones and makes them more prone to fracture.
Carpal tunnel syndrome. If rheumatoid arthritis affects your wrists, the inflammation can compress the nerve that serves most of your hand and fingers.
Heart problems. Rheumatoid arthritis can increase your risk of hardened and blocked arteries, as well as inflammation of the sac that encloses your heart.
Lung disease. People with rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of inflammation and scarring of the lung tissues, which can lead to progressive shortness of breath.

Risk factors

Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic
Factors that may increase your risk of rheumatoid arthritis include:

Your sex. Women are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than men are.
Age. Rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age, but it most commonly begins between the ages of 40 and 60.
Family history. If a member of your family has rheumatoid arthritis, you may have an increased risk of the disease.
Smoking. Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis in some people. Quitting can reduce your risk.

Causes

Causes
By Mayo Clinic
  Osteoarthritis vs rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system attacks the synovium — the lining of the membranes that surround your joints. The resulting inflammation thickens the synovium, which can eventually invade and destroy the cartilage and bone within the joint. The tendons and ligaments that hold the joint together weaken and stretch. Gradually, the joint loses its shape and alignment.

Doctors don't know what starts this process, although a genetic component appears likely. While your genes don't actually cause rheumatoid arthritis, they can make you more susceptible to environmental factors — such as infection with certain viruses and bacteria — that may trigger the disease.

Osteoarthritis vs rheumatoid arthritis

Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, involves the wearing away of the cartilage that caps the bones in your joints. With rheumatoid arthritis, the synovial membrane that protects and lubricates joints becomes inflamed, causing pain and swelling. Joint erosion may follow.

Arthritis of the spine

Osteoarthritis of the spine results in a narrowing of the spaces between the vertebrae. Bone spurs often form. When bone surfaces rub together, the vertebral joints (facets) and areas surrounding the cartilage become inflamed and painful.

Knee arthritis

Knee arthritis can affect one side of the joint more than the other. This X-ray image shows how the cushioning cartilage has worn away, allowing bone to touch bone.

Shoulder straps

Shoulder straps
Avoid suspending the entire weight of a heavy briefcase or purse in your fingers. Use a shoulder strap instead.

Getting up from a chair

Getting up from a chair
Use your legs to help you stand up. If necessary, push off on the arms of the chair or a nearby table with your palms — not your knuckles. Another option is to place your palms on your thighs or knees to push off.

Holding a book

Holding a book
Use your palms to hold an object when you can, such as when reading a book or magazine. This helps you avoid bending the large knuckles of your hand while keeping your finger joints straight. Or try placing reading materials flat on a table or on a pillow in your lap to avoid grasping the items with your hands.

Joint protection for people with hand arthritis By Mayo Clinic staff

Pens and pencils
Larger barrel pens — as well as rubbery grips that can be installed over narrow pens and pencils — can reduce stress on finger and thumb joints. Some pens are designed to be worn on a finger, while others are shaped like a Y so your forefinger can rest on top of the pen.

Bend your fingers

Bend your fingers
Hand exercises may help improve muscle strength and joint range of motion in people who have arthritis. You can do hand exercises daily or, preferably, several times a day. You might find it helps to do hand exercises while soaking your hands in warm water. Know your limitations, though. Hand exercises shouldn't cause pain.

Start your hand exercises by relaxing your hand. Start with your fingers straight and close together. Bend the end and middle joints of your fingers. Keep your wrist and knuckles straight. Moving slowly and smoothly, return your hand to the starting position. Repeat with your other hand. If you can, perform multiple repetitions of this exercise on each hand.

Make a fist

Start with your fingers straight and spread apart. Make a loose, gentle fist and wrap your thumb around the outside of your fingers. Be careful not to squeeze your fingers together too tightly. Moving slowly and smoothly, return to the starting position. Repeat. Perform this exercise with both hands.

Open your hand wide

Open your hand wide
Spread your fingers apart as wide as you can and hold that position. Slowly relax your fingers and bring them together. Return to the open-wide position. Repeat with each hand and gradually increase the number of repetitions.

Touch your fingertips

Touch your fingertips
Straighten your fingers and thumb. Bend your thumb across your palm, touching the tip of your thumb to the pad of your hand just below your pinky finger. If you can't make your thumb touch, just stretch as far as you can. Return your thumb to its starting position, as shown in image 3.

For the next exercise, form the letter O by touching your thumb to each fingertip, as shown in images 4 through 6. Moving slowly and smoothly, touch your index finger to your thumb, then straighten your fingers. Touch your middle finger to your thumb and straighten. Follow with your ring and pinky fingers. Repeat both exercises with your other hand.

Walk your fingers

Walk your fingers
Rest your hand on a flat surface, such as a tabletop, with your palm facing down and your fingers spread slightly apart. Moving one finger at a time, slowly walk your fingers toward your thumb. Start by lifting and moving your index finger toward your thumb. Follow by lifting and moving your middle finger toward your thumb. Proceed with moving your ring finger and then your pinky finger toward your thumb. Don't move your wrist or thumb while doing this exercise. Repeat with your other hand.

Rheumatoid arthritis ...

Rheumatoid arthritis can cause pain, swelling and deformity. As the tissue that lines your joints (synovial membrane) becomes inflamed and thickened, fluid builds up and joints erode and degrade can cause pain, swelling and deformity.

Balance Exercises

Balance Exercises

A daily routine of balance exercises is beneficial for everyone, and it becomes even more important as you get older to help prevent falls and maintain independence. Try some no-sweat exercises to help improve your balance. 

My Trial Run on my own meds.

Ok people as you can see from my pics. that the swelling has gone down i can see my ankles now ...How did i do it ? Well i now take 1 fishoil tab 1200mg (pure fishoil) and 50mg of Zinc together ... after my breakfast everday .. This is my trial combo that seems to be working for me ... and every night i use my massage vibrating pillow on, and under my feet, ankles and the back of my legs ....so lets see how long until my feet swells up again .. Today will make it 5 days without swelling ....

Reasons for smiling and why to smile !!

Smile! It will confuse most people and make others wonder all day why you are smiling.

Waking up finding yourself smiling because things are finally going right.

Loves when I am having a craptastic today and that one person who always makes me laugh calls and I am smiling once again! You know who you are, thank you.

Is smiling...I know why I'm smiling, but would love to know why YOU think I'm smiling!

Smile and make today ridiculously amazing!

I love how one happy thought can keep you smiling all day.

Sometimes it's just good to smile through the pain

U smile, I smile, You're Smiling, I CAN'T STOP SMILING!

As a person who is just starting to live, i have had the ups, the downs & now I'm the one smiling. Life is what I make it, and mines gonna be a good one !

Smiling doesn't always mean everything is coming up roses, but it sure as heck shows the world you're stronger than the thorns.

"Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing, and there is so much to smile about"

If 5 seconds of smile you can make a photograph more beautiful.. then just imagine how beautiful your life will be when you keep on smiling..

Khadene Lalla