My post on RA pain symptoms is quite popular. So here is a slightly expanded version.
Beyond the pain, which is dreadful at times, there is a great deal of heat involved. Every joint is too warm, fevers abound. I will have times of sweating to the point it drips off of the hair on my head, soaked blankets, drenched clothes...all while sitting or lying in bed. I may change pajamas three times in a night.
Nausea comes with the pain and fevers. If the fever begins to abate, the nausea lightens. Pretty much you are in miserable pain that makes even a wrinkled sheet feel like a knife blade while having the worst of influenza. There is an overwhelming exhaustion with this higher level of pain. Pain is exhausting to the body according the medical personal I have spoken to. Also, because my body is out to kill my joints, there is an "infection" raging in my body at all times. The exhaustion one has with a really bad case of flu or a bad infection---the same I have.
When I was first sick, I managed to work for a little while. Then the exhaustion and nausea began to build, and build, and build. Then I slept for months...lost 35 pounds in six weeks because I could not eat anything.
The medications I take (or can take) to "control" RA work by trying to stop these overzealous cells from killing my body. When they work, I am in less pain, which in turn makes me less nauseated, less tired.
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