Tendon issues are kicking my butt!

I'm back on Enbrel and Arava after my Xeljanz experiment. 2 weeks now, and my joints are doing significantly better. My tendons are improved about 25%.

I exercised gently in the pool yesterday, and I was hoping I wouldn't flare afterwards because of my current meds, but lo and behold, my joints are fine but my tendons are letting me know all about how much they didn't like it. The tendon flare is pretty horrible (understatement).

Does anyone have where their joints improve but tendons don't?

Does this mean my disease is simply active in a new way, and I need even MORE powerful meds to tamp down on the tendon inflammation?

Tendon pain is kicking my butt right now :(

No not necessarily, you could be getting better actually. Is it tendons or is it Enthesitis?

It's enthesitis, definitely. In what way could this signal that I'm getting better?

I'd like to remove all my tendons in an at-home impromptu surgery right about now :)

It takes my enthesitis longer to get better than my joints. Some of it has to do with my new and improved range of motion, which means my body (and therefore muscles and tendons) are moving differently, stretching more, etc.

Glad to hear that you are now getting some improvement, and fast too. Tendon inflammation does seem to take longer sometimes to clear up than joints. But I'll tell you, when I switched to leflunomide from MTX, it was only a month before I realized just how well I was feeling (other than the runs).

The Arava also gives me that same lovely side effect. I don't care though, because it DEFINITELY helps me.

Good to know nym and Stoney that the enthesitis might still improve, that it just might take longer.

Stoney said:

Glad to hear that you are now getting some improvement, and fast too. Tendon inflammation does seem to take longer sometimes to clear up than joints. But I'll tell you, when I switched to leflunomide from MTX, it was only a month before I realized just how well I was feeling (other than the runs).

Just so you know, my rheumy decreased me to every other day. I'm not doing quite as well as on every day, but the diarrhea is more manageable now. Not gone, just less frequent. I haven't found that sweet spot yet, of minimal fatigue and inflammation, and little or no side effects.



What is the difference between tendons or enthesitis? tntlamb said:

No not necessarily, you could be getting better actually. Is it tendons or is it Enthesitis?