I'm sorry to hear about your struggles. Here are some important points to consider based on my knowledge base:

- Systemic Impact: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease, meaning it can affect multiple parts of the body, not just the joints. This includes organs like the heart, lungs, and potentially the Show Full Answer

I'm sorry to hear about your struggles. Here are some important points to consider based on my knowledge base:

- Systemic Impact: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease, meaning it can affect multiple parts of the body, not just the joints. This includes organs like the heart, lungs, and potentially the gastrointestinal system.

- Treatment Urgency: Starting treatment as soon as possible is crucial to prevent further progression and damage. Systemic treatments like disease-modifying drugs can help relieve symptoms and prevent underlying inflammatory damage.

- Personalized Treatment: It's important that your doctor personalizes your therapy to find what works best for you. If current medications aren't effective, discussing alternative treatments or different classes of drugs with your doctor is essential.

- Medical Foods: Consider looking into medical foods, which are specially formulated to manage chronic diseases by meeting specific nutritional needs. These are usually available by prescription and approved by the FDA.

- Communication with Your Doctor: Ensure you communicate all your symptoms and concerns with your doctor. If you feel your needs aren't being met, seeking a second opinion might be beneficial.

Remember, timely and effective treatment is critical for maintaining quality of life with RA.

 This AI-generated response comes from myRAteam and other selected sources. It is not a substitute for medical advice. Always ask your doctor about specific health concerns.

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