Dealing with RA as an art student--do any other hand-workers out there use compression gloves or have any home remedies for hand pain?

Hey, I was diagnosed with RA at 11, have a BFA, and am a practicing artist. I've been in/am in your shoes, sort of. My hands aren't majorly effected by my RA, mostly my larger joints. I do have pain in them sometimes when I don't rest enough though. There's one joint that will flare up in my right hand when I overwork myself (I'm right handed). I also have serious problems with my right elbow. It's contracted a bit and so I can't fully extend it. A lifetime of having people tell me to draw from my shoulder though means that I am usually pretty good to go, assuming my meds keep things under control.

My big piece of advice - rest. I didn't load up on classes and so it took me 6 years to finish undergrad. Art classes at my school were 3 credit hours apiece, like most normal classes, but they were always twice as long as most classes. If I'd taken a full course load, I would have exhausted myself.

I was a drawing and painting major and these pencil extenders were extremely helpful. When your pencils get down to nubs and you have a hard time gripping them, they'll save your life.

I also want to 2nd what other posters have said, find a rheumatologist and get off of the NSAIDs! My stomach can't handle them anymore because I've had to take them so often throughout my life. I'm 36 and have intense acid reflux if I take them now. You may have a mild case but you have a lifetime ahead of you and you CAN keep making art if you treat this disease properly. If you've seen pics of older people with disfigured hands, this does not have to be your future. These were people who didn't have access to the great medication that we have now.

Inspiration: Look up Mab Graves. She's an incredible contemporary artist with some sort of rheumatoid arthritis effecting her hands. She talks about it every now and then on Instagram. Also look up Chuck Close. He doesn't have RA but he was paralyzed in the 80's and has kept going, creating incredible work.

/r/rheumatoid Thread