Re: Reactive Arthritis Info-need some input

[Guest guest]

Saw this on my RISG list today.

Though the other site I have been a member of longest has an AS name, it has

lots who have symptoms like yours and we welcome all who have pain or are

interested in loved ones with the pains and symptoms. The address for that

one is kickAS.com. There is a HUGE (2800) member board, but there is also a

smaller strictly womens group associated with it. If you don't want to join,

you might want to go to the site and see what you can learn, as the

educational part used to be open to everyone and you didn't have to join.

If you haven't been blood tested, ask your doc for the test for the genetic

marker HLA-B27 though there is a small percentage who are sero negative and

have all of the symptoms.

I am not 100% clear on the difference between reactive and AS, but have been

told all sorts of things which are supposedly different, most say that AS is

a more difficult and permanent form of ReA. From what I know all ASers I

know of started out with something(s) like what you went through to get to

ReA and then AS.

While I hope you don't have it, often it helps to have the diagnosis to get

docs, insurance companies etc., to treat you seriously instead of like

IAIYH(So many of us on the AS site developed this to abbreviate what docs

usually tell us when we are doubled over in pain and they are too lazy to

look for the real reason we are that way.)

It's good to see that you are looking for answers instead of being a

victime. Not to say that I ever thought you are, but so many seem to want to

claim victim status and not try to work to make things better as they can

be. It takes lots of mental strength and determination to get things even

partly figured out. Yes I have been called stubborn. [ig headed, pit bull

etc., etc. but I usually get more of the job done than ppl who say 'I can't'

Yeah I'm a bit of a mess but I have a sense of humor about it and when ppl

want to give me negative labels about my determination, I usually get the

last laugh, one way or the other.

Love and hugs and I hope you find what you need to get better. Often the

answers come in the strangest packages. Mine has been in finding that

pollution in GA contributes HUGELY to my pain levels. Going from N GA to

middle GA and back in the same day--through Atlanta--takes a while to get

over.( A sacrifice move to the UP has helped me more than anything else

excpet diet and cp meds--methadone--YIKES and I used to never even take an

aspirin for a headache)

Diet is a majopr factor in my pain levels. I had to find out what affects me

nagatively in that area.

I also am worse in allegy season--when all of the year round allergies pile

on top of the ragweed or grass pollens or tree pollens--OUCH!!

[Guest guest]

Hi Anne,

Thanks for your response. Can you tell me what brought on your

colitis? Was it a random thing, or did something specific cause it,

such as in my case?

I have the colitis pretty much under control now, to where most

doctors would consider it IBS than anything, but for those first 2

months, I was extremely ill. I could barely eat anything, and

whatever I did manage to eat went straight through me. I lived on

bagels and Lipton noodle soup the whole time because that is all my

stomach could tolerate. My c. difficile and ova and bacterium tests

came back negative, so the doctor was never quite sure how to treat

it, other than with acidophilus and plenty of fluids. I eventually

did some homeopathic things on my own that got the toxins out of my

body.

But now, after the program I watched last night, I can't help but

wonder....did the 2 months of colitis do some damage that I wasn't

expecting? I definitely have the low back/hip/SI joint problems,

and my chiropractor has a hard time getting an adjustment from my

middle back down. My legs hurt a lot of the time, primarily my

knees. But having Fibro and tendonitis as well, it's hard to know

which is causing what pain. I take Bextra, but it doesn't seem to

help anymore.

My immune system isn't really low, but then again, I take a lot of

supplements to protect my immune system already since I have Fibro.

But before I started on supplements, I caught everything that went

around, and then some. By the way, is the mucous thinner you are

taking made from cherry bark?

I would really be interested to know if Reactive Arthritis actually

could be caused by the bout of colitis I had, even if it was

antibiotic induced. And is it possible for it to be induced by a

severe drug reaction? I feel like there is something more going on

than just the Fibro and tendonitis, but I just don't know what.

Thanks again!

Jen

[Guest guest]

I responded to a group discussion about my bout with intestinal problems

recently but I can't remember if this is the one or not. Seems all of us are

having these sorts of problems.

Anyway a few years back there was nothing wrong with me for 8 months till I

asked the doc about it and she said I needed a neurotransmitter that wasn't

working. Within 2 days of adding it, I was back on the road again though I

had been unable to leave the house for that many months.

It's amazing what a tiny amount of a chemical in the body can do one way or

another.

My dad had the same symptoms in the last few months of his life. Though he

had a deficiency of the same neuro transmitter as I did, his was from a

massive liver tumor. Really weird to me.

in GA