Welcome, Judy!

[Guest guest]

Hi , Since you have a few Judys, I guess you could signify me by saying

Judy in NJ..... unless other Judys also come from NJ.. As far as the bumps

are concerned, my doctor hasn't said much about them except that I shouldn't

worry. I have looked up symptoms of RA on various sites & the nodules are

something that happens with this disease, but not often. I've had very

painful RA now for over 4yrs. and the only medication that helps so far is

Arthrotec 75. I take two pills a day... one every 12 hrs. and in between I

take Darvocet (or Percocet) on my bad days (mostly every day). Of course, no

medicine actually " takes the pain away " but it makes it tolerable so you can

get through the day. I've not been having good days the past couple of

weeks... the pain is intense & perpetual no matter what pills I've taken and

my right hand (I'm right handed) has been going numb a lot. The doctor said

I also have carpal tunnel syndrome in my right hand & I wear a flexible brace

which helps some. My fingers in the right hand are no longer straight & seem

to be getting worse lately. It makes it difficult to walk with my cane since

my hand goes numb & the frustration of this disease never ends. There are

days when I want to just give in, get a wheelchair and forget about ever

walking again but thank God something stops me and I continue dealing with

it. Sorry if I sound like a crybaby.. I'm sure most of you have it worse

than I do. I'm glad I found this group. Judy in NJ

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group, Judy! We are lucky enough to have several other

nice Judys here, so if you have a nickname or initial that you would

like to use, that would be great.

That's interesting about your nodules. It's unusual to have so many.

What does your doctor make of them? Are you on any medications? How long

have you had RA? Are you RF-positive? Just wondering. Of course, you

need not any answer any of my questions if you'd rather not.

Tell us more about yourself if you would like. And I'm glad you found

us!

Re: [ ] Judy - Re: Need ASAP Advice

> Hi Rainy, They aren't squishy...they're solid but not as hard as

bone.. I

> guess they'd be called nodules. I have them all over my body... my

arms,

> legs, front torso, back.. You really can't see them when looking at me

but if

> you ran your hand over my arm, etc., you'd feel them. On the

underside of my

> upper arms, if I lift them, you can see purple looking bumps under the

skin.

>

> Judy

[Guest guest]

Hi a, I'm in Monmouth County (central NJ)...a few miles from Sandy Hook,

just down the road from the Navisink River. I'll definitely be finding a new

Rheumatologist and will get a referral from my GP. Hopefully there's a good

one in the Health plan. I don't worry too much about the lumps... I've had

them for years. I get a mammogram every year and all is well there. My

oldest son also has these kind of lumps all over (his doctor has also said

not to worry) I understand that I should be vigilant regarding any bumps on

my body and I will have the new doctor check them at my first visit. I

haven't tried Enbrel or Remicade yet. Do they have a detrimentel effect on

the liver? Mine is already slightly compromised from the Arthrotec and how

are those medications on your stomach? I also have to take a prescription

Zantac now. It seems that what's good for the Arthritis is no good for

everything else... Thanks for all your concern. Be well. Judy in NJ

[Guest guest]

Hi Judy in NJ. I'm a from NJ! Are you north or south? I'm south,

outside of Atlantic City.

I was diagnosed with RA while in my early 20's, and I'm now 47. I've

tried most of the medications

for RA, some did nothing, some made me sick and other helped for awhile

and then stopped.

I understand your frustration. When your disease is out of control,

it's very depressing.

I've had nodules form many times, but they were always in or around my

joints. They were hard

and movable. A few I had removed were described as being calcium.

Nodules may be common

with RA, but I've never heard of them being all over the body. Your

doctor's nonchalant attitude

would have me running for another opinion. How CAN you not worry about

them? They aren't on

HIS body, so it's easy for him to say.

If you pain isn't controlled with darvocet, there are many other options

that are available. A good

doctor will treat your disease as well as your pain.

The easy way out is to sit in a wheelchair and give in. You sound like

a fighter, and although it's been

a long 4 years fighting, I hope you don't give up. With so much new

research on the horizon, giving up

is just not an option for us. There are different types of canes

available, some

that would take the pressure off of your hand and wrist and spread it

out to your arm.

Have you tried Enbrel? It's given me a much better quality of life for

4 years. Remicade is another one

that many people here have had great success with when all others failed.

Wishing you a painfree day,

a

[Guest guest]

Judy in NJ, When we're having a bad day or a bad flare, it hurts and it's OK

to be a crybaby every once in awhile. It helps relieve the stress of what

we're dealing with. So go ahead and cry so you can get that behind you this

time and regroup so that you can face tomorrow. Also, know that we're all

cheering you on; GO GIRL GO!!! YOU CAN GET THROUGH THIS DAY.... One day at a

time is how we do it.

Be Blessed,

Becky

[Guest guest]

Hi Judy,

The Remicade, which I am on, is done through an IV at the hospital. The

Enbrel is twice a week injections you give yourself, so these shouldn't mess

with the ole tummy.

~Rainy

Re: [ ] Welcome, Judy!

> Hi a, I'm in Monmouth County (central NJ)...a few miles from Sandy

Hook,

> just down the road from the Navisink River. I'll definitely be finding a

new

> Rheumatologist and will get a referral from my GP. Hopefully there's a

good

> one in the Health plan. I don't worry too much about the lumps... I've

had

> them for years. I get a mammogram every year and all is well there. My

> oldest son also has these kind of lumps all over (his doctor has also said

> not to worry) I understand that I should be vigilant regarding any bumps

on

> my body and I will have the new doctor check them at my first visit. I

> haven't tried Enbrel or Remicade yet. Do they have a detrimentel effect

on

> the liver? Mine is already slightly compromised from the Arthrotec and

how

> are those medications on your stomach? I also have to take a prescription

> Zantac now. It seems that what's good for the Arthritis is no good for

> everything else... Thanks for all your concern. Be well. Judy in NJ

[Guest guest]

Hi Judy. Enbrel is taken by injection twice a week and Remicade is done

by infusion at a medical

facility every 4-6 weeks. Neither is harsh on the liver and since they

bypass the stomach, there are no GI

side effects. Enbrel is not classified as a drug, it is a protein that

blocks the TNF that causes inflammation. The injections aren't bad

with some people complaining of a rash at the injection

site. I had a rash when I first started taking it, but it quickly

stopped. Some people get no benefit

from Enbrel, and others have extremely good results.

You can read about Enbrel:

http://www.enbrel.com

http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/etanercept.htm

Remicade:

http://www.remicade-ra.com/a_remicade_for_ra/a1.html

I am really surprised that you've had RA for 4 years and haven't been

prescribed a DMARD. Arthrotec is just

an anti-inflammatory that controls the inflammation but does nothing to

treat the disease. Here are some links

to articles that explain DMARDS:

http://arthritis.about.com/library/weekly/aa033198.htm

http://www.arthritis.co.za/dmard.html

Early treatment using dmards has shown to slow down the joint erosion.

Have you ever seen your blood test results? Do you know what your sed

rate or crp is?

It's a good idea to ask for copies of your labs to keep for your records.

Have you had your joints x-rayed?

As most of us here have learned, we have to educate ourselves and become

active in our treatment in

order to receive the best care.

a

Judy231300@... wrote:

> Hi a, I'm in Monmouth County (central NJ)...a few miles from

> Sandy Hook,

> just down the road from the Navisink River. I'll definitely be

> finding a new

> Rheumatologist and will get a referral from my GP. Hopefully there's

> a good

> one in the Health plan. I don't worry too much about the lumps...

> I've had

> them for years. I get a mammogram every year and all is well there. My

> oldest son also has these kind of lumps all over (his doctor has also

> said

> not to worry) I understand that I should be vigilant regarding any

> bumps on

> my body and I will have the new doctor check them at my first visit. I

> haven't tried Enbrel or Remicade yet. Do they have a detrimentel

> effect on

> the liver? Mine is already slightly compromised from the Arthrotec

> and how

> are those medications on your stomach? I also have to take a

> prescription

> Zantac now. It seems that what's good for the Arthritis is no good for

> everything else... Thanks for all your concern. Be well. Judy in NJ

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Rainy,

My results with enbrel and remicade are about the same except that I prefer the

enbrel because I am in control of every step. I have a very bad hip still and

bad asthma so can't get myself to the remicade appointments alone. I hate

asking for help and it's one more thing to ask for help with although I agree

the space of time is great.

dat2352@...

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