Re: Hello, I'm new here: Very long post with introduction

[Guest guest]

Welcome cookiediva,

I sent you a little email, just a big welcome to you!!! Tawny

> Hi Everyone:

> I just joined your group today. Here's a little history on me.

> Auto-immune diseases run in my immediate family. My mom was

> diagnosed with RA about 46 years ago. She has it in every joint in

> her body and has been completely disabled for more than 10 years.

> She is, to say the very least, an extreme case. My bothers suffer

> from psoriasis, gout, and RA.

>

> Up until 2 and a half years ago I had led a healthy life. One

> morning I woke up and had a massive swelling on my right knee. It

> came out of the blue. I was meeting up with my best friends from

> high school that day and joked that if this was an indication of

> what 40 was like (we were all turning 40 that year) then I didn't

> want any part of it. Within 3 days of the initial swelling (like a

> goose egg) I developed extreme swelling from my shin to my thigh.

I

> was unable to bend my leg or bear any weight on it. I went on sick

> leave from work and underwent a battery of tests (blood, x-ray,

mri,

> bone scans, ultra-sound) all of them showing nothing abnormal other

> than elevate ESR and ANA levels.

>

> In the past 2 and half years I've been treated by various rheum's,

> immunologists, and orthopeadic surgeons and none of them could

> figure out what was wrong. My life changed drastically since I had

> limited range of motion and mobility.

>

> Last month I went in for exploratory arthroscopic surgery. At my

> follow-up appt. the surgeon said that everything in my knee looked

> very good other than a bit of rough cartilidge, which he cleaned

> up. Tissue samples were sent for examination and the pathologist

> reported that I do have RA.

>

> I'm happy that there has been no damage to my knees yet but need to

> now follow-up with my rheum. I'm thinking of pursuing methotrexate

> treatments at this time to help prevent future damage.

>

> Any thoughts, opinions, experiences would be greatly appreciated.

>

> I'm very glad I found this group.

>

> Sorry for the long message.

>

> cd100

[Guest guest]

Welcome cookiediva,

I sent you a little email, just a big welcome to you!!! Tawny

> Hi Everyone:

> I just joined your group today. Here's a little history on me.

> Auto-immune diseases run in my immediate family. My mom was

> diagnosed with RA about 46 years ago. She has it in every joint in

> her body and has been completely disabled for more than 10 years.

> She is, to say the very least, an extreme case. My bothers suffer

> from psoriasis, gout, and RA.

>

> Up until 2 and a half years ago I had led a healthy life. One

> morning I woke up and had a massive swelling on my right knee. It

> came out of the blue. I was meeting up with my best friends from

> high school that day and joked that if this was an indication of

> what 40 was like (we were all turning 40 that year) then I didn't

> want any part of it. Within 3 days of the initial swelling (like a

> goose egg) I developed extreme swelling from my shin to my thigh.

I

> was unable to bend my leg or bear any weight on it. I went on sick

> leave from work and underwent a battery of tests (blood, x-ray,

mri,

> bone scans, ultra-sound) all of them showing nothing abnormal other

> than elevate ESR and ANA levels.

>

> In the past 2 and half years I've been treated by various rheum's,

> immunologists, and orthopeadic surgeons and none of them could

> figure out what was wrong. My life changed drastically since I had

> limited range of motion and mobility.

>

> Last month I went in for exploratory arthroscopic surgery. At my

> follow-up appt. the surgeon said that everything in my knee looked

> very good other than a bit of rough cartilidge, which he cleaned

> up. Tissue samples were sent for examination and the pathologist

> reported that I do have RA.

>

> I'm happy that there has been no damage to my knees yet but need to

> now follow-up with my rheum. I'm thinking of pursuing methotrexate

> treatments at this time to help prevent future damage.

>

> Any thoughts, opinions, experiences would be greatly appreciated.

>

> I'm very glad I found this group.

>

> Sorry for the long message.

>

> cd100

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group, cd100!

Sorry about your diagnosis and about your mother and brothers, too.

Methotrexate is an excellent DMARD. The combination of MTX with one of the

biologics (Enbrel, Remicade, or Humira) is even better.

a's site has a great roundup of information on the medications used to

treat RA:

http://rheumatoid.arthritis.freehosting.net/drugs.html

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[ ] Hello, I'm new here: Very long post with introduction

> Hi Everyone:

> I just joined your group today. Here's a little history on me.

> Auto-immune diseases run in my immediate family. My mom was

> diagnosed with RA about 46 years ago. She has it in every joint in

> her body and has been completely disabled for more than 10 years.

> She is, to say the very least, an extreme case. My bothers suffer

> from psoriasis, gout, and RA.

>

> Up until 2 and a half years ago I had led a healthy life. One

> morning I woke up and had a massive swelling on my right knee. It

> came out of the blue. I was meeting up with my best friends from

> high school that day and joked that if this was an indication of

> what 40 was like (we were all turning 40 that year) then I didn't

> want any part of it. Within 3 days of the initial swelling (like a

> goose egg) I developed extreme swelling from my shin to my thigh. I

> was unable to bend my leg or bear any weight on it. I went on sick

> leave from work and underwent a battery of tests (blood, x-ray, mri,

> bone scans, ultra-sound) all of them showing nothing abnormal other

> than elevate ESR and ANA levels.

>

> In the past 2 and half years I've been treated by various rheum's,

> immunologists, and orthopeadic surgeons and none of them could

> figure out what was wrong. My life changed drastically since I had

> limited range of motion and mobility.

>

> Last month I went in for exploratory arthroscopic surgery. At my

> follow-up appt. the surgeon said that everything in my knee looked

> very good other than a bit of rough cartilidge, which he cleaned

> up. Tissue samples were sent for examination and the pathologist

> reported that I do have RA.

>

> I'm happy that there has been no damage to my knees yet but need to

> now follow-up with my rheum. I'm thinking of pursuing methotrexate

> treatments at this time to help prevent future damage.

>

> Any thoughts, opinions, experiences would be greatly appreciated.

>

> I'm very glad I found this group.

>

> Sorry for the long message.

>

> cd100

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group, cd100!

Sorry about your diagnosis and about your mother and brothers, too.

Methotrexate is an excellent DMARD. The combination of MTX with one of the

biologics (Enbrel, Remicade, or Humira) is even better.

a's site has a great roundup of information on the medications used to

treat RA:

http://rheumatoid.arthritis.freehosting.net/drugs.html

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[ ] Hello, I'm new here: Very long post with introduction

> Hi Everyone:

> I just joined your group today. Here's a little history on me.

> Auto-immune diseases run in my immediate family. My mom was

> diagnosed with RA about 46 years ago. She has it in every joint in

> her body and has been completely disabled for more than 10 years.

> She is, to say the very least, an extreme case. My bothers suffer

> from psoriasis, gout, and RA.

>

> Up until 2 and a half years ago I had led a healthy life. One

> morning I woke up and had a massive swelling on my right knee. It

> came out of the blue. I was meeting up with my best friends from

> high school that day and joked that if this was an indication of

> what 40 was like (we were all turning 40 that year) then I didn't

> want any part of it. Within 3 days of the initial swelling (like a

> goose egg) I developed extreme swelling from my shin to my thigh. I

> was unable to bend my leg or bear any weight on it. I went on sick

> leave from work and underwent a battery of tests (blood, x-ray, mri,

> bone scans, ultra-sound) all of them showing nothing abnormal other

> than elevate ESR and ANA levels.

>

> In the past 2 and half years I've been treated by various rheum's,

> immunologists, and orthopeadic surgeons and none of them could

> figure out what was wrong. My life changed drastically since I had

> limited range of motion and mobility.

>

> Last month I went in for exploratory arthroscopic surgery. At my

> follow-up appt. the surgeon said that everything in my knee looked

> very good other than a bit of rough cartilidge, which he cleaned

> up. Tissue samples were sent for examination and the pathologist

> reported that I do have RA.

>

> I'm happy that there has been no damage to my knees yet but need to

> now follow-up with my rheum. I'm thinking of pursuing methotrexate

> treatments at this time to help prevent future damage.

>

> Any thoughts, opinions, experiences would be greatly appreciated.

>

> I'm very glad I found this group.

>

> Sorry for the long message.

>

> cd100