Re: family history-CAMI

[Guest guest]

> >

> > > I was diagnosed with Ra in 2003 and have always said no when

> asked if

> > > there is a family history.....one of my friends recently heard

> that

> > > diabetes (which my mum has) can be counted as family history

> does

> > > anyone know anymore about this????

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Lynn,

No. My family physician said my levels were pretty high & he was

100% positive it was RA...that was over a year ago. I'm not exactly

sure which levels he was speaking of...but his specialty is auto-

immune diseases (he's a family practitioner though). I picked him

specifically because of his specialty due to my having MS. Plus, my

x-rays showed severe arthritis in my neck, shoulders and hips

(almost equally on both sides). I have pain on both sides, it's just

my left side always seems to be hit a little harder...it may be the

MS causing the numbness though...usually it affects both sides of

the body as well, but in my case, my neurologist says the lesions

are mainly sticking with the right side of my brain (which is

somewhat unusual)...hence the reason my left side is more weak, etc.

Whenever I get the palsy, it's always my right side of the face...my

neurologist says this goes right along with the lesions being on

that side too...it's just below the neck that the opposite side is

affected. He also said it leaves my left side in a weaker condition

so the RA would have a better chance of successfully attacking it.

My neurologist confirmed the RA diagnosis...he wanted me to see the

rheumy back in February also...I just didn't follow through with my

end of the deal. LOL! Seriously, it was because my husband's

insurance refused to cover it & so I cancelled...that plus I had

stopped having symptoms...LOL!

I did, however, break my back in 1995...stress fracture from a car

wreck. It healed very nicely, but left me with severe pain in my

neck...that's when they discovered the arthritis in my neck

initially. This was before I was even diangosed with MS! It was the

start of the process of diagnosing me properly with the MS. I

had 'weird' things happening on & off for years...I had one doctor

tell me it was all in my head. Finally the neurologist I see now

found the lesions had multiplied during an 8-year period. They had

more than doubled! He started concentrating on testing for MS

because of a combination of the multiple lesions and my family

history. I started having MS symptoms when I was only 17 years old.

I wasn't officially diagnosed until 1996...I was 25. According to my

neurologist, this is a very young age to get a positive diagnosis,

but he strongly believes that children as young as 7 can have

MS...the 'symptoms' just aren't looked at seriously when a child is

that young. That's the reason why no one understood what was wrong

with me when I was a teenager & in my early 20's.

I do not take any medication for the MS as of current. I have a very

slow progressing form & my neurologist & I decided to 'wait' until

the relapses began to happen closer together. I have 'mild' symptoms

everyday, but the true relapses are currently happening

approximately 7 years apart. The side effects of the majority of MS

drugs can outweigh the benefits unless they are truly needed. Right

now I simply don't need them. My Aunt was officially diagnosed with

MS 12 years before she began treatment in the form of med's.

As for the RA, I definitely need med's. My pain is constant & the

fatigue is truly debilitating. One of the things my family doc wants

me to get checked out is if I have developed fibro as well. He

strongly suspects that I have...the achy muscles, small nodules

under the skin (especially in my shoulders & breast/pit areas), etc.

My Mom has fibro. I have a really sick family, huh? LOL!

On a side note - I tried Vicodin (technically it was generic -

Hydrocodone) & it made me REALLY sick! Ugh! Won't take that again -

EVER!! I only took one pill & was up most of the night praying to

the porcelain God!!

So, anyhoo...I WISH I had injured my back! Although that can be a

lifetime battle as well, I still think I'd rather have it than what

I have! LOL!

Cami

> > >

> > > > I was diagnosed with Ra in 2003 and have always said no when

> > asked if

> > > > there is a family history.....one of my friends recently

heard

> > that

> > > > diabetes (which my mum has) can be counted as family history

> > does

> > > > anyone know anymore about this????

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >