Finally have a dignosis, would like to join you all.

December 12, 2006

I have been fighting to get some sort of diagnosis that would explain my

symptoms for over a year. My previous rheumy would not ever give me

anything " official " so I was forced to suffer and only would be given

NSAIDs for relief. NSAIDS do not even touch my symptoms. I have some

weird thing that they do not work. I had surgery and they gave me

Toredol and I woke up screaming in pain...NSAIDs just don't work and my

doc wouldn't believe me. [(:|]

I went back to my primary and got a referral to a different, more

respected rheumatologist. He looked at all my test results and joints

and diagnosed me as sero-negative RA. I am RF negative, but do have

some of the other test markers (Sed rate, white blood count low, low

grade anemia, 18 joints effected, etc...). He put me on 15 mg of

Prednisone for 15 days. It worked for about the first 7 days, but since

then my symptoms have started to return. I go back after the holidays

to work out with him my treatment plan of action. The good news he gave

me is that I have minimal joint damage at this point, so he thinks my

prognosis is very good.

I am 37 years old and have 3 kids aged 7, 3, and 1. I also work full

time as an engineer. I really am looking forward to moving on and

getting some answers and relief.

One thing I wanted to ask you about is recommendations for

antidepressants. During my journey through various docs (hemotolgist,

ENT, endo, etc) to figure out what was wrong I was placed on Paxil (one

of the docs though it was all related to post-partum!). I never really

exhibited signs of depression, but more of over stress (um...yeah, 3

kids, ill all the time, stressful job). I like the fact that the Paxil

takes the edge off and allows me to be more patient with my DH and

kiddos, but think I have read that there may be a better choice for RA.

Is this true? I am on a very low dose (10 mg/ every other day) of the

Paxil, so I wonder if it is just a placebo effect anyway for me?

I look forward to getting to know all of you as we all try and figure

out these diseases!

Oh, I also have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, and had a lumpectomy over the

summer that developed sepsis and ended up off of work for 3 months with

a wound VAC and in and out of the hospital....all related in some way?

I think they are!

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