Re: pa sufferer

[Guest guest]

Hi Sheryn,

I know how you feel and it is so difficult. I am 35, married with four kids. I not only have the PA but I suffer from fibromyalgia. In '98 I had major back surgery for degenerative disc disease. I was overweight and to prevent another back surgery, I had a gastric bypass (best thing in the world!). So after thinking I had my life in control, it came crashing down around me when I was diagnosed with the PA and the FMS. I am suffering from depression also. Seems like things get rougher around the holidays too. Just last week I lost my dear mother in law to ovarian cancer. But I know that since I have four kids, I need to make the holiday special for them.

I am here if you need to talk! Take care of yourself and try to have a nice holiday!

D in Minnesota

[Guest guest]

Hi Sheryn

3 months ago I didn't even know PA existed. I have it in my left wrist and

pinky. I am beginning to think the pain in my neck is also part of the PA.

Three weeks ago, I did agree to go on 10mg of Methotrexate in hope to send

this into remission or get rid of it completely. So far, it has not spread

to other joints in my body. I have it exactly where it started. When I

first learned it could be PA I gathered as much information from the internet

that I possibly could. I too went through the crying and the why me's. I

couldn't understand why this is happening to me. I am 49 and have always

been in excellent health and couldn't stand the thought that my left hand

could no longer do the things it did before. I couldn't even carry a glass

of water in it. I couldn't wring out the mop to wash the floor. I couldn't

open a door with my left hand. It killed me to ask for help. This was a

situation I had a hard time dealing with. I, who always, helped everyone

else, now needed help. I read all about nutrition and how rich foods that we

consume helps promote arthritis. I then decided to quit feeling sorry for

myself (I do once in a blue moon allow myself an occasional good cry, but not

very often) I deleted dairy products, red meat, and desserts from my diet.

I eat only fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and chicken. I began taking 2000mg

of ginger per day in capsules for the inflammation and pain. It took about

2 mos. to kick in, but believe it has helped immensely and without any side

effects. I take a multivitamin 3x day, calcium, fish oil capsules and

glucosamine. I went to a chiropractor who has helped restore movement to my

neck . I couldn't even turn my neck to back the car out of the driveway. He

has also worked on my left wrist restoring movement and strength so I can now

open doors and carry things with my left hand. I did acupuncture for the

pain. (it eliminated 80% of the pain, but didn't help with the swelling of my

left pinky) I exercise every morning to keep all my joints moving and

cirulate the blood. This helps me get going every morning. I faithfully do

my hand exercises as this is where my PA is. I do not feel fatiged as I read

most of the people on this website do. I experience pain once in a while, but

it is bearable. I think the diet and vitamins and herbs really help here.

Sometimes the most natural way is the best way. I am concerned about the PA

spreading, therefore, when I read the most aggressive treatment in the early

stages could send it into remission, I decided to try the methotrexate. I

have 2 grown sons, and 3 active grandchildren, so I am going to do anything I

need to do to fight this thing. I won't allow it to consume me. I do

believe a good positive mental attitude is what is needed to fight back. I ,

too, don't know what tomorrow will bring, so I'm enjoying my todays so much

more than I was before the PA. I've learned to appreciate being able to get

out of bed and having my legs carry me wherever I want to go without pain.

All the things I have taken for granted are very important to me now. If you

would like to converse more privately, my email address is

ediemosback@... I wish you well and hope you will find some relief to

your pain.

Edie

CT

[Guest guest]

Hello Sheryn

I am so sorry you are feeling so depressed. I too have been in a lot of pain

this last month and I believe that constant unending pain leads to

depression. My GP has prescribed more pain drugs and antidepressants during

this period than I care to take.

Right when my tunnel was longest and darkest my husband insisted I see his

chiropractor. I was afraid to go there but my next new doctor was going to

be a neurosurgeon--I was even more afraid to go there. Anyway--early this

week was my first visit with the chiropractor and I feel so much better that

it is unbelievable.

I guess my point was that 6 days ago I was too depressed to see the light at

the end of that tunnel. I'm not suggesting Chiropractic is for everyone (I

got my RD OK before I went) but it did help me. Keep trying! You will find

something that works. It may not work forever and it may not work absolutely

but when it is working, it's a great relief.

It's OK to cry. It's OK to scream. It's OK to be mad. It's OK to be

depressed. It's Ok to be tired. It's Ok for the laundry to be undone and

for the dishes to be dirty. Don't worry about it. Just take care of

yourself and keep doing everything you can that may help you get well.

Take care

I'll be thinking of you

Jeanne In Idaho

[Guest guest]

Sheryn - First of all, realize that most of us believe the depression is a

part of PA. You're perfectly justified in feeling depressed from dealing

with the pain as well. I've always found that once I tell myself it's ok for

me to be depressed, that's the first step in coming back out of my " funk " .

Secondly, don't be afraid to ask for your family for help. I'm sure they

want to, they are just not sure what you need and how to be supportive. Let

them know. Sometimes I want to try to do things on my own and sometimes it's

just too much for me. I let my husband know when to come help and when to

let me be. He's very understanding even when I'm short tempered with him, so

I'm very lucky that way.

Finally, this is a rotten disease, and I think we all need to deal with it in

our own way with our own time frame. I know I was at first thinking " this

will just go away " (denial), then " why did this have to happen to me? "

(depression), to " ok, this is here to stay let's make the best of it "

(acceptance) - but we need different amounts of time to work through each

phase.

Hope it gets better for you soon,

[Guest guest]

hi sheryn

just thought i'd drop you a note to let you know you are not alone. i'm 39

years old and have had psoriasis for the past 12 years (hands and feet) and

its getting worse. it is so ugly not to mention itchy and painful!

i was dianosed with 'pa' about 6 mths ago. i started out on vioxx 25mg. a

very little help from that. then added 7.5mg weekly of mtx(orally) in sept.

so no help at all only mouth sores!

3 weeks ago we added enbrel by self injection 2 times a week (which i hate)

but after the first injection i had a 50% reduction in pain. now after 3

weeks about 75% better. so i am hopeful. no help at all with the psoriasis

thought. i think i have tryed every creme on the market so i am getting

discouraged.

well enough for now.

hope you are feeling better

ro

[Guest guest]

Hi Sheryn,

My name is Randy and I'm a 47 year old male from Virginia. First, I want

to

welcome you to this wonderful group. I can assure you that you will

always

find someone to talk to in this group. We have all been exactly where

you

are now and often end up there again, with depression and anxiety. Most

of the doctors don't want to talk about our future and it makes it tough

to

accept the pain and change in life style. But you know, it's absolutely

amazing

how we jump back. Whether you realize it or not, this was a very

positive and

important step you've made by contacting this group. The support and

knowledge

you will receive will have a strong impact on you, as it has me. It will

provide

you with most of what you will need to take control of the situation and

to make

wise choices about dealing with PA. Hang in there, and remember, we will

be

here to chat anytime you want. Happy New Year!!! Randy

kombee@... wrote:

>

> Hello out there

> I have been diagnosed with PA for about 6 months. I am currently on 20

> mg of Methotrexate orally , but I am about to begin injections as I am

> not getting relief at all.

> I would like to talk to others that can understand my pain, which is

> chronic. The pain is concentrated in my hands and wrists, but is also

> in my knees neck and shoulders.Occasionally it shows up in my jaw and

> seems to move around my body, settling in joints for a while then

> moving on.

> I am 36 years old, married with 2 children. Although my family know

> what is going on they don't really know how to help me

> I am really miserable and find the pain very hard to handle I am also

> taking 10mg of prednisolone just to get me through this bad period. my

> rheumy is surprised I haven't had much relief with the current level

> of medication. He has hoped to be able to control it and send it into

> remission and has now explained that it may not happen. The thought of

> spending the rest of my life with this amount of pain is hard to

> accept and I seem to have spent the last 48 hours crying trying to

> accept my condition.

> My emotions are forever on the surface and I know the extra stress is

> not doing me any good

> All I want from anybody who reads this is some regular chatting so

> that I know I am not alone

> I am not normally such a depressing person but it has gotten the

> better of me at the momentand I am having difficulty adjusting to my

> situation

>

> Looking forward to talking to somebody who understands

>

> Sheryn

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Sheryn. Welcome to the group.

I recently found and joined this group and it's one of the best

things I've done. It's wonderful to talk to people who understand

and to know that you're not alone. I'm sure that your family tries

their best to be supportive but they probably don't truly

understand what you're going through, and if you're anything like

me, you probably don't give them the whole story anyway. I seem to

spend almost as much time hiding my pain as I do trying to get rid

of it. (It's no fun complaining all of the time.)

There's lots I want to say to you but for starters I'd like to

tell you to go easy on yourself. Of course you don't want to let

yourself spiral into a deep depression but there's nothing wrong

with a little self-indulgence now and then and there's certainly

nothing wrong with a couple of days of crying if that's what you

feel you need at the time.

You will probably find some way to lessen the pain or at least to

deal with it a bit better but don't rush yourself. You've only had

six months to get used to the idea of having PA. I've known for

years and some people on this list have known for a couple of

decades. I can say with quite a bit of certainty that we all have

our days when we feel overwhelmed and even sorry for ourselves. I

try not to think too much about the rest of my life because that

usually only leads me to depression. Like they say in twelve step

programs, take it one day at a time.

I'm 34 years old and although I was diagnosed with PA in my late

twenties, it's gotten a lot worse over the past few months. I've

changed medications several times already and frankly I still

haven't felt any relief from the anti-inflammatories but I'm still

hopeful. I'm also seeing an osteopath whom I love and I plan to try

accupuncture, hydrotherapy and yoga after that. There are so many

alternatives as well as new medications coming out all the time.

I've personally seen many new medications hit the market in the

years since I was first diagnosed.

As for your emotions being close to the surface, that could be

related to the PA too. From all the postings I've read on this

site, fatigue and depression seem to be common symptoms.

I can tell you from my own experience that the pain lead to very

disruptive sleep and frequent nightmares. During the day I was able

to consciously push the pain to the back of my mind and sometimes

even suppress it. Unfortunately, once I was asleep, I couldn't

maintain this control and it was horrible. No matter how long I

would sleep, I would wake up exhausted.

For me this was the worst part of the disease. When I'm exhausted,

I get depressed and I can't maintian a positive outlook. After a

while I started to spiral and I would frequently burst into tears

while at work. If this is a problem for you, you should discuss it

with your doctor.

My doctor prescribed low doses of Elavil. It's an anti-depressant

when prescribed in higher doses but it has a side-effect of making

you tired so some doctors prescribe it for PA and fibromyalgia

(which I also have). It's working miracles and so far I haven't had

any noticeable side-effects.

I still have better days and worse days but I found it helped me

tremendously to know why I was so exhausted and depressed. Just

knowing that I wasn't alone made me feel better. I hope it does for

you too Sheryn.

I used to feel bad on the days when I couldn't get out of bed. Now

I forgive myself more readily. I try to push myself to get going as

much as possible since lying around tends to make me even more

stiff but when I really can't get going, I just don't.

If this sounds familiar Sheryn, then take this advice. Don't push

yourself too hard and don't be afraid to accept help from people

that offer. When you're feeling up to it, you can repay the favors.

I don't know how old your children are but maybe it's time they

started helping mom out a bit more. You don't have to turn them

into little slaves but there's nothing wrong you asking them to

pull a bit of their own weight (if they aren't already).

One last bit of unsolicited advice before I go: learn to appreciate

the good days, find a way to get through the bad days and don't be

afraid to try different things. It's best to discuss alternatives

with your doctor but if your doc doesn't believe in natural

alteratives, you may want to eventually try a different doctor.

Hang in there Sheryn and welcome again to the group.

Gayle

" Everything works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out, it isn't

the end! "

> Hello out there I have been diagnosed with PA for about 6 months.

> I am currently on 20 mg of Methotrexate orally , but I am about

> to begin injections as I am not getting relief at all.

>

> I would like to talk to others that can understand my pain, which

> is chronic. The pain is concentrated in my hands and wrists, but

> is also in my knees neck and shoulders.Occasionally it shows up

> in my jaw and seems to move around my body, settling in joints

> for a while then moving on.

>

> I am 36 years old, married with 2 children. Although my family

> know what is going on they don't really know how to help me I am

> really miserable and find the pain very hard to handle I am also

> taking 10mg of prednisolone just to get me through this bad

> period. my rheumy is surprised I haven't had much relief with the

> current level of medication. He has hoped to be able to control

> it and send it into remission and has now explained that it may

> not happen. The thought of spending the rest of my life with this

> amount of pain is hard to accept and I seem to have spent the

> last 48 hours crying trying to accept my condition.

>

> My emotions are forever on the surface and I know the extra

> stress is not doing me any good

>

> All I want from anybody who reads this is some regular chatting

> so that I know I am not alone I am not normally such a depressing

> person but it has gotten the better of me at the momentand I am

> having difficulty adjusting to my situation

>

> Looking forward to talking to somebody who understands

>

> Sheryn

[Guest guest]

----I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I am sorry to hear about all that you are going through. We are here to listen anytime. Take care! Love, a

Re: [ ] pa sufferer

Hi Sheryn, I know how you feel and it is so difficult. I am 35, married with four kids. I not only have the PA but I suffer from fibromyalgia. In '98 I had major back surgery for degenerative disc disease. I was overweight and to prevent another back surgery, I had a gastric bypass (best thing in the world!). So after thinking I had my life in control, it came crashing down around me when I was diagnosed with the PA and the FMS. I am suffering from depression also. Seems like things get rougher around the holidays too. Just last week I lost my dear mother in law to ovarian cancer. But I know that since I have four kids, I need to make the holiday special for them. I am here if you need to talk! Take care of yourself and try to have a nice holiday! D in Minnesota

[Guest guest]

Gayle

Thank you for your kind meaningful words of encouragement. You will never know

just how much they meant to me , especially over the holiday period while I was

feeling so so depressed. I have perked up for now (pain is still a constant

reminder

however) Its very hard to come to terms with this horrible disease let alone

having to live it on a daily basis.

My children are 10 & 13 and they already do a lot of things for me around the

house although not to the same standard that I would of course, but i have come

to accept that housework is not all that important on the larger scale of things

and

now I can let things go when I am not feeling good.

I work full time and start work at 7.30 am which is very difficult as mornings

are the worst, but I just do what I can.Luckily I am the manager and my staff

are really supportive and understanding. I already know there will come a time

when I

wont be able to work at the same job any longer as I have already stareted to

reduce my workload because my body wont co- operate sometimes. I have started to

look around for some home based business ideas so I can work at my pace when I

feel

good and slow down when I feel bad

I think you are right saying the fatigue and depression are linked , as I am

exhausted all the time and have no energy at all after a day at work which means

my time off always are spent resting beacause I am too tired to do any thing

else. I

have another 3 weeks of annual holidays that I am having off now I go back to

work on the 29/1 and I am going to use the time for myself Selfish I know but I

deserve it !!!!!

I go back to the rhuemy on the11th and I will mention the depression to him. I

think he has begun to realise the extent of my unhappiness as last time I saw

him(22/12)

all i could do was cry. He is very understanding but of course does not really

know what we go through.

I am so glad I found this group. I feel better already( in myself) and look

forward to talking to you on a regular basis

warmest regards and good health

Sheryn

Gayle Freeman wrote:

> Hi Sheryn. Welcome to the group.

>

> I recently found and joined this group and it's one of the best

> things I've done. It's wonderful to talk to people who understand

> and to know that you're not alone. I'm sure that your family tries

> their best to be supportive but they probably don't truly

> understand what you're going through, and if you're anything like

> me, you probably don't give them the whole story anyway. I seem to

> spend almost as much time hiding my pain as I do trying to get rid

> of it. (It's no fun complaining all of the time.)

>

> There's lots I want to say to you but for starters I'd like to

> tell you to go easy on yourself. Of course you don't want to let

> yourself spiral into a deep depression but there's nothing wrong

> with a little self-indulgence now and then and there's certainly

> nothing wrong with a couple of days of crying if that's what you

> feel you need at the time.

>

> You will probably find some way to lessen the pain or at least to

> deal with it a bit better but don't rush yourself. You've only had

> six months to get used to the idea of having PA. I've known for

> years and some people on this list have known for a couple of

> decades. I can say with quite a bit of certainty that we all have

> our days when we feel overwhelmed and even sorry for ourselves. I

> try not to think too much about the rest of my life because that

> usually only leads me to depression. Like they say in twelve step

> programs, take it one day at a time.

>

> I'm 34 years old and although I was diagnosed with PA in my late

> twenties, it's gotten a lot worse over the past few months. I've

> changed medications several times already and frankly I still

> haven't felt any relief from the anti-inflammatories but I'm still

> hopeful. I'm also seeing an osteopath whom I love and I plan to try

> accupuncture, hydrotherapy and yoga after that. There are so many

> alternatives as well as new medications coming out all the time.

> I've personally seen many new medications hit the market in the

> years since I was first diagnosed.

>

> As for your emotions being close to the surface, that could be

> related to the PA too. From all the postings I've read on this

> site, fatigue and depression seem to be common symptoms.

>

> I can tell you from my own experience that the pain lead to very

> disruptive sleep and frequent nightmares. During the day I was able

> to consciously push the pain to the back of my mind and sometimes

> even suppress it. Unfortunately, once I was asleep, I couldn't

> maintain this control and it was horrible. No matter how long I

> would sleep, I would wake up exhausted.

>

> For me this was the worst part of the disease. When I'm exhausted,

> I get depressed and I can't maintian a positive outlook. After a

> while I started to spiral and I would frequently burst into tears

> while at work. If this is a problem for you, you should discuss it

> with your doctor.

>

> My doctor prescribed low doses of Elavil. It's an anti-depressant

> when prescribed in higher doses but it has a side-effect of making

> you tired so some doctors prescribe it for PA and fibromyalgia

> (which I also have). It's working miracles and so far I haven't had

> any noticeable side-effects.

>

> I still have better days and worse days but I found it helped me

> tremendously to know why I was so exhausted and depressed. Just

> knowing that I wasn't alone made me feel better. I hope it does for

> you too Sheryn.

>

> I used to feel bad on the days when I couldn't get out of bed. Now

> I forgive myself more readily. I try to push myself to get going as

> much as possible since lying around tends to make me even more

> stiff but when I really can't get going, I just don't.

>

> If this sounds familiar Sheryn, then take this advice. Don't push

> yourself too hard and don't be afraid to accept help from people

> that offer. When you're feeling up to it, you can repay the favors.

>

> I don't know how old your children are but maybe it's time they

> started helping mom out a bit more. You don't have to turn them

> into little slaves but there's nothing wrong you asking them to

> pull a bit of their own weight (if they aren't already).

>

> One last bit of unsolicited advice before I go: learn to appreciate

> the good days, find a way to get through the bad days and don't be

> afraid to try different things. It's best to discuss alternatives

> with your doctor but if your doc doesn't believe in natural

> alteratives, you may want to eventually try a different doctor.

>

> Hang in there Sheryn and welcome again to the group.

>

> Gayle

>

> " Everything works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out, it isn't

> the end! "

>

>

> > Hello out there I have been diagnosed with PA for about 6 months.

> > I am currently on 20 mg of Methotrexate orally , but I am about

> > to begin injections as I am not getting relief at all.

> >

> > I would like to talk to others that can understand my pain, which

> > is chronic. The pain is concentrated in my hands and wrists, but

> > is also in my knees neck and shoulders.Occasionally it shows up

> > in my jaw and seems to move around my body, settling in joints

> > for a while then moving on.

> >

> > I am 36 years old, married with 2 children. Although my family

> > know what is going on they don't really know how to help me I am

> > really miserable and find the pain very hard to handle I am also

> > taking 10mg of prednisolone just to get me through this bad

> > period. my rheumy is surprised I haven't had much relief with the

> > current level of medication. He has hoped to be able to control

> > it and send it into remission and has now explained that it may

> > not happen. The thought of spending the rest of my life with this

> > amount of pain is hard to accept and I seem to have spent the

> > last 48 hours crying trying to accept my condition.

> >

> > My emotions are forever on the surface and I know the extra

> > stress is not doing me any good

> >

> > All I want from anybody who reads this is some regular chatting

> > so that I know I am not alone I am not normally such a depressing

> > person but it has gotten the better of me at the momentand I am

> > having difficulty adjusting to my situation

> >

> > Looking forward to talking to somebody who understands

> >

> > Sheryn

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi again Sheryn.

I'm glad if I could help in any way.

I'm happy to hear that your children do help you out around the

house (even if their work is a little below par). The object of the

game is definitely about lowering standards. I used to get down on

my hands and knees and wash all of the floors in my apartment every

weekend even though they were hardly even being walked on. Now I

don't even sweep the floors every week! I've learned to live with a

little more dust and I'm happy when everything's just tidy and

smells nice. If something's important, it's worth fighting for. If

not, it's worth letting go.

I can certainly sympathize with your early morning difficulties. I

have enough trouble getting in before 10:00 a.m. and some days I

can't make it in before noon. Like you, I'm a manager but luckily,

I'm able to flex my time a bit and I find it helps a lot. If I had

to be in early, I think I'd end up calling in sick more often than

I do already. Instead, I just come in later and work later.

I manage programmers and analysts who aren't traditionally

early-birds anyway and I always make sure everyone has enough to do

for the days when I can't make it in. When I'm feeling up to it, I

stay late and catch up a bit but I've also started delegating more

lately and that helps a lot. Generally speaking, the people in my

office have been fabulous. In the beginning I felt so guilty

whenever I had to take time off but then a bunch of people reminded

me that I've been consistently putting in 10-15 hours a week of

unpaid overtime over the past nine years and now it's just my turn

to take a little back in return.

It's great that your manager and staff are supportive. Don't be

afraid to take advantage of that support when you feel you need to.

I know it's difficult to show weakness, especially as a manager but

you can't help what you're going through.

I don't know how much physical activity is involved with your job

but for me the depression was far more debilitating than the

arthritis. It's important that you find a way to deal with your

depression. For me, my pain means that I can't sit all the way

through long meetings and occasionally I miss a day of work

completely. It was the depression that I found devastating and even

incapacitating. During a normal day, I have to make important

decisions, sometimes very quickly and I have a lot of people

looking to me for reassurance. When I'm depressed, I'm weak and I

just can't hide it.

One day (before I started taking the Elavil) I was exhausted and

depressed and one of my coworkers came over to ask me to go out for

lunch. I was already having trouble holding myself together having

just made the difficult decision to break for lunch when he asked

me where I'd like to go. Well that was just the final straw, one

decision too many. I actually started to cry. I think that was the

day that I went into my manager's office and told him I had a

problem and needed to change my working hours. After I used up all

of his tissues, he told me he understood. ;-)

Anyway Sheryn, I think it's important for you to learn your

limitations and work around them but I also think it's important

that you not give up your job too quickly. If your company is

willing to let you change your hours, try that for a while. If

they're willing to let you take on a smaller load, try that too.

If you can reduce your hours or work alternate days, great. Maybe

next year it would be a good idea to use some of your vacation days

to take Wednesdays off and split up the long work week.

Anything that relieves the stress is a good thing but don't give up

completely until you've experimented with alternatives. For one

thing, I think it's important to have an excuse to get up and get

dressed in the morning (even though it can be hell getting out of

bed). A sedentary lifestyle is likely to make things worse. As hard

as I work, I really don't think I'd have the discipline to get out

of bed every day if I was working for myself. I think it would be

far too easy for me to roll over and go back to sleep every day if

no one was waiting for me at the office. Besides, I think it helps

me a lot to come and interact with people outside of family and

friends. My coworkers have been an excellent source of support and

I wouldn't want to give that up unless I absolutely had to.

As for your using your vacation for yourself, good for you! So what

if it's a bit selfish. I'm sure if (heaven forbid) your husband or

one of your kids was ill, you wouldn't think twice about using your

vacation to stay home and care for them. Why should you feel

selfish about taking care of yourself. (I hereby officially absolve

you of all guilt feelings for the next 27 days. ;-)

Now, I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome Marcie, AJoyce

and all the other new members to the group and to wish everyone a

Happy New Year! Never have I been so happy to see a year end as I

was this New Year's Eve. Here's hoping that all problems went out

with the year 2000 and that 2001 brings health and happiness to all

of us.

Best wishes and best of luck,

Gayle

" Everything works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out, it isn't

the end! "

> Gayle

> Thank you for your kind meaningful words of encouragement. You

> will never know just how much they meant to me , especially over

> the holiday period while I was feeling so so depressed. I have

> perked up for now (pain is still a constant reminder however) Its

> very hard to come to terms with this horrible disease let alone

> having to live it on a daily basis.

>

> My children are 10 & 13 and they already do a lot of things for

> me around the house although not to the same standard that I

> would of course, but i have come to accept that housework is not

> all that important on the larger scale of things and now I can

> let things go when I am not feeling good.

>

> I work full time and start work at 7.30 am which is very

> difficult as mornings are the worst, but I just do what I can.

> Luckily I am the manager and my staff are really supportive and

> understanding. I already know there will come a time when I

> wont be able to work at the same job any longer as I have already

> stareted to reduce my workload because my body wont co- operate

> sometimes. I have started to look around for some home based

> business ideas so I can work at my pace when I feel good and

> slow down when I feel bad

>

> I think you are right saying the fatigue and depression are

> linked , as I am exhausted all the time and have no energy at all

> after a day at work which means my time off always are spent

> resting beacause I am too tired to do any thing else. I have

> another 3 weeks of annual holidays that I am having off now I

> go back to work on the 29/1 and I am going to use the time for

> myself Selfish I know but I deserve it !!!!!

>

> I go back to the rhuemy on the11th and I will mention the

> depression to him. I think he has begun to realise the extent of

> my unhappiness as last time I saw him(22/12) all i could do was

> cry. He is very understanding but of course does not really know

> what we go through.

>

> I am so glad I found this group. I feel better already( in

> myself) and look forward to talking to you on a regular basis

> warmest regards and good health

> Sheryn

[Guest guest]

Eddie,

Welcome to the fight! I'ts not that bad when you know what you are

doing! I've had PA for 4 years (A is worse that P) and it also came

out of the Blue.

I'm curious about you diet. If you have more information send it

along.

I'm off of MTX and taking 25MG of Vioxx daily along with Arthritis

strength Tylenol. Try swimming 1-2 times per week and get some

magnets. In the winter, I put them on to aliviate the stiffness and

they work great. However, you need to buy some that you can put

directly on your skin with athletic tape. Hope this helps

> Hi Sheryn

>

> 3 months ago I didn't even know PA existed. I have it in my left

wrist and

> pinky. I am beginning to think the pain in my neck is also part of

the PA.

> Three weeks ago, I did agree to go on 10mg of Methotrexate in hope

to send

> this into remission or get rid of it completely. So far, it has

not spread

> to other joints in my body. I have it exactly where it started.

When I

> first learned it could be PA I gathered as much information from

the internet

> that I possibly could. I too went through the crying and the why

me's. I

> couldn't understand why this is happening to me. I am 49 and have

always

> been in excellent health and couldn't stand the thought that my

left hand

> could no longer do the things it did before. I couldn't even carry

a glass

> of water in it. I couldn't wring out the mop to wash the floor. I

couldn't

> open a door with my left hand. It killed me to ask for help. This

was a

> situation I had a hard time dealing with. I, who always, helped

everyone

> else, now needed help. I read all about nutrition and how rich

foods that we

> consume helps promote arthritis. I then decided to quit feeling

sorry for

> myself (I do once in a blue moon allow myself an occasional good

cry, but not

> very often) I deleted dairy products, red meat, and desserts from

my diet.

> I eat only fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and chicken. I began

taking 2000mg

> of ginger per day in capsules for the inflammation and pain. It

took about

> 2 mos. to kick in, but believe it has helped immensely and without

any side

> effects. I take a multivitamin 3x day, calcium, fish oil capsules

and

> glucosamine. I went to a chiropractor who has helped restore

movement to my

> neck . I couldn't even turn my neck to back the car out of the

driveway. He

> has also worked on my left wrist restoring movement and strength so

I can now

> open doors and carry things with my left hand. I did acupuncture

for the

> pain. (it eliminated 80% of the pain, but didn't help with the

swelling of my

> left pinky) I exercise every morning to keep all my joints moving

and

> cirulate the blood. This helps me get going every morning. I

faithfully do

> my hand exercises as this is where my PA is. I do not feel fatiged

as I read

> most of the people on this website do. I experience pain once in a

while, but

> it is bearable. I think the diet and vitamins and herbs really help

here.

> Sometimes the most natural way is the best way. I am concerned

about the PA

> spreading, therefore, when I read the most aggressive treatment in

the early

> stages could send it into remission, I decided to try the

methotrexate. I

> have 2 grown sons, and 3 active grandchildren, so I am going to do

anything I

> need to do to fight this thing. I won't allow it to consume me. I

do

> believe a good positive mental attitude is what is needed to fight

back. I ,

> too, don't know what tomorrow will bring, so I'm enjoying my todays

so much

> more than I was before the PA. I've learned to appreciate being

able to get

> out of bed and having my legs carry me wherever I want to go

without pain.

> All the things I have taken for granted are very important to me

now. If you

> would like to converse more privately, my email address is

> ediemosback@a... I wish you well and hope you will find some

relief to

> your pain.

>

> Edie

> CT