Guest guest Posted June 29, 1999 Report Share Posted June 29, 1999 Hi Diane I haven't needed cortisone shots since I have been on a DMARD. First one was Gold shots and now Methotrexate. When a toe or finger, and it was usually one at a time, was swollen and painful for a long period of time and it was obvious the anti-inflammatory was not going to take care of it, my RD would decide to inject it. For me,not everyone has the same result, it was always immediate relief and lasted for a good period of time. My first RD never injected a very swollen pinky and it is now very deformed. More than one or two injections in the same joint is not recommended. When I started having more than a joint here and there swollen and painful she started the DMARD. The injection is a quick sharp pain but its over before you know it and for me was always worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 1999 Report Share Posted June 29, 1999 I tried it once... I had high hopes for it as I had an instant reaction -- nervous shock, as they call it-- and almost passed out from the novelty of it, but after that, it didn't seem to help me at all....but everyone's different, so it's worth a try. I'm also on Indocin right now and have been on Sulf before...as with all DMARDS so far, they've not helped me at all -- the NSAIDS at least help with mobility (till they lose efficacy). Try everything, cause with this disease, what works for onr person might not work for another, and what helps could be what you've not yet considered. I've had PA since 1987 and, although it's mild compared to some other's here, I've tried everything I could read about to see if it would help... DMARDS, NSAIDS, accupuncture, homeopathy, biofeedback (didn't get to try that for very long though) corticosteroids.... those that worked for me could not be used long term without great risk (corticosteroids, and possibly NSAIDS) so I'm always looking for another approach. Give it a try, and good luck. Mike Targa99@... on 29/06/99 13:44:47 Please respond to onelist onelist cc: (bcc: Daehnick/Boulder/IBM) Subject: [ ] alternative meds? From: Targa99@... I was wondering if anyone has tried acupuncture or chiropractic? My PA is mainly in my toes and ankle but recently I'm having pain between my thumb and index finger. I'm on Indocin and Sulfasalazine. Should my RM be treating me more aggressively? I haven't told him about my hand and I'm not scheduled for another appointment till August. We sent me for blood work but didn't request a sed rate. Is that unusual or am I too new to the disease for this test? I've only suffered since the fall of '98. Should I be requesting cortisone shots too? I had several shots in my heel from my podiatrist before my diagnosis and they seemed to help but I've been told that the shots may make the pain worse in years to come. I can't exercise anymore and now I'm going thru menopause at age 44. Can we try Xenical? Thanks- Diane --------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 1999 Report Share Posted July 8, 1999 I have just recently started treatments (2 months now) from a very good alternative medicine clinic in Sacramento. They are a group of physicians and specialists, including one herbal medicine / acupuncturist. This is the first time I have really used alternative treatments under a doctor's orders. (I have tried lots of over the counter stuff and herbal remedies on my own before.) Anyway, the jury is still out on this one. I can say that, so far, no improvement in PA or psoriasis. I am continuing my routine daily Imuran 50 mg and occasional cortisone shots and monthly blood tests as ordered by my Rheum. for PA as well as various topicals prescribed by my Derm. for psoriasis. The alt. med Rx has been very interesting to me and I am fascinated with the things that I have been asked to do and the things the Dr has checked: vitamin absorption, reactions to allergens, viruses, fungus, molds, etc., etc. This clinic is very big on the Diet for Your Type stuff. The books are in every office. I have been using the diet: I am blood type A so that means no sugar, no meat, no dairy, and no glucose. Needless to say, I have lost weight and generally feel healthier since I started this diet. In addition, the Dr. has given me a number of homeopathic Rx and I have had some special cleansing treatments for the liver and other systems. I don't think these treatments have hurt me any, but I can't tell if they have helped either. One of them is a fast with several glasses of mineral oil mixed with water and epsom salts over a 24 hour perios. That one is supposed to remove gall stones from the liver. It sounds like a good idea, but I don't know if it really works or not. In addition, he gives me weekly acupunture treatments. Although there is no evidence to indicate that any treatment cures PA or P, I thought it was worth it to try alternative medical treatments before going on to stronger traditional drug therapy. My liver enzymes are already on the high side, even though I don't drink alcohol, so the Rheum. keeps a close eye on them. Kelley Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 12:44 -0700 (PDT) From: Targa99@... onelist Reply-to: onelist Delivered-to: mailing list onelist Mailing-List: list onelist; contact -owneronelist List-Unsubscribe: <mailto: -unsubscribeONElist> Subject: [ ] alternative meds? From: Targa99@... I was wondering if anyone has tried acupuncture or chiropractic? My PA is mainly in my toes and ankle but recently I'm having pain between my thumb and index finger. I'm on Indocin and Sulfasalazine. Should my RM be treating me more aggressively? I haven't told him about my hand and I'm not scheduled for another appointment till August. We sent me for blood work but didn't request a sed rate. Is that unusual or am I too new to the disease for this test? I've only suffered since the fall of '98. Should I be requesting cortisone shots too? I had several shots in my heel from my podiatrist before my diagnosis and they seemed to help but I've been told that the shots may make the pain worse in years to come. I can't exercise anymore and now I'm going thru menopause at age 44. Can we try Xenical? Thanks- Diane --------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 1999 Report Share Posted July 8, 1999 , I just wanted to share a bit of info that you may consider trying. It may or may not help you, but it seems to be helping me a bunch. My Rheumy sent me to UC Stanford early this year for second opinions about my PA. The specialist took one look at my psoriasis, and suggested that I start UVB light treatments as soon as I got home. He felt that controlling the psoriasis may help calm the PA. Either he was right, or it was just the right timing but after having used UVB ( and an occasional application of Dovonex) my psoriasis is nearly gone, and as far as aches and pains go......I wish I could say that they are completely gone, BUT, I can honestly say that I haven't felt this good in years. The only noticeable stiffness and pain that I have remaining is in my fingers. By the way, is Dr Weisner your Rheumy? When I lived near Sac. I went to him. He is a great Dr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 9, 1999 Report Share Posted July 9, 1999 , I was interested in alternative methods as well in the beginning. When I talked it over with my Rheum. he poo pooed the idea saying that it could conflict with my drug therapy. Have you encountered any reaction from your dr. as well? Dez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 9, 1999 Report Share Posted July 9, 1999 Thanks, Neil. I have already had 3 rounds of UVB treatment and 3 rounds of Dovonex. The first time for each worked great: almost complete clearing of P for about 6 months. But subsequent rounds were a waste of time for me. The Dovonex didn't do anything more than plain Vaseline the 2nd time. I developed hypersensitivity to the light box treatments the 2nd & 3rd rounds: even very low dosages for very short periods of time gave me a " hives " effect: itching all over like crazy so bad I had to take Benadryl just to survive. Just for the heck of it, I thought I would try a traditional tanning box treatment 3 x week in August, since they are usually a lot less potent than the prescriptive UVB I was getting at Kaiser. If nothing else, I will get a nice tan. As far as PA is concerned, I guess I am lucky that I can still endure it and function with NSAIDs, so far. Kelley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 9, 1999 Report Share Posted July 9, 1999 Reply to : Interesting discussion... perhaps more philosophical, spiritual or ethical than anything else. Maybe it has to do with faith or a positive attitude? Having worked for a major HMO for 7 years as a medical peer review analyst, I am aware of prevalent MD opinions and attitudes: if it is not covered by insurance and it doesn't involve prescriptions or surgery or hospital treatments, they don't usually approve and frequently consider alternative medical treatments quackery. Although traditional MD attitudes can change, I don't have time to wait that long. So, to answer your question, I don't expect the HMO to endorse my alternative treatments: I pay for them out of pocket. My Rheum. is a traditional conservative MD and she does a good job at what she knows about. My alternative medical clinic is also good at what they do. Yes, it is possible that the treatments could conflict, especially if I stopped taking my HMO prescriptions. The effects of the alternative homeopathic meds, diets, etc. are not normally detected by traditional lab tests. However, my liver enzyme counts have dropped closer to normal since I started this alternative treatment & diet regime. I don't think there are any clinical studies that justify alternative treatments. Some studies indicate certain diet factors can aggravate P & PA, and some diet factors may help for some % of the population. Beyond that, the traditional MD is not likely to endorse anything not covered in med school. On the other hand, some people with cancer have had some success with alternative therapies when traditional treatments have failed. And, Western MDs don't know everything. I have to believe that at least some things done by Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture were effective for some of the people over the last 3 thousand years. I know of at least one person who was " deathly ill " but could not be diagnosed by an MD and who got much better after a few days of treatment by her alternative medical practitioner. Coincidence? Don't know... but maybe worth testing / trying. Some people claim magnets help arthritis... they don't work for me, but they do for my daughter. Who is to say until clinical trials are conducted and accepted by JAMA? At any rate, I am not taking anything that could cause a potential adverse drug reaction or that would be contraindicated by current medical literature. My Rheum just shrugs her shoulders. But thanks for asking. Kelley Date: Fri, 09 Jul 1999 08:44 -0700 (PDT) From: Stimson <directgrafx@...> Organization: Admin Kit Investigator onelist Reply-to: onelist Delivered-to: mailing list onelist Mailing-List: list onelist; contact -owneronelist List-Unsubscribe: <mailto: -unsubscribeONElist> Subject: Re: [ ] alternative meds? From: Stimson <directgrafx@...> , I was interested in alternative methods as well in the beginning. When I talked it over with my Rheum. he poo pooed the idea saying that it could conflict with my drug therapy. Have you encountered any reaction from your dr. as well? Dez --------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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