Guest guest Posted September 7, 2005 Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 I started meth last week in April. Lucky to say I've never experienced any bad side effects. Doc started me on 4 pills a week (injectionable wasn't available for some reason), I did have a flare in a toe on my left foot where I had never had a problem before. A week later the toe symptoms subsided and were completely gone within in four. He bumped me up to 6 pills a week after 4 weeks. No problems there. Went up to 8 pills after 8 weeks. My stomach hurt. I attributed this to the meth so I increased my folic acid to 6 pills a day, the day before and the day after I took the meth. Never had another stomach symptom. I still take 2 folic acid pills a day other than the days I take 6. This has worked wonders for me. I could tell a difference after the first week I started the meth, but wasn't till the second week of 8 pills that I can say I felt GOOD. Been on 8 pills a week for several weeks now and plan to continue the same for long term until something changes. My joints (hips, shoulders, & si) were so inflexible because I went so many years without treatment that I have SEVERE atrophy. It's only now that I feel I can excersize and build my strength back. Before meth, any type of exercise excaserbated inflammation. As for the fatigue never had any because of meth. If anything my experience has been that the meth has eliminated the fatigue so common with pa. I hope your experience with meth will be as good as mine. Just a thought on what I think I have done to minimize my PA as much as I have... 1)avoid any type of contrived diet, I just stay away from the foods I know I'm allergic to- dark chocolate, milk, eggs, peanut butter, nuts, pepper, and ginger. I can have all of these in very small quantities with no major promblem. A glass of milk a day for a week, p on scalp springs up and itches like crazy. Two or three days off milk, p gone. 2)may sound funny, but don't use soap. Kills my skin. I use generic form of Oil of Olay squeezable body wash (think it lacks an ingredient called sodium laurel sulfate that soap does have). Yellow bottle has shea butter; it's very soothing. If I use soap two or three times to wash my hands over the course of a day or two, skin is very painfully soar. I don't really use lotion because my skin feels like it is suffocating. Curious to know if anyone else had this feeling??? 3)don't exercise. This is a catch 22. No real exercise leads to atrophy which can exacerbate joint problems, but I really try to avoid using any one joint too much and think I fair much better this way than if I did exercise (believe me I've tried everything from swimming and yoga to weights and toning). Michele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2005 Report Share Posted September 12, 2005 > I started meth last week in April. Lucky to say I've never > experienced any bad side effects. > > Doc started me on 4 pills a week (injectionable wasn't available for > some reason), I did have a flare in a toe on my left foot where I > had never had a problem before. A week later the toe symptoms > subsided and were completely gone within in four. > > He bumped me up to 6 pills a week after 4 weeks. No problems there. > Went up to 8 pills after 8 weeks. My stomach hurt. I attributed this > to the meth so I increased my folic acid to 6 pills a day, the day > before and the day after I took the meth. Never had another stomach > symptom. I still take 2 folic acid pills a day other than the days I > take 6. This has worked wonders for me. > > I could tell a difference after the first week I started the meth, > but wasn't till the second week of 8 pills that I can say I felt > GOOD. Been on 8 pills a week for several weeks now and plan to > continue the same for long term until something changes. > > My joints (hips, shoulders, & si) were so inflexible because I went > so many years without treatment that I have SEVERE atrophy. It's > only now that I feel I can excersize and build my strength back. > Before meth, any type of exercise excaserbated inflammation. > > As for the fatigue never had any because of meth. If anything my > experience has been that the meth has eliminated the fatigue so > common with pa. > > I hope your experience with meth will be as good as mine. > > Just a thought on what I think I have done to minimize my PA as much > as I have... > > 1)avoid any type of contrived diet, I just stay away from the foods > I know I'm allergic to- dark chocolate, milk, eggs, peanut butter, > nuts, pepper, and ginger. I can have all of these in very small > quantities with no major promblem. A glass of milk a day for a week, > p on scalp springs up and itches like crazy. Two or three days off > milk, p gone. > > 2)may sound funny, but don't use soap. Kills my skin. I use generic > form of Oil of Olay squeezable body wash (think it lacks an > ingredient called sodium laurel sulfate that soap does have). Yellow > bottle has shea butter; it's very soothing. If I use soap two or > three times to wash my hands over the course of a day or two, skin > is very painfully soar. I don't really use lotion because my skin > feels like it is suffocating. Curious to know if anyone else had > this feeling??? > > 3)don't exercise. This is a catch 22. No real exercise leads to > atrophy which can exacerbate joint problems, but I really try to > avoid using any one joint too much and think I fair much better this > way than if I did exercise (believe me I've tried everything from > swimming and yoga to weights and toning). > > Michele Hey, How are you? As you know I started methotrexate in the beginning of Aug. The one thing my rhumey told me was that it would do absolutely nothing for my sacroiliac joints. I have sacroilitis on both sides. When you refer to si, is that what you are referring to, the sacroiliac joints. Debbie in NY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 In a message dated 9/13/2005 6:26:09 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, lildebfin@... writes: The one thing my rhumey told me was that it would do absolutely nothing for my sacroiliac joints. I have sacroilitis on both sides. When you refer to si, is that what you are referring to, the sacroiliac joints. Debbie, in my experience, the ONLY thing that has really worked for my SI joints and cervical spine is physical therapy (stretching and pilates type exercises, heat, TENS), and making sure that I do things that get fluid between the vertebrae (lack of fluid exacerbates the inflammation and increases pain). Some great ways to do that: pilates exercises that spread out the vertebrae, sitting on an exercise ball which forces your spine to stay in constant motion to stay on balance which increases fluid, traction at the physical therapy office or in a pool with ankle weights... Hope that helps, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 , thank you for the advice. I want so much to do some sort of exercise. I am so uncomfortable, and I really have no energy. But I have to try. I went to physical therapy for my neck, it is feeling better. I also had heat and cold therapy and ultrasound therapy on my si joints, it was a temporay relief. Thanks... Debbie > > In a message dated 9/13/2005 6:26:09 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, > lildebfin@a... writes: > > The one thing my rhumey told me was that it would do > absolutely nothing for my sacroiliac joints. I have sacroilitis on > both sides. When you refer to si, is that what you are referring to, > the sacroiliac joints. > > > Debbie, in my experience, the ONLY thing that has really worked for my SI > joints and cervical spine is physical therapy (stretching and pilates type > exercises, heat, TENS), and making sure that I do things that get fluid between > the vertebrae (lack of fluid exacerbates the inflammation and increases pain). > Some great ways to do that: pilates exercises that spread out the > vertebrae, sitting on an exercise ball which forces your spine to stay in constant > motion to stay on balance which increases fluid, traction at the physical > therapy office or in a pool with ankle weights... > > Hope that helps, > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 16, 2005 Report Share Posted September 16, 2005 In a message dated 9/16/2005 6:13:07 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, lildebfin@... writes: I went to physical therapy for my neck, it is feeling better. Hey Debbie, one more thing about physical therapy...if you tell them that your goals are to improve your strength and flexibility, and then to develop an exercise plan that will help to manage the arthritis long-term, they will set you up with a strengthening and then a maintenance plan, vs. just helping with the " complaint of the day " ...it was my rheumy who told me to tell the PT that, and it made a big difference in terms of the ongoing exercise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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