New Member

[Guest guest]

Hi There!

I am new member to this group and have been recently diagnosed with PA

last week. I am 37 years old with no prior medical history. I just

starting my initial treatment which includes medications. I had to

almost force my PCP to give me the referral to a Rhemmy. I believe had

P and then developed PA within 2-3 months time frame. I have back pain,

neck pain, Rt. arm and have developed a problem in my Rt. 1st finger

joint. I am feeling a little better, as I just start with the

medication for a few days. To resolve my symptoms I have been swimming

laps at the YMCA, using heat pads and neck wraps. I find that my

symptoms seem to resolve when I relax. This site offers some really

great information and I am very appreciative of that.

I wanted to inquire if anyone has clear information on the cause of

this disease. I have been told it is known to be genetically pasted,

however I believe it has another cause STRESS. I note this as I had an

increase in my workload, let's call it an overload and then a situation

with another employee, which we can call workplace violence. Please

advise if there are websites or any contacts.

Thanks for making me feel welcome here.

Sherri

[Editor's Note: Welcome, Sherri. No one knows the precise cause of the disease

but studies to date indicate that there is likely a strong genetic component. A

form of the disease, ankylosing spondylitis, IS genetically-based. Stress has

been demonstrated to be dangerous to health generally and to most diseases as

well. Stress does not cause heart disease, but makes it worse. It does not

cause cancer, but makes fighting the disease more difficult. It does not cause

high blood pressure, but elevates it if you have a problem with blood pressure.

It does not cause PA, but it often causes flares (outbreaks) and usually causes

our symptoms to worsen. So, technically, stress does not cause P or PA but for

those of us who have these, it can dramatically worsen our symptoms. Many of us

have high-stress lives and to some extent they cannot be avoided. It is

therefore important that we learn how to cope with stressful situations better.

This means learning relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga, exercise,

anger management, prayer. Many people find it helpful to take a few minutes

every day reading or doing something else they find relaxing. Obviously, it

would be best if we could eliminate stress from our lives but that is not always

possible, so learning how to control and manage stress is the next best thing.

Kathy F.]