Questions

[Guest guest]

Leah,

Do you have joint swelling? I dont know anything

about Lyme, but unfortunatly I know a lot about long

crying nights from RA pain. IF you infact do have RA,

they will most likely put you on something like oral

steroids (probably prednisone) to bring it back under

control. After that they will start looking into long

term treatment options to find something that works

for you. In the meantime they will also work on

finding what works for you for pain managment. I hope

that you have something over the counter for pain that

is also an anti-inflammatory that will hopefully offer

you atleast a little relief (Tylonal, Ibuprofen, etc.)

I feel so bad that you are in so much pain Leah. Hang

in there, answers will be coming. When do you talk to

a doctor again?

Wishing

you well,

--- leah <leah131@...> wrote:

> Hi all:

> I was crying last night because it hurt so much I

> mean my joints

> and whole body hurts. They are checking me for lyme

> disease and

> rheumatiod arthritis. If I got this what do they do

> for it? Does it

> sound like I have RA?

> Take Care all.

> Leah

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Leah wrote: I was crying last night because it hurt so much I mean my

joints

and whole body hurts. They are checking me for lyme disease and

rheumatiod arthritis. If I got this what do they do for it? Does it

sound like I have RA?

Ardeith writes: Honey, crying won't help, and getting emotionally upset

will just make matters worse.......and make you hurt more. You've got to

try to stay cool... stay calm, no matter how much it hurts. Yes, I've been

there too....so I'm not telling you to do something impossible.

I'm a bit surprised your doctors did not give you a script for a pain

reliever of some type.......while they do the tests to try to find out what

is going on in your body.

My mother was diagnosed with RA back in the 50's....and couldn't even

tolerate aspirin. Cortisone was a popular arthritis drug in those days, but

she couldn't take it.....made her violently ill.....it was volcanc, I kid

you not. She had an enormous amount of damage during all those years

before they finally put her on methotrexate ....which gave her some relief

after some forty years of the disease. She had a peculiar intolerance for

many medicines. When she had her knees replaced, the doctor " prescribed " a

shot of whiskey for pain.....and the nurses kept a bottle at their station

and brought her the shot when she asked for it. I don't know if it really

helped her pain, but Mama was a cheap drunk.....one shot and she was flying

and didn't care what hurt.

In her later years I told her I had finally figured out why she read so

much.....she was escaping from the pain into the books......she admitted it.

I find I do the same thing.

Maybe you can't get lost in a book......but before you get so worked up you

start crying and cause yourself even more pain......try taking a hot shower,

lighting a candle and maybe some incense, and put on some really mellow

music. Try to let your mind float away on the flickering light, whisps of

scent, and the sound.

If you are trying to force yourself to keep doing whatever....washing

dishes, dusting, cleaning floors, sorting laundry......stop it. You are

just adding to your pain by pushing yourself that way.

You might also try some gentle....I said GENTLE....flexing exercise of the

joints that are hurting......do you live in a complex that has a hottub? Or

a warm swimming pool? Floating in water is wonderful for relieving stress

on your joints......I indulge whenever I can.....despite being quite

overweight.....other people can just look somewhere else if they don't like

fat ladies......

Ardy

[Guest guest]

Wow Trish,

I've had RA for 7 years and have never been givin

this heads up. This group really is priceless. I will

start these changes today.

Thanks,

--- trish@... wrote:

> Leah,

>

> You need to change your diet.

>

> If you eat a lot of sweets STOP. If you drink alot

> of sodas STOP.

>

> Cut out all sugars and bleached flour and all

> chocolate.

>

> If you eat a lot of the above Items and stop them

> right now. You will

> experience some relief by your third day.

>

> You may also want to cut out green peppers and

> tomatoes because in some

> people these vegetables set their arthritis off to

> hurting.

>

> Also increase your intake of water to 3 quarts a

> day. This will lubricate

> the joints and help relieve the pain in the joints.

>

> I know all this works because I was RXed in my 30s

> with RA and I am now 50

> and I am not on meds. I am on the diet I mentioned

> above and I take

> vitamins/supplements. I have no symptoms at this

> time of RA. But when I go

> on a cruise and eat a lot of the

> deserts..............my joints swell and I

> am in sooo much pain. So then i go home and get back

> on my diet and drink

> lots and lots of water and take extra

> vitamins/supplements that target my

> joints and I am back to normal in 3 days.

>

> I hope you feel better soon.

> ((gentle hugs))

> Trish

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Leah,

that is just great that you do not have lyme disease or RA. I am so happy for you.

let us know what the doctor says when you go in tomorrow.

Trish

----- Original Message -----

From: Leah

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 6:21 PM

Subject: RE: Questions

My blood work came back fine. I go back to see the doctor tomorrow as I'm still hurting. I have been hurting since last tuesday.

LeahHarold Van Tuyl <hvantuyl@...> wrote:

You don’t say how long your joints have been hurting but if it is less than six weeks it would probably not be diagnosed with RA. It could be a lot of things including some type of flu. Some doctors would prescribe Prednisone for quick relief from the symptoms of RA in case that is what you have and also it might help with diagnosis. I doubt that any doctor would prescribe a real RA medication this early unless you have several other symptoms. Let us know when you get more information. God bless.

From: Rheumatoid Arthritis [mailto:Rheumatoid Arthritis ] On Behalf Of leahSent: Sunday, May 14, 2006 5:14 PMRheumatoid Arthritis Subject: Questions

Hi all: I was crying last night because it hurt so much I mean my joints and whole body hurts. They are checking me for lyme disease and rheumatiod arthritis. If I got this what do they do for it? Does it sound like I have RA?Take Care all. Leah

[Guest guest]

Trish, What do you think could be wrong then? Leahtrish@... wrote: Leah, that is just great that you do not have lyme disease or RA. I am so happy for you. let us know what the doctor says when you go in tomorrow. Trish ----- Original Message ----- From: Leah Rheumatoid Arthritis Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 6:21 PM Subject: RE: Questions My blood work came back fine. I go back to see the doctor tomorrow as I'm still hurting. I have been hurting since last tuesday. LeahHarold Van Tuyl <hvantuyl@...> wrote: You don’t say how long your joints have been hurting but if it is less than six weeks it would probably not be diagnosed with RA. It could be a lot of things including some type of flu. Some

doctors would prescribe Prednisone for quick relief from the symptoms of RA in case that is what you have and also it might help with diagnosis. I doubt that any doctor would prescribe a real RA medication this early unless you have several other symptoms. Let us know when you get more information. God bless. From: Rheumatoid Arthritis [mailto:Rheumatoid Arthritis ] On Behalf Of leahSent: Sunday, May 14, 2006 5:14 PMRheumatoid Arthritis Subject: Questions Hi all: I was crying last night because it hurt so much I mean my joints and whole body hurts. They

are checking me for lyme disease and rheumatiod arthritis. If I got this what do they do for it? Does it sound like I have RA?Take Care all. Leah

[Guest guest]

Leah,

I don't know.....sorry.

Trish

----- Original Message -----

From: Leah

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 6:38 PM

Subject: Re: Questions

Trish,

What do you think could be wrong then? Leahtrish@... wrote:

Leah,

that is just great that you do not have lyme disease or RA. I am so happy for you.

let us know what the doctor says when you go in tomorrow.

Trish

----- Original Message -----

From: Leah

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 6:21 PM

Subject: RE: Questions

My blood work came back fine. I go back to see the doctor tomorrow as I'm still hurting. I have been hurting since last tuesday.

LeahHarold Van Tuyl <hvantuyl@...> wrote:

You don’t say how long your joints have been hurting but if it is less than six weeks it would probably not be diagnosed with RA. It could be a lot of things including some type of flu. Some doctors would prescribe Prednisone for quick relief from the symptoms of RA in case that is what you have and also it might help with diagnosis. I doubt that any doctor would prescribe a real RA medication this early unless you have several other symptoms. Let us know when you get more information. God bless.

From: Rheumatoid Arthritis [mailto:Rheumatoid Arthritis ] On Behalf Of leahSent: Sunday, May 14, 2006 5:14 PMRheumatoid Arthritis Subject: Questions

Hi all: I was crying last night because it hurt so much I mean my joints and whole body hurts. They are checking me for lyme disease and rheumatiod arthritis. If I got this what do they do for it? Does it sound like I have RA?Take Care all. Leah

[Guest guest]

For some people it takes months or maybe

even years for a positive diagnosis, and even then it may change with

time. No lab test can either prove or disprove RA. Many people

diagnosed with RA have no indications in their lab work and in my opinion there

are many others with RA but not diagnosed with it because of lab work.

There are seven criteria established by the American College

of Rheumatology for diagnosing RA and because RA can be so variable they only

require any four for a positive diagnosis. One is blood work, one is

x-rays, and the others are patient history and doctor’s

examination. You could even miss one more criterion for RA and still be

diagnosed with the disease. The criteria are:

RA Criteria (Any 4 qualify for positive diagnosis)

1. Morning stiffness, lasting for at least an hour, present daily for

at least 6 weeks

2. Arthritis of 3 or more joints, lasting for at least 6 weeks

3. Arthritis of the hand joints, lasting for at least 6 weeks

4. Symmetric arthritis, lasting for at least 6 weeks

5. Rheumatoid nodules

6. Positive rheumatoid factor (blood test)

7. Joint changes on x-ray

There is another type of arthritis called “Reactive

Arthritis” and indeed there are over 100 different kinds of arthritis.

Maybe you have one of the other kinds of arthritis, or it still could be

something else. God bless.

http://arthritis.about.com/od/diseasesandconditions/

(post about the types of arthritis)

From: Rheumatoid Arthritis [mailto:Rheumatoid Arthritis ] On Behalf Of Leah

Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 3:21 PM

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Subject: RE:

Questions

My blood work came back fine. I go back to see the doctor tomorrow as

I'm still hurting. I have been hurting since last tuesday.

Leah

[Guest guest]

Hello guys, I am new in RA. I have just known that I have it since April 2006. My doctor prescribed me Methotrexate 12.5 mlg weekly with 1 pill folic acid. I have many questions concerning this disease. First does the medicine stop attacking the joints? What about the already attacked ones? On the long run, what shall I expect? How does it affect me sexually? Concerning alcohols? How can I know that the medicine is working well? I am from Egypt and this disease is not well common. Thank you very much, mostafa.

Love cheap thrills? Enjoy PC-to-Phone calls to 30+ countries for just 2¢/min with Messenger with Voice.

[Guest guest]

That may be the answer for some people, but certainly not all. I

don't eat sweets at all, I don't use sugar, I don't drink soda, and

I don't eat refined or highly processed carbohydrates. This is the

way I have eaten for a number of years. I was dx'd with RH in late

Jan., so certainly these food items did not cause or even contribute

to my RA.

I do sometimes eat tomatoes and/or peppers, but have seen no

corrolation between when I eat those foods and the severity of my

symptoms.

I'm new to RA, but I've been doing a lot of reading. From what I've

read, dietary changes are a factor that seem to worsen symptoms for

a few people, but there is no scientific evidence that diet causes

or even worsens RA in the majority of people. If there is any

scientific evidence thatsupports the idea of dietary causes I'd love

to read about them.

>

> Leah,

>

> You need to change your diet.

>

> If you eat a lot of sweets STOP. If you drink alot of sodas STOP.

>

> Cut out all sugars and bleached flour and all chocolate.

>

> If you eat a lot of the above Items and stop them right now. You

will

> experience some relief by your third day.

>

> You may also want to cut out green peppers and tomatoes because in

some

> people these vegetables set their arthritis off to hurting.

>

> Also increase your intake of water to 3 quarts a day. This will

lubricate

> the joints and help relieve the pain in the joints.

>

> I know all this works because I was RXed in my 30s with RA and I

am now 50

> and I am not on meds. I am on the diet I mentioned above and I

take

> vitamins/supplements. I have no symptoms at this time of RA. But

when I go

> on a cruise and eat a lot of the deserts..............my joints

swell and I

> am in sooo much pain. So then i go home and get back on my diet

and drink

> lots and lots of water and take extra vitamins/supplements that

target my

> joints and I am back to normal in 3 days.

>

> I hope you feel better soon.

> ((gentle hugs))

> Trish

>

[Guest guest]

http://bastyrcenter.org/content/view/358/

Here’s one link that reports a

particular clinical trial. Note that the 16 people who dropped out of the

controlled diet study probably did not have any benefit so instead of 9 out of

22 it was more likely 9 out of 38 or 24% who benefited. There is no way

to have a placebo-controlled group and they should report what the placebo

effect would be expected to be. It’s very hard to interpret results

like this but it is very likely that some people benefited from the diet while

more people did not benefit from the diet.

I got this link by Googling rheumatoid

diet “clinical trial” and got a lot of hits. You might want

to try the same thing to see other results. God bless.

From: Rheumatoid Arthritis [mailto:Rheumatoid Arthritis ] On Behalf Of Randall

Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 11:51

AM

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Subject:

Re: Questions

That may be the answer for some people, but certainly not all. I

don't eat sweets at all, I don't use sugar, I don't drink soda, and

I don't eat refined or highly processed carbohydrates. This is the

way I have eaten for a number of years. I was dx'd with RH in late

Jan., so certainly these food items did not cause or even contribute

to my RA.

I do sometimes eat tomatoes and/or peppers, but have seen no

corrolation between when I eat those foods and the severity of my

symptoms.

I'm new to RA, but I've been doing a lot of reading. From what I've

read, dietary changes are a factor that seem to worsen symptoms for

a few people, but there is no scientific evidence that diet causes

or even worsens RA in the majority of people. If there is any

scientific evidence thatsupports the idea of dietary causes I'd love

to read about them.

>

> Leah,

>

> You need to change your diet.

>

> If you eat a lot of sweets STOP. If you drink alot of sodas STOP.

>

> Cut out all sugars and bleached flour and all chocolate.

>

> If you eat a lot of the above Items and stop them right now. You

will

> experience some relief by your third day.

>

> You may also want to cut out green peppers and tomatoes because in

some

> people these vegetables set their arthritis off to hurting.

>

> Also increase your intake of water to 3 quarts a day. This will

lubricate

> the joints and help relieve the pain in the joints.

>

> I know all this works because I was RXed in my 30s with RA and I

am now 50

> and I am not on meds. I am on the diet I mentioned above and I

take

> vitamins/supplements. I have no symptoms at this time of RA. But

when I go

> on a cruise and eat a lot of the deserts..............my joints

swell and I

> am in sooo much pain. So then i go home and get back on my diet

and drink

> lots and lots of water and take extra vitamins/supplements that

target my

> joints and I am back to normal in 3 days.

>

> I hope you feel better soon.

> ((gentle hugs))

> Trish

>

[Guest guest]

I answered another of your posts so this

is additional information.  Some medicines are known as Disease-Modifying

Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) and the ones I listed in my other post are all

DMARDs that are intended to slow or stop the damage to the joints.  So far

nothing will reverse the damage that already occurs. 

I talked about what to expect and

childbearing in my other post.  Let us know if you want more information.

Many RA medications affect the liver and

so does alcohol.  Most of us get blood tests to check our liver function every

few months and if it remains good many of us will have a drink or two each week

but stop if our liver starts to show signs of problems.  Doctors vary greatly

but most would prefer that we use no alcohol.  If we pursue the matter they

often will allow a drink a week and perhaps a couple on special occasions, but

would  prefer that we abstain.  I haven’t had a drink since starting

Methotrexate over 4 years ago.

It’s hard to tell if the medicine is

working well because it takes so long to become effective and the disease

itself can be more or less active at different times.  What I look for is a few

months with manageable effects from the disease and then I try to cut back on

my medications to see if all of the medicine is really needed.  The way I see

it is that none of the medications are really good for us but the RA is even

worse so I have to choose the lesser of evils. 

I’m not medically trained but I do

have experience with RA and I hear from others on message boards so I hope my

information is reasonably accurate.  I’ll be happy to provide more

information if you like.  God bless.

Harold

From: Rheumatoid Arthritis [mailto:Rheumatoid Arthritis ] On Behalf Of Mostafa Ameen

Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 11:32

PM

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Subject:

Questions

Hello guys,

I am new in RA. I have just known that I have it since April 2006. My

doctor prescribed me Methotrexate 12.5 mlg weekly with 1 pill folic acid.

I have many questions concerning this disease. First does the medicine

stop attacking the joints? What about the already attacked ones? On the long

run, what shall I expect? How does it affect me sexually? Concerning alcohols?

How can I know that the medicine is working well?

I am from Egypt

and this disease is not well common.

Thank you very much,

mostafa.

Love cheap thrills? Enjoy

PC-to-Phone calls

to 30+ countries for just 2¢/min with Messenger with Voice.

[Guest guest]

Mostafa,

I'm sorry you have this disease at such a young age. I was 38 when I

was diagnosed. I take 20 mg (8 pills of 2.5mg each) of Methotrexate

once a week. Also, I am currently taking 1-2 Hydroxycholoroquine

pills a day. I'd been taking 2 each day for 2 1/2 years, but I'm

trying to go off them slowly. My doctor wanted me to try, but said

it's up to me and stay on them if I end-up hurting.

It took several months for the pain to be manageable once I started

taking meds. I can remember not being able to sleep at night due to

the pain and need to grab ahold of my dresser or a wall to be able

to stand-up. My ankle, wrists and fingers were swollen and hurt all

the time. The worst night was when I got up to take a hot bath to

help the pain and then couldn't get out of the bathtub. It took me

an hour to get out.

Now, I normally don't have any pain. I do have my right ankle and

one finger that swell-up once in a while and they hurt for a day or

two. Overall, I can do everything I need to do with limitations if

my ankle is swollen. Heck, we just got back from Disneyland and I

was walking around for 8-10 hours each day without any problems.

Each person is different as far as what meds work and what pain they

have daily. I hope you find meds that work soon and that you can

return to a normal lifestyle.

I don't know if you are male or female. As Harold mentioned, you

can't take certain meds if you are trying to conceive, preg, or

nursing. That would be my biggest concern if I were you and wanting

to have children. Dh and I are going to try to adopt since we want

another child. If I were younger, I might try changing meds in order

to have a child by birth. I know there are several women in this

group that were your age or younger when diagnosed with RA who had

children by birth. It can be done.

Good luck!

Jean