Re: New Member - Gail

[Guest guest]

I have recently read a lot about

antibiotic therapy for rheumatoid arthritis and am quite impressed. I haven’t

tried it personally because I am doing well on Methotrexate and Remicade. I

wasn’t able to find clinical trials with Psoriatic Arthritis but I did

find some testimonials for it being as effective for PA as it is for RA. Many

rheumatologists are not familiar with antibiotic therapy and will not use it so

it might take some looking to find the right doctor. For RA it works about

half the time or more for people who are not helped by other RA medications. I

think with your problems in finding good treatment it would be worth looking

for someone who uses this therapy. You might get help from the Road Back

Foundation. God bless.

http://www.roadback.org

-

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

Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2006

9:37 AM

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Subject:

New Member - Gail

Hi everyone. I'm Gail. I've had RA for 30 years. I was

diagnosed at

the age of 16. I was a computer analyst since 1982. Even though I had

a " physically easy on my body " job, the stress in the last ten years

took its toil on me. I finally had to come out of work in August of

2005. I've been sick ever since. At that time, I was on Enbrel

injections twice a week and MTX, along with so much more meds due to

other health problems, (severe sleeping disorder, chronic pain, fibro.,

sjr. syndrone, and now pustular psorasis (spelling ??)). I think I

could have dealt with all of the RA problems, but the psorasis is

excruciating pain (keeps hands and feet raw) and no meds are helping. I

was already battling depression with the RA problems, but now I have no

will to even get out of the bed any more and that is crippling me fast.

I joined this group to hopefully meet people that know what I'm going

through. Unless someone has walked in our shoes, no one can begin to

understand the pain. I am 46 years old and wasn't prepared for

disability at such an early age. I feel extremely guilty because I

feel like a burden to my family. I know there are others out there

that experience these same problems and I'm reaching out for hope.

[Guest guest]

Dear Gail- There must be a medication for the psoriasis. I will research and get back to you.

You should be on an anti depressant and get psychological therapy. Pain does a number on all of us and the mind in particular. Do not feel you are a burden to your family. No one asks for this to happen. It sounds as if you have lead a proactive life even working and that is something I have not been able to do in the course of my disease. Rest as much as you can and remember you are not alone. The greater the measure of your suffering, the more " divine " we become. Such suffering does take its toll and the road seems longer and harder than even before. Hormones can have alot to do with your mental state. You may be experiencing thyroid problems and estrogen dominance or peri menopause which makes RA even more upsetting. Just do something good for yourself every day and though the record of your life may be playing at 17rpm while everyone else is 33 or 78 it is still a life after all. Try creative visualization and listen to your favorite music. Just take one day at a time, one step at a time and one breath after the other. Thats enough for now. Its always been enough and will continue to be enough for you, despite everything. I love to knit. Yet my left hand hates me for that and makes my middle knuckle swell and my fingers stiff. I brace and ace, purshing my body to the limits until I did a mundane thing like turning a sticky hard to turn water faucet knob and now I cant use my left hand at all. Thank god for sports tape. I will go to the ER for a splint and an Xray. When fate decides to remind you just how much you take your hands for granted, something like this happens. Then instead of feeling upset about losing all mobility in my left hand, I am grateful I am right handed and I have to be careful I dont lose function of both. Sounds silly, but now I have a bandaged paw instead of a hand, and I refocus and adapt to this new setback. I curse myself but it doesnt take away the pain or the frustration. Its just a learning process. RA makes you grateful for the smallest things, like working fingers. Two steps back, one step forward. Hugs, Deborah

On 9/10/06, gailspen <gailspen@...> wrote:

Hi everyone. I'm Gail. I've had RA for 30 years. I was diagnosed at the age of 16. I was a computer analyst since 1982. Even though I had a " physically easy on my body " job, the stress in the last ten years took its toil on me. I finally had to come out of work in August of 2005. I've been sick ever since. At that time, I was on Enbrel injections twice a week and MTX, along with so much more meds due to other health problems, (severe sleeping disorder, chronic pain, fibro., sjr. syndrone, and now pustular psorasis (spelling ??)). I think I could have dealt with all of the RA problems, but the psorasis is excruciating pain (keeps hands and feet raw) and no meds are helping. I

was already battling depression with the RA problems, but now I have no will to even get out of the bed any more and that is crippling me fast. I joined this group to hopefully meet people that know what I'm going through. Unless someone has walked in our shoes, no one can begin to understand the pain. I am 46 years old and wasn't prepared for disability at such an early age. I feel extremely guilty because I feel like a burden to my family. I know there are others out there that experience these same problems and I'm reaching out for hope.

[Guest guest]

Hi there Gailspen, I would want you to reconsider how you feel about your family. I mean, I would't think you are a burden to them in any way. I am sure they feel lost on how to help you, I know my family feels this way. (My parents and my sister). I am not married, so they come check on me when I need them to during flares. Have you talked w/ them about your feelings? This is a great support group....Glad to have you here, but not glad you are ill.....just think about this, there is always someone out there worse off then you are. in WVagailspen <gailspen@...> wrote: Hi everyone. I'm Gail. I've had RA for 30 years. I was diagnosed at the age of 16. I was a computer analyst since 1982. Even though I had a "physically easy on my body" job, the stress in the last ten years took its toil on me. I finally had to come out of work in August of 2005. I've been sick ever since. At that time, I was on Enbrel injections twice a week and MTX, along with so much more meds due to other health problems, (severe sleeping disorder, chronic pain, fibro., sjr. syndrone, and now pustular psorasis (spelling ??)). I think I could have dealt with all of the RA problems, but the psorasis is excruciating pain (keeps hands and feet raw) and no meds are helping. I was already battling depression with the RA problems, but

now I have no will to even get out of the bed any more and that is crippling me fast. I joined this group to hopefully meet people that know what I'm going through. Unless someone has walked in our shoes, no one can begin to understand the pain. I am 46 years old and wasn't prepared for disability at such an early age. I feel extremely guilty because I feel like a burden to my family. I know there are others out there that experience these same problems and I'm reaching out for hope.

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