RE: Re: Question regarding full body bone scan for rheumatoid arthritis

[Guest guest]

Dear Kathy- Have you tried Remicade.  It isnt mentioned.  I have hyperthyroid due to the RA, hot nodes on the thyroid glands.  I wonder what your T3 and T4 are?  If you havent tried Remicade, I would try.  Also, stress can be a very BIG factor in your disease.  You have to find a relaxing release.  Maybe a hobby like knitting, or recreational reading.  I would strongly suggest you consider the possibility of applying for disability.  If you get laid off from work especially.  As long as you have a corroborated medical history, a disability lawyer can go to the law judge and petition for disability.  You can state that the stress from working is causing a worsening in your disease and the fact that most meds are not working means you are running out of options so I would urge you to consider it.  A consultation with a Disability Lawyer means you can explore your options here.  Your monthly amount of SSDI is calculated by the number of work credits which may be much more than you would think.  Depending on how long you have had the disease, your benefits may be retroactive from the day you were diagnosed.  Having a Rheumatologist and Primary Care means they can attest to how your job affects your disease and how it has a negative impact.  Do consider remicade.  Give yourself plenty of time to regroup and work on getting your disease under control.  Your Rheumatologist can state as to when he thought your disease became worse because of your job.  Alot of people dont know they have the SSDI option.  If you do get laid off etc, medical benefits may or may not be included.  Depending on your income and assets you may quality for enhanced medical benefits from both the government and the state.  If you have daily difficulty in doing any mundane task, like buttons on a shirt or turning a door knob, or kneeling and bending etc are diminished, it means it is definitely a sign your body needs you to listen.  Yours, Deborah

On Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 7:13 PM, kathy_d87 <kathy_d87@...> wrote:

 

Thanks /, Harold, and Deborah. I just received a phone call from the MRI place setting up my bone scan for Monday. And as you stated //Harold, it will require the injection of the dye to take the scan.

It sounds very similar to when I was diagnosed with and treated with Graves disease and the doctor took pictures of my thyroid with radioactive iodine.

Deborah -

I have used several drugs and biologics. Currently I'm using prednisone and plaquenil. The drugs that have failed: Celebrex, Vioxx, Methotrexate (by injection), Humira, and the latest Enbrel. I'm getting by on prednisone dose packs when the swelling and inflammation gets too bad to handle. And now my bursitis in my left hip has decided to team up with my RA to kick my butt.

The doctor is now trying to decide if he should try another biologic such as simponi, or orencia, or go in the direction of a clinical trial. My doctor's PA wants to try Remicade, but Methotrexate doesn't work for me.

In the past I've been against a clincial, trial, but now, I'm open for anything.

With my job being very stressful--workng 50 - 60 hour weeks, plus the possiblity of layoffs looming, my stress level is off the charts and it's showing in my labs--high SED Rate, high CRP, and my anemia has gotten worse. But the good news is that I'm still seronegative which explains why the disease is probably not showing in my joints, just my labs.

I'll keep everyone posted. Thanks again for the help,

Kathy

>

> Begging Deborah's pardon, usually the bone scan ordered by a rheumatologist (scintigraphy) is looking for inflammation, which it will reveal. It can also detect subtle fractures, infection or cancer. See below:

>

> There are two kinds of bone scans. One tests bone density and is used to diagnose osteoporosis, a condition in which the bones become weak and brittle. The other, known as scintigraphy, is used to discover the site of a stress fracture or the presence of arthritis, infection, or bone cancer.

[Guest guest]

Hi Kathy, FYI -- you absolutely can take Remicade without MTX!! I'm on it now. I took MTX for almost 10 years with Remicade but now I'm trying to get pregnant so I stopped MTX in June 09. Take care,Steph~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: kathy_d87 <kathy_d87@...>Subject: Re: Question regarding full body bone scan for rheumatoid arthritisRheumatoid Arthritis Date: Saturday, January 30, 2010, 7:09

PM

Had my bone scan Monday, 1-1/2 hour on a narrow hard table (ouch)--just waiting on the results now. Waiting is the hardest.

No, I cannot take Remicade because I can't take Methotrexate. The rheumy said you cannot take Remicade without Methotrexate. I failed injectable methotrexate, and unable to take it by mouth.

My T3 and T4 are in alignment. My PCP checks them regularly. When I was feeling yukky the last few months, I really thought my thyroid med needed changing, but it was my RA and anemia.

>

> Dear Kathy- Have you tried Remicade. It isnt mentioned. I have

> hyperthyroid due to the RA, hot nodes on the thyroid glands. I wonder what

> your T3 and T4 are? If you havent tried Remicade, I would try.

[Guest guest]

I think the original work on Remicade was done with also taking

Methotrexate and that is how it was initially approved and

recommended. I haven’t checked to see what the official

recommendations are now but I do know that many people do not take Methotrexate

along with Remicade. The original reason for testing Remicade together

with Methotrexate was that Remicade is derived partly from a mouse protein and they

were afraid that our bodies would reject the medication without an additional

RA medication like Methotrexate. Now many people take Remicade together with

another DMARD like Arava, Sulfasalazine, or Plaquenil, and some take it by

itself. This information comes from years of following other message

boards about RA and it is how it is actually used, and usually with good

success. Perhaps you will need to change rheumatologists to get a

prescription for it. You might check the Remicade home page to see what

they have to say about this. I hope you get effective treatment in some

way. God bless.

Harold

From:

Rheumatoid Arthritis

[mailto:Rheumatoid Arthritis ] On Behalf Of kathy_d87

Sent: Saturday, January 30, 2010 4:09 PM

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Subject: Re: Question regarding full body bone

scan for rheumatoid arthritis

Had my bone scan Monday, 1-1/2 hour on a narrow

hard table (ouch)--just waiting on the results now. Waiting is the hardest.

No, I cannot take Remicade because I can't take Methotrexate. The rheumy said

you cannot take Remicade without Methotrexate. I failed injectable

methotrexate, and unable to take it by mouth.

My T3 and T4 are in alignment. My PCP checks them regularly. When I was feeling

yukky the last few months, I really thought my thyroid med needed changing, but

it was my RA and anemia.

>

> Dear Kathy- Have you tried Remicade. It isnt mentioned. I have

> hyperthyroid due to the RA, hot nodes on the thyroid glands. I wonder what

> your T3 and T4 are? If you havent tried Remicade, I would try.

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