Re: hi new to group/

[Guest guest]

Dear :

Thanks so much for the support, and Welcome to the RA Support Group. You

sound wonderful and I would like to know you better. I hope you enjoy this

group. It is a terrific group and the people are beautiful here.

Tell us more about yourself.

Keep in touch.

Sincerely, Colletti

Anjillah@...

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the welcome, . This group does seem terrific.

I think my RA started from a rubella vaccine I had. When I was 35, I was

married and decided we'd like to start a family -- better late than never!

So I went to my doctor and talked with her about it. She ran some tests.

Came back that I wasn't immune to rubella (German Measles -- which if you

get during your first trimester can lead to mental retardation, blindness,

deafness, etc.) So I got the shot.

Two weeks later I woke up and couldn't get out of bed. All of my joints were

swollen up and sore. It was diagnosed as acute arthritis and I got better

over the next few weeks. There were a few joints, like wrist and thumb, that

stayed sore longer. I was followed by a doctor in Vancouver (I live in BC,

Canada) who said at the time that many women ended up in wheelchairs

following a reaction to the rubella vaccine.

I pretty much forgot about it over the next 12 years. Then about 3.5 years

ago, I started having a pain here and there -- cyst on my wrist, sore hip,

knees started feeling stiff.

I took a medication to help me stop smoking -- Wellbutrin or Zyban. After

taking it for about 3 weeks, I broke out in this horrible rash. It was the

biggest rash I'd ever had -- I'd never been allergic to anything in my life.

But I had spots from head to toe. About 4 days after that, I could hardly

get out of bed. Took me hours each morning to get out of bed; then the

stiffness would begin again in the evenings. Horrible. At first my doctor

thought it was Serum Sickness -- but then it just didn't go away.

So I was sent to a rheumatologist who conferred with the doctor who had

followed me regarding the vaccine reaction and they diagnosed RA.

Anyone still reading? Nodding off??? LOL

So far I'm not doing too badly. Was put on Plaquenil and it has helped.

Just started Doxycycline. This week I seem to have new aches and pains in

my hands and feet. I'm also an avid waterfit participant and am wondering

if it's from that....or from the RA..... I'll keep an eye on it.

One of the frustrating things from this disease is that I never know when I

should be thinking of new medication, etc. Want to keep my joints as

healthy as possible.....while staying on the least destructive medications!

I do have splints made for my little fingers. They were getting that swan

neck look to them. The splints really help. Anyone else use them?

This is probably long enough for now!

-- Re: [ ] hi new to group/

Dear :

Thanks so much for the support, and Welcome to the RA Support Group. You

sound wonderful and I would like to know you better. I hope you enjoy this

group. It is a terrific group and the people are beautiful here.

Tell us more about yourself.

Keep in touch.

Sincerely, Colletti

Anjillah@...

[Guest guest]

Hi . I've read about the connection between rheubella and RA. I'm sorry

you were one

of the unfortunate ones. We all have the same concerns about our medication.

RA can be

so destructive, yet so can the medications. Some medications have side effects

that can be worse

than the disease. I refused to take medication for many years because of the

dangerous side

effects, but then my joints eroded. I never though I would take the drugs I'm

taking, but at this

stage of my life I have no choice. Careful monitoring by your doctor should

hopefully catch any

problems early, and most of the time if the offending medication is stopped, the

side effects are not

permanent. We all have to decide for ourselves what we want to put into our

body. No one, not even

our doctors can make us take anything we don't want. That is why it is so

important to learn all

that we can so that we can make educated decisions.

The water class you are taking is fantastic. Swimming and water exercise is the

best thing that you

can do for yourself. In the summer I feel so much better because of my pool.

It's nice to meet you, but sorry it's through sharing a rotten disease!

a

Re: [ ] hi new to group/

Dear :

Thanks so much for the support, and Welcome to the RA Support Group. You

sound wonderful and I would like to know you better. I hope you enjoy this

group. It is a terrific group and the people are beautiful here.

Tell us more about yourself.

Keep in touch.

Sincerely, Colletti

Anjillah@...