Re: Carol in FL

[Guest guest]

Hi Carol,

I'm sorry that you are having such a hard time right now. When I was first

dx''d, I was miserable. I was moody and cranky. I worked in a dr's office

at the front desk and I have to say that I was rude to a lot of people. I

was mad, confused, and in a lot of pain. My doctors suggested

antidepressants many times, but I refused them, mainly because of the stigma

attached to them. I was afraid that my ex-husband would find out and try to

take my son away from me. Finally, I (at my wit's end) agreed to try them

for a month. The change was incredible. I stopped yelling and fighting and

was able to deal with life a little more calmly. Now I don't know why I

fought it so much. It helped me to keep my head about me and control the

mood swings. I have read that depression is a common effect of RA. I was

taking the mtx in pill form too, but it wasn't effective for some reason, so

now I take it by injection once a week 25mg. It isn't so hard on my stomach

this way. Prednisone headaches are the worst. I have never been prone to

headaches in my life until recently. Somethimes you think that your head is

the only part of your body that doesn't hurt, and then there it goes too.!

Hang in there. It takes a while to get the right med coctail. It took me

about 6 months to find the combo that worked. It wore off and now were back

to square one again. But when you do get the right combo, look out! Its

amazing to wake up in the morning without pain. Or hardly as much anyway. I

wish this for you. It sounds like we have a lot in common right now. I am

so frustrated with the pain right now. When will it ever stop. I have never

been in such severe pain in my life. Nothing helps right now. I just have

to believe in my rheumy that the next treatment will work. Or the next, or

the next. Keep reaching for that rainbow. My friend keeps telling me that

God never gives you anything that you can't handle. I keep wondering about

his sense of humor. I go through this frame of mind that I'm being

punished for being such an " active " and rowdy teenager. Then I think that

there are child killers and rapists out there. What did I ever do that was

so bad to deserve this. When I was getting my divorce, I said that my ex was

going to catch something that there is no cure for and die a long and painful

death. (He used drugs and prostitutes) Look who got the disease that has no

cure and is extremely painful... Sometimes I enjoy thinking that if I got

this, just imagine what he's going to get. Its about that time that my son

walks in and my thinking changes completely. He needs me. So I keep going.

Sometimes that is the only reason. It's a good reason. Maybe the next

treatment......keep thinking that. Hang on we're all here with you.

Sincerely

Stacey in PA

[Guest guest]

Hi . I am taking 1 mg of folic acid daily with my Methotrexate. I

still have some nausea with it, but if I take it and go straight to bed I

seem to do OK. I may ask for the injectable form as we increase the dosage.

This flare started with my right shoulder, and was the worst shoulder

problem I've had to date. My shoulder still hurts a little, but now my hips

are most painful. It's so odd the way it strikes in different places. For

the longest time I really only had problems with my hands and to a lesser

degree my knees. I wondered if my shoulder was a non-RA problem in the

beginning, since it was so much worse on one side than the other. But, it

certainly makes sense that being right handed would affect which hurts more

(I'm right handed, as well.)

Last month, doing so well, I really felt like the RA would be a minor part

of my life. But now I am wondering what my future holds. I am in college

(back to school in my mid 30's) almost done with my AA in Computer

Programming. I dropped my classes this term thinking I would get this under

control, and then finish up. Now classes start in less than a month, and I'

m still having all these problems. I'm blessed in that we have our own

business and I work at home, so that isn't a problem. I need to go back to

school and finish, but I might only take 2 classes for the summer term.

Thank you so much for your friendship, it means so much to me.

Carol in FL

[ ] Carol in FL

I am so sorry to read that you've been in so much distress lately,

Carol. I know it must be very disappointing to have such a big setback.

Please call your physician first thing tomorrow and tell all. The staff

seemed very kind last time. Just explain that you've had a terribly

rough week, you're experiencing a lot of pain, you're feeling very

discouraged about it, and want to know what can be done. Don't suffer in

silence. Your doctor is there (or should be) to make sure you are as

comfortable as possible. I wouldn't put up with the headaches either.

You asked earlier about shoulder pain. Though both of mine bother me at

times, I've always had more trouble with my right shoulder. I've always

assumed it's because I'm right-handed and my right side is used more. I

think that even though you may have both shoulders affected by your

disease, one may feel worse than the other for various reasons.

I wanted to also ask you if you are on folic acid along with your

methotrexate (MTX). Many rheumatologists recommend taking folic acid

with MTX to lessen or eliminate MTX side-effects such as nausea. You

shouldn't take it without discussing it with your physician, but it may

help.

RE: Carol in FL.. Re: [ ] New Month/Week 1 Check-In

April 6

> Rainy, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. And you always have

such a

> wonderful, inspiring attitude. My pain isn't quite that bad, I just

can't

> get the pain to subside enough to get comfortable at all. The pain is

deep

> in the joints.like a burning toothache pain. I've only been

diagnosed for

> a couple of months, and I was doing so well last month. It is so

scary to

> be in this much pain. And the depression after going through this

since

> Monday is getting to be pretty bad (the prednisone isn't helping much,

> either). I told my husband that I was sorry he must endure this with

me,

> and he was so sweet. He said that he cares about me, and knows how

hard it

> is for me right now, and wishes he could make it better. That meant

so much

> to me. I guess one of the bright spots in this situation is knowing

how

> much we are loved.

>

> Thanks for the support!

> Carol in FL

[Guest guest]

Carol,

I think it would be a good idea to try the injectable MTX when you move

up to 10 mg; sometimes people have better luck with side-effects and

have more of the drug available to their system (that is, it is possible

that not as much will get flushed down the toilet). If you're still

having trouble with the side-effects, your physician can also increase

the daily amount of folic acid. Who knows? With any luck, after your

increase of the dosage of the MTX, maybe you will begin to feel much

better. I hope so.

Try not to worry about the future. Keep that optimism you are known for

going. It's great that you are back in school, but don't feel bad if you

have to slow down the pace a bit temporarily. My BS is in computer

science. Go, girl! I know how much fun computer classes are. And

practical, too.

Just a few words about pain: do not feel bad about taking pain meds.

Pain is a destructive force. Don't let it get the upper hand. Better to

be a step ahead of it than to be in severe distress before breaking down

and taking something. It's harder to relieve pain once you are in the

middle of an acute episode.

We as a society have been brainwashed into thinking that it is better to

suffer than to take a legal, safe drug to relieve the pain. The vast

majority of those who use opioids to treat their pain do not become

addicted. It is true that one can become dependent on pain medication,

but so what? Sometimes the drug dosage needs to be increased, but, don't

worry, that sometimes happens. And, if it does, tolerance is seldom a

big issue. The best strategy is just slowly work your way up to the

amount that relieves your pain (within the limits of your prescription)

and keep taking it. If the pain medication does not work for you, ask

your physician for help. He/she can increase the dosage or find an

alternative - and there are many. Be comfortable. There is nothing wrong

with wanting to live without pain. It is not a sign of weakness. Don't

let those pain myths keep you from getting the relief you deserve and

need.

Here are some myths and facts about pain:

http://www.hideintl.org/1-painma.htm

http://www.painandhealth.org/scriptwriters/myths.html

http://www.jhu.edu/~jhumag/0699web/pain.html

http://www.hcgresources.com/PainAssessMgmt.htm

The American Pain Society releases new clinical guidelines for treatment

of arthritis pain:

http://www.ampainsoc.org/whatsnew/031502.htm

You're very sweet to thank me - I'm glad to have the chance to get to

know you, Carol!

RE: [ ] Carol in FL

> Hi . I am taking 1 mg of folic acid daily with my Methotrexate.

I

> still have some nausea with it, but if I take it and go straight to

bed I

> seem to do OK. I may ask for the injectable form as we increase the

dosage.

>

> This flare started with my right shoulder, and was the worst shoulder

> problem I've had to date. My shoulder still hurts a little, but now

my hips

> are most painful. It's so odd the way it strikes in different places.

For

> the longest time I really only had problems with my hands and to a

lesser

> degree my knees. I wondered if my shoulder was a non-RA problem in

the

> beginning, since it was so much worse on one side than the other.

But, it

> certainly makes sense that being right handed would affect which hurts

more

> (I'm right handed, as well.)

>

> Last month, doing so well, I really felt like the RA would be a minor

part

> of my life. But now I am wondering what my future holds. I am in

college

> (back to school in my mid 30's) almost done with my AA in Computer

> Programming. I dropped my classes this term thinking I would get this

under

> control, and then finish up. Now classes start in less than a month,

and I'

> m still having all these problems. I'm blessed in that we have our

own

> business and I work at home, so that isn't a problem. I need to go

back to

> school and finish, but I might only take 2 classes for the summer

term.

>

> Thank you so much for your friendship, it means so much to me.

>

> Carol in FL

[Guest guest]

Hi Carol in FL,

Your trip sounds like fun! It is good travelling on your own sometimes. I

was in South Africa for business in March and one night I just stayed in and

ordered room service, I had two glasses of red wine a divine dessert and a

delicious bubble bath and jumped into bed and watched four full feature

movies in a row till four o'clock in the morning! I was quiet tired the

next day but it was such fun and something I could never do if I wasn't

alone. Make the best of it. Sorry to hear you are in pain though, I hope

it gets a little better.

Hugs,

Heidi

_________________________________________________________________

Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.