New member..need guidance

[Guest guest]

Greetings and best wishes to all !

My younger brother (29 yrs, married), has been diagnosed with sero -ve RA.The rheumatologist whome he consulted, said, the possible causeis psorasis. Though, psorasis was limited only to a small part onhis scalp, and was treated and cured, within weeks, this condition (sero -ve RA) has been attributed to it.

He has following symptoms1. Morning stiffness2. Pain and stiffness of finger joints, ankle joints and back

Would like to request members of this wonderful group, to revertwith whether, there are any more tests that, can confirm thiscondition, and also, what typically, is the treatment givenThere are a lot of questions brimming in my head1. Is it completely curable ?2. How long does it take to cure ?3. Would he be able to lead a normal life (he is a compute software professional)4. If the couple decide to have children, would this be passed on through the genes ?5. Can it relapse ?

Can I kindly request the group to respond ASAP..

really worried

Sanjay

[Guest guest]

Dear Sanjay,

My initial bloodwork came up negative; however, my family doctor

is a good friend as well as a good doctor. He has been treating my

RA/OA and Fibromyalgia, and the drug Methotrexate has helped me to

manage my RA. We will be checking into Enbrel injections in the near

future. Please tell your brother that, with these auto-immune

disease, bloodwork can vary greatly from one person to another.

As of today, I don't believe there are cures yet; I believe

that, once science catches up with " us " , genetic therapy will cure

many of mankind's ills. However, one can live an " altered " normal

life. I think we have mourned our loss of being as physical as we

once were, and I believe that the mourning is a positive step. One

must adjust his/her thinking in order to find acceptance and thus

restructure his/her life which will be most beneficial to the patient

and his/her.

As to being genetically passed done to one's children, well,

there are two " camps " on that one! Some say yes, others say no. My

grandmother suffered horribly from RA, and for myself, I think

genetics is part of my history. However, I wasn't struck by it until

I suffered three accidents at work, where I was injured by other's

neglect and each time it was a severe neck injury. The last required

3 bone grafts and plating. So, who knosw, is it " the chicken or the

egg? "

As to relapses, like any auto-immune disorder, it is individual;

I experience " good " days and bad " days " and sometimes weeks at a time

of either pain or deminished pain.

Hope this helps; good luck and best wishes to your brother,