Hello I'm new

[Guest guest]

I'm Vicki 28 years old. I was diagnosed with RA when I was 6 years

old. Started in the left ankle and progressed through both hands,

both elbows, both knees. It was really bad in my pre-teens and early

teens, by late teens, I was practically RA free. I have taken so

many drugs for it that I can't begin to list them all. In the past I

had taken Methotrexate, Prednisone and various NSAIDs.

I am currently having a flare-up again, the last one was in 2000.

Mostly of my hands/fingers, but a little in the elbows and knees.

Morning stiffness sucks as you all know. I am taking 500mg twice a

day of Diflusinal (NSAID)for the inflamation and that seems to take

the edge off, as it is noticable how much worse it seems to be if I

do not take the pill.

I am curious as to any of you on this list that may have sought

Natural Therapies and if so what they were and if they worked for you?

I am much more willing to try something natural than put all those

steroids in my body again and risk all those side-effects.

Thanks for any information. Well wishes to all.

Vicki

[Guest guest]

Hi Vicki,

that is pretty young, I have my RA in my hands, knees, neck, elbow, waist and have had it for 13 yrs and in the last two and half months it been very painful and my hands are deforming specially my right hand my fingers are going to right.

I take Methotrexated , Prednisone, Enbrel,Celebrex, Fosamax, Nortriptyline,Vicodin, Plaquenil, Sulfasalazine,Folic acid.Tomrrow I go to the DR and he wants to put me on Arava.

I have been staying home a lot and today I feel pretty good not that much pain but my depression is kicking in real bad, all I want to do is stay home and sleep and watch TV.

Take care and hope to heard from u.

Lucy

I'm Vicki 28 years old. I was diagnosed with RA when I was 6 years

old. Started in the left ankle and progressed through both hands,

both elbows, both knees. It was really bad in my pre-teens and early

teens, by late teens, I was practically RA free. I have taken so

many drugs for it that I can't begin to list them all. In the past I

had taken Methotrexate, Prednisone and various NSAIDs.

I am currently having a flare-up again, the last one was in 2000.

Mostly of my hands/fingers, but a little in the elbows and knees.

Morning stiffness sucks as you all know. I am taking 500mg twice a

day of Diflusinal (NSAID)for the inflamation and that seems to take

the edge off, as it is noticable how much worse it seems to be if I

do not take the pill.

I am curious as to any of you on this list that may have sought

Natural Therapies and if so what they were and if they worked for you?

I am much more willing to try something natural than put all those

steroids in my body again and risk all those side-effects.

Thanks for any information. Well wishes to all.

Vicki

[Guest guest]

Dear Esperanza,

I was very moved when I read your story about your name...thank you

for sharing it. Welcome to Humanity Healing. I don't post very

often...maybe only once before, but it's so wonderful to see this

group continuing to grow, and the unconditional love that comes from it.

Blessings,

>

>

> Hello everyone,

>

> My name is Jo... though in the last recent months a beautiful Hispanic

> patient of mine told me one night that she had the meaning of my name.

> She had no idea that I have always felt that I have never really had my

> own name. There is a story behind that but I won't bore you all with

> those details.

>

> The important part is that I had been having internal dialogue with God

> about this very issue.... wondering what my name was.. what the creators

> name for me was.. since I never felt that I belonged to any name that I

> have been given or married into over the years.

>

> I am a nurse and I work 12 hour nights in hospital. Many nights I feel

> my patients loneliness, as I feel a separation with the " real world "

> being a day sleeper and active at night when the rest of the world is

> sleeping.

>

> It is our custom to write our name on a dry erase board in our patients

> room when we introduce ourselves as their nurse for that shift and I had

> noticed that she really focused on the name Jo I had written on the

> board. I thought it might be evidence that there would be a language

> barrier.. but it proved not since her English was excellent. When she

> excitedly told me on my third visit to her room that she had the meaning

> of my name, I can't say that I was excited, I assumed she would tell

> me that it was phina, which isn't Jo at all, but a Spanish

> version of phine which is not my name.

>

> But what she spoke nearly knocked me down. I was having a particularly

> rough night with a patient of 19 dying of cancer, with her parents at he

> bedside who had just lost her sister 5 years ago to the very same

> cancer. It broke my heart to watch them and feel my inadequacy to be

> able to comfort them.

>

> So when my " little Hispanic lady " blurted out the name

> " Esperanza " I was shocked! I loved it! It was beautiful! So

> different than Jo, sometimes when people ask me if Jo stands for Joanne,

> or Joan, or phine, I tell them " No it's really just Jo,

> short and sweet and to the point like me " . I hate it when I say

> that! And wonder why I do, but I have yet to come up with a better come

> back for those people that can't seem to accept that a woman can

> actually just have the legal name Jo without there being more. Yet I

> have always felt there was more, but didn't' know where it was,

> or why I felt that. Until she said the name Esperanza.

>

> I asked her what it meant, telling her it was beautiful and I had never

> felt my name was beautiful. She said that Jo means hope, and Esperanza

> is another name meaning hope.

>

> I was astounded, because that is what my life has always been about. I

> have been through many deep, deep waters of pain in my life, but have

> always determined to find the " silver lining " in every situation

> that threatened to undo me or destroy my spirit or life. I have always

> refused to give up hope, that I would someday come out on the flip side

> of life triumphant. I knew the instant that she told me that meaning of

> my name that it was a gift from God, that he/she had truly been

> listening to my dialogue and my personal struggle with my name, and

> desired to tell me though this beautiful unsuspecting lady the meaning

> of my name, to give me a new name that resonated with my soul, letting

> me know that my life had begun a new chapter, that I would be living out

> my name.. living hope..

>

> So this is a little bit about me, more words than I expected to share,

> but my name is Jo, Esperanza… Hope that remains eternal. Hope that

> will never die, no matter how many little deaths I die in this life.

> Hope that springs eternal out of the ashes of a difficult painful life.

>

> The longer I live the more I see that we all struggle with our humanity.

> We are but frail people given to emotions that sway our thinking and

> cloud our minds at times. But for me " Hope Reigns Eternal " in

> Esperanza!

>

> Peace to you all, and thank you for taking the time to read this. I find

> so much inspiration here and look forward to continuing to read, learn

> and grow from the experiences and thoughts I read here from all of you.

>

> Namaste……

>

> .Esperanza

>

> Hope that reigns eternal.

>

[Guest guest]

How fitting a name for you love. I understand the feeling when you're gifted knowledge in the most unexpected ways. Especially if it's your name. Very powerful story Esperanza. Reminds me of the Phoenix rising!Welcome to the family, and thank you for sharing some of your light with us all. I'm glad you found us, especially with the difficult job you have. Infinite love and respect,Stefanie>> > Hello everyone,> > My name is Jo... though in the last recent months a beautiful Hispanic> patient of mine told me one night that she had the meaning of my name.> She had no idea that I have always felt that I have never really had my> own name. There is a story behind that but I won't bore you all with> those details.> > The important part is that I had been having internal dialogue with God> about this very issue.... wondering what my name was.. what the creators> name for me was.. since I never felt that I belonged to any name that I> have been given or married into over the years.> > I am a nurse and I work 12 hour nights in hospital. Many nights I feel> my patients loneliness, as I feel a separation with the "real world"> being a day sleeper and active at night when the rest of the world is> sleeping.> > It is our custom to write our name on a dry erase board in our patients> room when we introduce ourselves as their nurse for that shift and I had> noticed that she really focused on the name Jo I had written on the> board. I thought it might be evidence that there would be a language> barrier.. but it proved not since her English was excellent. When she> excitedly told me on my third visit to her room that she had the meaning> of my name, I can't say that I was excited, I assumed she would tell> me that it was phina, which isn't Jo at all, but a Spanish> version of phine which is not my name.> > But what she spoke nearly knocked me down. I was having a particularly> rough night with a patient of 19 dying of cancer, with her parents at he> bedside who had just lost her sister 5 years ago to the very same> cancer. It broke my heart to watch them and feel my inadequacy to be> able to comfort them.> > So when my "little Hispanic lady" blurted out the name> "Esperanza" I was shocked! I loved it! It was beautiful! So> different than Jo, sometimes when people ask me if Jo stands for Joanne,> or Joan, or phine, I tell them "No it's really just Jo,> short and sweet and to the point like me". I hate it when I say> that! And wonder why I do, but I have yet to come up with a better come> back for those people that can't seem to accept that a woman can> actually just have the legal name Jo without there being more. Yet I> have always felt there was more, but didn't' know where it was,> or why I felt that. Until she said the name Esperanza.> > I asked her what it meant, telling her it was beautiful and I had never> felt my name was beautiful. She said that Jo means hope, and Esperanza> is another name meaning hope.> > I was astounded, because that is what my life has always been about. I> have been through many deep, deep waters of pain in my life, but have> always determined to find the "silver lining" in every situation> that threatened to undo me or destroy my spirit or life. I have always> refused to give up hope, that I would someday come out on the flip side> of life triumphant. I knew the instant that she told me that meaning of> my name that it was a gift from God, that he/she had truly been> listening to my dialogue and my personal struggle with my name, and> desired to tell me though this beautiful unsuspecting lady the meaning> of my name, to give me a new name that resonated with my soul, letting> me know that my life had begun a new chapter, that I would be living out> my name.. living hope..> > So this is a little bit about me, more words than I expected to share,> but my name is Jo, Esperanza… Hope that remains eternal. Hope that> will never die, no matter how many little deaths I die in this life.> Hope that springs eternal out of the ashes of a difficult painful life.> > The longer I live the more I see that we all struggle with our humanity.> We are but frail people given to emotions that sway our thinking and> cloud our minds at times. But for me "Hope Reigns Eternal" in> Esperanza!> > Peace to you all, and thank you for taking the time to read this. I find> so much inspiration here and look forward to continuing to read, learn> and grow from the experiences and thoughts I read here from all of you.> > Namaste……> > .Esperanza> > Hope that reigns eternal.>