Lyn's message to Berta

[Guest guest]

Three cheers, Lyn, for your message to Berta which is right on target.

Berta, please take Lyn's words to heart - they will save you a lot of grief

down the road. Find a good rheumatologist that you have faith in and DO

WHAT HE/SHE SAYS. I live on the Miss. Gulf coast and have a rheumatologist

in Biloxi which I'd be happy to recommend to you if where you live in

Alabama is close enough.

Jan

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

> Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2003 05:51:27 -0700 (PDT)

> From: Lyn G <lynm55@...>

>Subject: Re: HELP/Don't post much but have ??????s

>

>

>

>Berta <ktsmommy2001@...> wrote:

>FLAVOR00-NONE-0000-0000-000000000000;

> I was diagnosed with RA a little under 1 year ago. I have good days and

>I have BAD days. My dr. gave me celebrex and I occassionally get steroid

>shots. I am out of celebrex and cannot afford the shots right now so I

>take Ibuprofen 600 mg. It does help the pain some. I have a 2 year old

>to take care of. I really don't want to take meds all the time and the

>pain is not so severe that I can't function yet. I have no insurance.

>Now for the questions, why is it important for me to take something for

>this right now when I am not in bad pain most of the time?

>

>Berta, again, as everyone else has said, and I will repeat. You need to

>not only take care of the pain, you definitely need to be on DMARDS.

>DIsease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. This is the only thing that will

>stop the progression of the damage to your joints which is occurring . Do

>you want to be there for your 2 yr old? Or possibly be in a wheelchair. My

>RA hit when I was 27. Back then they didn't believe in using DMARDS early

>in the disease. I have had a total hip replacement, total knee

>replacement, wrist fusion, many arthroplasties, now have secondary

>conditions such as pericardits ( inflammation of the heart) , inflammation

>of my chest wall, costochonritis, Sjogren's syndrome, and I could go on.

>Now I am not saying you will get all these for sure...I am saying that if

>you don't get on DMARDS you increase your possibility immensely. I had a

>very good friend die this last year from complications of RA. This is

>serious. Your independence may well depend on it.

>I hate to scare you, and that is not what I am trying to do....it is just

>reality.

>

> If I continue with the shots I will end up gaining weight and I have

>already gained back 10 pounds I struggled to lose, I gained from the

>shots. I don't want to be huge. I am 38 years old and don't want to end

>up even more overweight in the near future.

>

>Weight you can lose....you cannot get your joints back.

>

> I have a handicap tag on my van but dont' like to use it as then I am

>admitting defeat in my eyes.

>

>Defeat is not fighting back.. FIghting back means using every resource

>available to you in the arsenal that modern medicine offers us. I am not a

>wimp because I choose to use pain meds, and use my handicap sticker. I am

>a wimp if I lay in bed and do nothing. Pain meds and steroids allow me to

>get up and move. Handicap stickers allow me to function as a regular human

>being without being fatigued before I even reach the store.

>

>This is what my test results said, does this look like RA, my dr. says it

>is but I am not so sure. My mom had RA but not severe before she passed

>away at the age of 52.

>Rheumatoid Profile 9

>ANA SCREEN, ELISA NEGATIVE

>ANTI STREPTCLYSIN WAS 193 WHICH SHOWS AS HIGH

>RHEUMATOID FACTOR, QUANT <20

>SED RATE 23 WHISH SHOWS AS HIGH

>C-REACTIVE PROTEIN 1.1 WHICH SHOWS AS HIGH

>URIC ACID 6.5

>

>

>What does this look like to you all? RA or something else.

>

>Sure looks like it to me...go to some of the websites and compare. If you

>need websites to look at just let us know.

>

>My lupus test came back negative

>My hands swell and hurt

>My feet have knots and swell

>My hips, knees and ankles hurt alot

>

>Advice as I think I am in denial right now cause of being afraid

>

>Berta

>

>

>

>Yes...looks to me as if you are swimming in the deep end of the river

> " de-nile " ...<g>.

>

>Berta, please reconsider your actions, this is a group of very caring

>individuals who will stand by you every step of the way. It is only

>frightening if you are alone, and as long as you are here, you are never

>alone.

>