Guest guest Posted August 12, 2002 Report Share Posted August 12, 2002 Did anyone catch a cable interview with Kathleen about how she copes with RA? I can't remember what network or program it was on, but I think it was Sat. or Sunday evening this week. charlotte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2002 Report Share Posted August 12, 2002 No, I didn't see it, but here's an article from USA Today about it: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlight/2001-06-01-turner-arthritis.ht m <http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlight/2001-06-01-turner-arthritis.h tm> Love and hugs, Carol [ ] Kathleen and RA Did anyone catch a cable interview with Kathleen about how she copes with RA? I can't remember what network or program it was on, but I think it was Sat. or Sunday evening this week. charlotte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2002 Report Share Posted August 12, 2002 Hi Carol: I tried to access this site, but when I went there it said the requested article was not found. What did it say, do you recall? Kathe in CA __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2002 Report Share Posted August 12, 2002 Kathy, here's the text. Hugs, Carol Article courtesy of USA Today.. Kathleen meets challenge of arthritis By Adele Slaughter, Spotlight Health With medical adviser A. Shoop, M.D. As an actress, Kathleen is nothing if not versatile. From the sensuous killer, Mattie, in Body Heat, to the sultry voice of Rabbit and, most recently, as Chandler's cross-dressing dad in Friends, has demonstrated extraordinary range. In real life, she also has had to reach deep down - to meet the challenge of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). " I remember vividly finding out that I had arthritis, " says , whose doctors first thought she would lose her ability to walk. " I was on my way to my daughter's school for a meeting with her kindergarten teacher. All I could think about was how I would deal with it, how would I be a mother, how would I carry on? " How to cope with RA is a question millions of Americans ask themselves. RA is an autoimmune disease that causes pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of function in the joints. It usually occurs in a symmetrical pattern: If the right hand or knee is affected, the left one will be as well. This disease commonly affects wrist and finger joints, as well as other parts of the body. has answered her soul-searching partly by becoming an advocate for those suffering with the disease. On May 22, received the Dr. I. Sandson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Massachusetts Arthritis Foundation for her commitment to raising funds and awareness about RA. " It is important to me that people know they have options so they can get some relief from this debilitating disease, " says the two-time Golden Globe winner for Best Actress. Swelling population An estimated 2.1 million Americans have RA. But unlike osteoarthritis, RA is not a disease of the elderly. The onset of this condition usually occurs in middle age, although it can be contracted in one's 20s or 30s. For unknown reasons, many more women than men are stricken - 1.5 million women, compared with 600,000 men. " No one knows why it affects women more than men. However, since autoimmune disorders are more prevalent in women, we think it must have to do with female hormones, " says Dr. Trentham of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. " We also know that for many women arthritis symptoms totally disappear during pregnancy. The disease gets better, then flares after delivery. " In fact, doctors do not know what causes rheumatoid arthritis. Scientists aren't sure if it has an infectious etiology or is a genetically controlled abnormality of the immune system. " If the cause were to be identified, we could develop a vaccine. Or we might develop gene therapy to cure it, " maintains Trentham. Whatever the cause turns out to be, it is essential to the treatment of arthritis to get diagnosed early. With the use of disease-modifying drugs, the condition can be controlled and the joint deterioration reduced. But getting a correct, early diagnosis can be extremely difficult, because the symptoms of RA can be vague and unclear. Patients may have some or all of the following symptoms: .. Inflammation of joints/swelling .. Difficulty moving .. Chronic fatigue/loss of energy .. Fever of unknown origin .. Anemia .. Rheumatoid nodules (lumps of tissue under the skin) " In the worst-case scenario, a patient wakes in the morning so stiff that it takes one to 3 hours to loosen up and get mobile, " adds Trentham, who is also an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. " The rest of the day, the joint pain might be helped by medicines, but patients are overwhelmingly fatigued. They go to bed three hours earlier than normal. Life becomes all about managing the pain. " " I thought I was dying. My feet weren't working, my arm wasn't right. I couldn't turn my head and no one could tell me what was wrong, " says , who was finally diagnosed eight years ago. " They wanted to do exploratory surgery and I wasn't wild about that. Finally, I went to my GP and he took blood and found out what was wrong. " Blood tests that identify rheumatoid factor, an antibody found in 80% of people with RA, are frequently used to confirm the diagnosis. But doctors need to know what to look for first. " People often will notice that they can't get their rings on and that there is a significant change in their health status, " says Trentham. " When a trained physician sees swelling in the fingers or feet, they should suspect RA is developing. " Relief efforts Once diagnosed, struggled to find the best physician to treat her potentially crippling condition. After about a year, she located Trentham, who was able to help the Romancing the Stone star find substantial relief. Traditional treatment of RA has focused on reducing pain and inflammation and maintaining normal joint functioning. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) provide short-term relief, but like all pain-focused treatments do not address the cause. " Doctors began to think of RA like cancer and used drugs like Methotrexate, " says Dr. Alan Weinberger, an associate professor of medicine at UCLA School of Medicine. " It is effective in low doses but is also real toxic. " But according to Weinberger, over the last few years there has been a paradigm shift in the treatment of RA. " Today, the cutting-edge treatment for RA is biologic agents - a group of miraculous drugs that work within two weeks, " continues Weinberger. " These new drugs are like smart bombs. They go right and block the cells that cause the pain and (that) improves all the symptoms - fever, anemia, sense of well-being and so forth. " " Now that we have safer and more effective treatment it is even more important to get early treatment, " says Trentham. " Ms. was fortunate in that the newer treatments could be applied to her case quite successfully. We have better disease-modifying drugs, like Minocycline, Arava, Enbrel, and Remicade. " Remicade is an infusion treatment given every two months in the doctor's office. Enbrel is injected at home twice a week. According to Weinberger, both are very expensive - upwards of $1,200 a month - and insurance is reluctant to pay unless you have exhausted all other possibilities first. They also can have side effects. says she takes Celebrex with Minocycline. " Ms. was quite sick and now she is doing quite well, " reports Trentham. " The drugs she's taking are good for her and aren't so financially prohibitive. " Mind over matter Naturally, with any autoimmune disease it is important that the patients maintain a healthy lifestyle, including good diet and exercise. Experts also agree that people must not depend on a doctor to tell them when something is wrong in their own bodies. " She has shown that after successful treatment you can be vibrant. It is really mind over matter, " says Trentham. " She has an indomitable spirit and wasn't beaten down by this illness. " But many patients do struggle with the chronic, debilitating pain, which has a profound effect on their quality of life. " Although it is not fatal, RA can be life-killing in terms of your lifestyle, " says . " If you are an athlete or an actor you really have to make a great many adjustments and learn to deal with the chronic pain. " " Many times, arthritis is the first chronic medical condition a patient has experienced in life. So, the process of dealing with it in a mature way is difficult, " says Trentham. " It shouldn't be surprising that a patient gets depressed. " To counter feelings of hopelessness and to increase strength and energy, many physicians advocate therapeutic exercise programs. " The exercise has to be non-traumatic, " says Weinberger. " Swimming may be the best exercise for people with RA. Yoga is also an excellent all-around physical activity. " says exercise is crucial to her coping with arthritis. She works out frequently to keep her muscles strong, which in turn eases the joint pain. " The stronger my muscles are, the less stress on the joints, and they keep functioning, " says . " I do some yoga but have to be careful because of my neck. " As for diet, there are several schools of thought. " Some say get off caffeine and alcohol, others say milk is bad, still others suggest that night shade plants like eggplant are detrimental, " states Weinberger. " But the only thing we know is if you move away from a meat-based diet you have less inflammation in your joints. " is more active than ever. Last year she toured the country starring in the physically demanding, one-woman show Taloulah. Then in the middle of her tour, flew to London to star as Mrs. in The Graduate. But 's life is not all about her starring roles. Along with promoting the Arthritis Foundation, she is also a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood and Child Hope USA - showing that helping others is perhaps the best medicine after all. " I think they'll find a cure in my lifetime, " says . " Remember: The earliest you can test for arthritis - do it. It's just a simple blood test. " RE: [ ] Kathleen and RA Hi Carol: I tried to access this site, but when I went there it said the requested article was not found. What did it say, do you recall? Kathe in CA __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2002 Report Share Posted August 12, 2002 Dear Carol, Thanks for this article. I saw Kathleen on the view last month. It is always of great help when a well known personality speaks out for a disease by raising public awareness. You can see that even though she, like so many others, looks fine but is suffering from this terrible disease. A lot of times the links don't work for me but I always get it when it is part of the email. Thanks. Iris --- Carol <carol@...> wrote: > Article courtesy of USA Today.. > Kathleen meets challenge of arthritis __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2002 Report Share Posted August 12, 2002 Thank you very much Carol! Kathe in CA __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 13, 2002 Report Share Posted August 13, 2002 Hi I found an interview with Kathleen about her RA. Not really informative, but interesting nonetheless. Especially when she describes her initial symptoms and RA fatigue. http://www.healthtalk.com/celeb/turner/index.html charlotte > Thank you very much Carol! > > Kathe in CA > > __________________________________________________ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 14, 2002 Report Share Posted August 14, 2002 Thanks Charlotte! > Hi > > I found an interview with Kathleen about her RA. Not really > informative, but interesting nonetheless. Especially when she > describes her initial symptoms and RA fatigue. > http://www.healthtalk.com/celeb/turner/index.html > > charlotte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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