Guest guest Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Hi , Welcome to the group. I am pretty new to the group as well. I don't know much about the heart probs associated with RA, but I can tell you a little about the lungs (at least how it has affected me). My lungs, about 8 months ago, jut filled up and closed my throat one day. The Emergency Room physician thought I was having a severe asthma attack. I was put on Steroids (prednisone) and have tried to come off several times since but each time I ended up in the ER. I am going in - in about 2 weeks to have some fluid removed from around my lungs and a biopsy to see what it is. My understanding is there are several types of lung disorders associated with RA but have similar symptoms and can only be differentiated by a biopsy. I also understand it can be critical to have a conclusive diagnosis before treatments because if the diagnosis is wrong then the treatment is also wrong which can further the problem. If you are having ANY heart or LUNG symptoms or discomfort of any kind, I would suggest letting your rheumy know immediately and see a pulmonologist and/or Cardiologist. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get checked out by a pulmonologist and cardiologist anyways to get a baseline established in case you ever do develop any problems later they will have something to compare to. Good luck with your rheumy and hope you find the support you need here :-) Rick [ ] Greetings! I'm new to the group, so I thought I would say hello to everyone and tell you a bit about myself. I was diagnosed with JRA six years ago when I was fifteen, and have, thankfully, remained realatively healthy since then. Currently, I am on 1 ML sug-q injections of methotrexate once a week...let me say, in the beginning it was a miracle. I was feeling 100% better for at least a year, although things seem to be going a bit downhill these days. Unfortunately, I am still seeing my juvenille rheumy and he is not very agressive with treatment...can be extremely frustrating at times when I see firsthand how wonderful other treatments can be. Will see how things go when I see him again... My main conern at the moment is with some of the complications of RA...mostly lung and heard inflammation. Any information you guys have regarding would be much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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