Re: Newbie & trying for Baby

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group! I got RA after having my daughter, but I know

my midwife has experience with RA. The best suggestion I can think

of is look for a local RA support group, or call the local arthritis

foundation and see if you can get a recommendation from someone there.

I had heard that you shouldn't be on prednisone in the third

trimester either, but I would talk to your obgyn about that when you

find one.

As far as whether your rheumy is good, the best way I know to tell is

be up on the latest research and see if your rheumy is too.

Everything is on the internet, and posts links here all the time

to articles and such. Your rheumy should be getting the same

information. Also, if your rheumy is treating your RA properly, he

should be changing or increasing the medication whenever your

symptoms warrant it. The goal is to be functioning and not having

swelling because it will cause joint damage. If he's doing that, is

up on the latest research and he's responsive when you call him, he's

good.

Jennie

--- In , " groenca01 " <catherine_groen@b...>

wrote:

> Hi y'all! I was just diagnosed (finally!) with RA about 5 months

> ago. I'm 29 and my husband 7 I want to have a baby soon. My

rheumy

> has me on Prednisone, Sulfasalazine and Diclofenac. He said I can

> stay on all three until the 3rd trimester when I will need to drop

> the Diclofenac. Is this consistent woth what you know? Also, how

do

> you know if you have a good rheumy or not. I have only seen this

one

> so I don't know what to look for or what level of care, attention,

> information I should be receiving from him. My third question

> revolves around RA and obgyn's. Is it possible to find one that

has

> experience with RA patients? If anyone is here in Atlanta could

you

> recommend one? I look forward to being a part of this group and

> giving as much support as I get. Thanks for your help!

> Cat

[Guest guest]

Thanks Jennie for the quick response. I'm sure you have some idea

how happy I am to finally find people to talk to that understand all

of this. My friends and family have been great but there's just no

way that they can relate. Thanks again.

Cat

> > Hi y'all! I was just diagnosed (finally!) with RA about 5 months

> > ago. I'm 29 and my husband 7 I want to have a baby soon. My

> rheumy

> > has me on Prednisone, Sulfasalazine and Diclofenac. He said I

can

> > stay on all three until the 3rd trimester when I will need to

drop

> > the Diclofenac. Is this consistent woth what you know? Also,

how

> do

> > you know if you have a good rheumy or not. I have only seen this

> one

> > so I don't know what to look for or what level of care,

attention,

> > information I should be receiving from him. My third question

> > revolves around RA and obgyn's. Is it possible to find one that

> has

> > experience with RA patients? If anyone is here in Atlanta could

> you

> > recommend one? I look forward to being a part of this group and

> > giving as much support as I get. Thanks for your help!

> > Cat

[Guest guest]

On Thu, 13 May 2004 19:00:21, " groenca01 " <catherine_groen@...>

wrote:

>

> Hi y'all! I was just diagnosed (finally!) with RA about 5 months

> ago. I'm 29 and my husband 7 I want to have a baby soon. My rheumy

> has me on Prednisone, Sulfasalazine and Diclofenac. He said I can

> stay on all three until the 3rd trimester when I will need to drop

> the Diclofenac. Is this consistent woth what you know? Also, how do

> you know if you have a good rheumy or not. I have only seen this one

> so I don't know what to look for or what level of care, attention,

> information I should be receiving from him. My third question

> revolves around RA and obgyn's. Is it possible to find one that has

> experience with RA patients? If anyone is here in Atlanta could you

> recommend one? I look forward to being a part of this group and

> giving as much support as I get. Thanks for your help!

Cat,

I am 27 years old and am currently 8 mos pregnant with my first child. I

was diagnosed with moderate RA at 24. Throughout my whole pregnancy, I have

been taking prednisone and plaquenil; I have also gone off and then back on

Enbrel when my pain/inflammation became too great. I plan on staying on

prednisone throughout; my doctors say that since it is a fairly low dosage

(10 mg/day) that it is safe, and I can also continue on it while

breastfeeding which I cannot do with Enbrel. I changed Rheumy's before

trying to get pregnant because I felt my first one was just worried about

maintaining the status quo, not really concerned with specific concerns and

fears about getting pregnant. I am soo much happier with my second rheumy;

she seems to be just as concerned and attentive to my pregnancy as my

ob-gyn. For the pregnancy, I got a referral to an ob-gyn who specialized in

high risk pregnancies, and I had a consultation with him prior to getting

pregnant to see if he had experience with RA. My greatest frustration has

been that my symptoms never really decreased with pregnancy as they do with

most pregnant women with RA. It will all be worth it though in about

another 8 weeks!!

Maribeth - Longtime lister, first time poster

[Guest guest]

I'm new to having RA so I can't really offer

suggestions on anything regarding that. I'm still

learning myself. I am however familiar with

prednisone cause I also have asthma. I do know it's

okay to take that during your pregnancy. I had to

take as much as 80 mg a day on and off throughout my

pregnancy cause I couldn't breathe. My asthma got

considerably worse while I was pregnant. I was very

concerned with taking it, but luckily I have a very

good friend who is an OB/GYN....I checked with her on

everything I was suppose to take. I had a wonderful

OB myself, but you know hearing it's okay to take

something from a friend who you've known for years is

more comforting.

--- Maribeth Joyce <m-joyce@...> wrote:

> On Thu, 13 May 2004 19:00:21, " groenca01 "

> <catherine_groen@...>

> wrote:

> >

> > Hi y'all! I was just diagnosed (finally!) with RA

> about 5 months

> > ago. I'm 29 and my husband 7 I want to have a

> baby soon. My rheumy

> > has me on Prednisone, Sulfasalazine and

> Diclofenac. He said I can

> > stay on all three until the 3rd trimester when I

> will need to drop

> > the Diclofenac. Is this consistent woth what you

> know? Also, how do

> > you know if you have a good rheumy or not. I have

> only seen this one

> > so I don't know what to look for or what level of

> care, attention,

> > information I should be receiving from him. My

> third question

> > revolves around RA and obgyn's. Is it possible to

> find one that has

> > experience with RA patients? If anyone is here in

> Atlanta could you

> > recommend one? I look forward to being a part of

> this group and

> > giving as much support as I get. Thanks for your

> help!

>

> Cat,

>

> I am 27 years old and am currently 8 mos pregnant

> with my first child. I

> was diagnosed with moderate RA at 24. Throughout my

> whole pregnancy, I have

> been taking prednisone and plaquenil; I have also

> gone off and then back on

> Enbrel when my pain/inflammation became too great.

> I plan on staying on

> prednisone throughout; my doctors say that since it

> is a fairly low dosage

> (10 mg/day) that it is safe, and I can also continue

> on it while

> breastfeeding which I cannot do with Enbrel. I

> changed Rheumy's before

> trying to get pregnant because I felt my first one

> was just worried about

> maintaining the status quo, not really concerned

> with specific concerns and

> fears about getting pregnant. I am soo much happier

> with my second rheumy;

> she seems to be just as concerned and attentive to

> my pregnancy as my

> ob-gyn. For the pregnancy, I got a referral to an

> ob-gyn who specialized in

> high risk pregnancies, and I had a consultation with

> him prior to getting

> pregnant to see if he had experience with RA. My

> greatest frustration has

> been that my symptoms never really decreased with

> pregnancy as they do with

> most pregnant women with RA. It will all be worth

> it though in about

> another 8 weeks!!

>

> Maribeth - Longtime lister, first time poster

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

FYI: Some asthma medications are used for pre-term labor! They are not

necessarily FDA approved for it but it is used regularly to keep the babies in

as long as possible.

Becky

Re: [ ] Newbie & trying for Baby

I'm new to having RA so I can't really offer

suggestions on anything regarding that. I'm still

learning myself. I am however familiar with

prednisone cause I also have asthma. I do know it's

okay to take that during your pregnancy. I had to

take as much as 80 mg a day on and off throughout my

pregnancy cause I couldn't breathe. My asthma got

considerably worse while I was pregnant. I was very

concerned with taking it, but luckily I have a very

good friend who is an OB/GYN....I checked with her on

everything I was suppose to take. I had a wonderful

OB myself, but you know hearing it's okay to take

something from a friend who you've known for years is

more comforting.

--- Maribeth Joyce <m-joyce@...> wrote:

> On Thu, 13 May 2004 19:00:21, " groenca01 "

> <catherine_groen@...>

> wrote:

> >

> > Hi y'all! I was just diagnosed (finally!) with RA

> about 5 months

> > ago. I'm 29 and my husband 7 I want to have a

> baby soon. My rheumy

> > has me on Prednisone, Sulfasalazine and

> Diclofenac. He said I can

> > stay on all three until the 3rd trimester when I

> will need to drop

> > the Diclofenac. Is this consistent woth what you

> know? Also, how do

> > you know if you have a good rheumy or not. I have

> only seen this one

> > so I don't know what to look for or what level of

> care, attention,

> > information I should be receiving from him. My

> third question

> > revolves around RA and obgyn's. Is it possible to

> find one that has

> > experience with RA patients? If anyone is here in

> Atlanta could you

> > recommend one? I look forward to being a part of

> this group and

> > giving as much support as I get. Thanks for your

> help!

>

> Cat,

>

> I am 27 years old and am currently 8 mos pregnant

> with my first child. I

> was diagnosed with moderate RA at 24. Throughout my

> whole pregnancy, I have

> been taking prednisone and plaquenil; I have also

> gone off and then back on

> Enbrel when my pain/inflammation became too great.

> I plan on staying on

> prednisone throughout; my doctors say that since it

> is a fairly low dosage

> (10 mg/day) that it is safe, and I can also continue

> on it while

> breastfeeding which I cannot do with Enbrel. I

> changed Rheumy's before

> trying to get pregnant because I felt my first one

> was just worried about

> maintaining the status quo, not really concerned

> with specific concerns and

> fears about getting pregnant. I am soo much happier

> with my second rheumy;

> she seems to be just as concerned and attentive to

> my pregnancy as my

> ob-gyn. For the pregnancy, I got a referral to an

> ob-gyn who specialized in

> high risk pregnancies, and I had a consultation with

> him prior to getting

> pregnant to see if he had experience with RA. My

> greatest frustration has

> been that my symptoms never really decreased with

> pregnancy as they do with

> most pregnant women with RA. It will all be worth

> it though in about

> another 8 weeks!!

>

> Maribeth - Longtime lister, first time poster

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you for sharing your story. I feel the same way about my

rheumy and didn't know if I was just being paranoid. I asked him for

a referral to an OBGYN that had specific experience with RA or

difficult pregnancies and he could not. He couldn't even tell me

specific support groups in our area. I see him again tomorrow but

I'm fairly convinced that I need to switch.

I'm so sorry to hear that your pain has not gone away during the

pregnancy. I guess it just proves that life is all about sacrifices

and rewards. Good luck! I'll be thinking of you over the next 8

weeks. I know that it will all be worth it once you see that little

face!

Cat

> >

> > Hi y'all! I was just diagnosed (finally!) with RA about 5 months

> > ago. I'm 29 and my husband 7 I want to have a baby soon. My

rheumy

> > has me on Prednisone, Sulfasalazine and Diclofenac. He said I can

> > stay on all three until the 3rd trimester when I will need to drop

> > the Diclofenac. Is this consistent woth what you know? Also,

how do

> > you know if you have a good rheumy or not. I have only seen this

one

> > so I don't know what to look for or what level of care, attention,

> > information I should be receiving from him. My third question

> > revolves around RA and obgyn's. Is it possible to find one that

has

> > experience with RA patients? If anyone is here in Atlanta could

you

> > recommend one? I look forward to being a part of this group and

> > giving as much support as I get. Thanks for your help!

>

> Cat,

>

> I am 27 years old and am currently 8 mos pregnant with my first

child. I

> was diagnosed with moderate RA at 24. Throughout my whole

pregnancy, I have

> been taking prednisone and plaquenil; I have also gone off and then

back on

> Enbrel when my pain/inflammation became too great. I plan on

staying on

> prednisone throughout; my doctors say that since it is a fairly low

dosage

> (10 mg/day) that it is safe, and I can also continue on it while

> breastfeeding which I cannot do with Enbrel. I changed Rheumy's

before

> trying to get pregnant because I felt my first one was just worried

about

> maintaining the status quo, not really concerned with specific

concerns and

> fears about getting pregnant. I am soo much happier with my second

rheumy;

> she seems to be just as concerned and attentive to my pregnancy as

my

> ob-gyn. For the pregnancy, I got a referral to an ob-gyn who

specialized in

> high risk pregnancies, and I had a consultation with him prior to

getting

> pregnant to see if he had experience with RA. My greatest

frustration has

> been that my symptoms never really decreased with pregnancy as they

do with

> most pregnant women with RA. It will all be worth it though in

about

> another 8 weeks!!

>

> Maribeth - Longtime lister, first time poster

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the reassurance. You are right that it is much better to

hear these things from people that you know or trust that have gone

through the same thing than from a dr.

> > >

> > > Hi y'all! I was just diagnosed (finally!) with RA

> > about 5 months

> > > ago. I'm 29 and my husband 7 I want to have a

> > baby soon. My rheumy

> > > has me on Prednisone, Sulfasalazine and

> > Diclofenac. He said I can

> > > stay on all three until the 3rd trimester when I

> > will need to drop

> > > the Diclofenac. Is this consistent woth what you

> > know? Also, how do

> > > you know if you have a good rheumy or not. I have

> > only seen this one

> > > so I don't know what to look for or what level of

> > care, attention,

> > > information I should be receiving from him. My

> > third question

> > > revolves around RA and obgyn's. Is it possible to

> > find one that has

> > > experience with RA patients? If anyone is here in

> > Atlanta could you

> > > recommend one? I look forward to being a part of

> > this group and

> > > giving as much support as I get. Thanks for your

> > help!

> >

> > Cat,

> >

> > I am 27 years old and am currently 8 mos pregnant

> > with my first child. I

> > was diagnosed with moderate RA at 24. Throughout my

> > whole pregnancy, I have

> > been taking prednisone and plaquenil; I have also

> > gone off and then back on

> > Enbrel when my pain/inflammation became too great.

> > I plan on staying on

> > prednisone throughout; my doctors say that since it

> > is a fairly low dosage

> > (10 mg/day) that it is safe, and I can also continue

> > on it while

> > breastfeeding which I cannot do with Enbrel. I

> > changed Rheumy's before

> > trying to get pregnant because I felt my first one

> > was just worried about

> > maintaining the status quo, not really concerned

> > with specific concerns and

> > fears about getting pregnant. I am soo much happier

> > with my second rheumy;

> > she seems to be just as concerned and attentive to

> > my pregnancy as my

> > ob-gyn. For the pregnancy, I got a referral to an

> > ob-gyn who specialized in

> > high risk pregnancies, and I had a consultation with

> > him prior to getting

> > pregnant to see if he had experience with RA. My

> > greatest frustration has

> > been that my symptoms never really decreased with

> > pregnancy as they do with

> > most pregnant women with RA. It will all be worth

> > it though in about

> > another 8 weeks!!

> >

> > Maribeth - Longtime lister, first time poster

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Maribeth,

I have 2 children and with the first I went into complete remission, but

with the second my disease flared, spread and made life miserable.

It is strange how pregnancy affects us all differently. Sorry you didn't

get relief during this special time in your life.

a

> Cat,

>

> I am 27 years old and am currently 8 mos pregnant with my first child. I

> was diagnosed with moderate RA at 24. Throughout my whole pregnancy, I have

> been taking prednisone and plaquenil; I have also gone off and then back on

> Enbrel when my pain/inflammation became too great. I plan on staying on

> prednisone throughout; my doctors say that since it is a fairly low dosage

> (10 mg/day) that it is safe, and I can also continue on it while

> breastfeeding which I cannot do with Enbrel. I changed Rheumy's before

> trying to get pregnant because I felt my first one was just worried about

> maintaining the status quo, not really concerned with specific concerns and

> fears about getting pregnant. I am soo much happier with my second rheumy;

> she seems to be just as concerned and attentive to my pregnancy as my

> ob-gyn. For the pregnancy, I got a referral to an ob-gyn who specialized in

> high risk pregnancies, and I had a consultation with him prior to getting

> pregnant to see if he had experience with RA. My greatest frustration has

> been that my symptoms never really decreased with pregnancy as they do with

> most pregnant women with RA. It will all be worth it though in about

> another 8 weeks!!

>

> Maribeth - Longtime lister, first time poster