Re: RA and picky eaters (a poll for the group).

[Guest guest]

Hi Jennie

I was a short skinny kid, usually one of the smallest in my class until high

school, when I was kind of medium. I believe my RA started in my mid to late

twenties, although it took about 10 years to get a doctor to diagnose it. I

was not a picky eater, though...my mom was a natural/health food nut (as we

called her!) and I ate a very healthy diet and didn't really turn my nose up at

much.

As for stress-my RA kind of came and went initially. I had a very high

stress life from about ages 15-30! The symptoms came and went during that time.

No specific onset or specific stressful event. Cary

[Guest guest]

I have never been small or a picky eater. I had just started going through

menapause and had quit smoking when I first started getting signs of RA. I

then tore my rotator cuff in my shoulder. That is what sent me to the doctor

and after 6 months and 4 doctors later found out it was RA.

Renate

[ ] RA and picky eaters (a poll for the group).

> I guess you could say RA runs in my family. My mom, her cousin and I

> all have it, and we all got it in when we were in our 30's. I went

> to visit my mom and my sister a few weeks ago, and she said it looked

> like me and my sister switched kids. I am petite and my 3 yo

> daughter has always had a ton of baby fat. My sister is average and

> his this teeny-tiny little 2 yo girl. Then my mom started thinking

> and the three of us with RA were all teeny-tiny as kids, and were

> very finicky eaters. Her brothers, sister and cousins who were

> healthy eaters and average sized kids, do not have RA. My sister is

> barely in her 30's so the jury is still out.

>

> So here is my question for the group. Were you small, skinny and a

> picky eater when you were a child? If so, how old were you when you

> developed RA?

>

> Also, since we are polling, I always believe in the trigger theory

> that says RA is something you can get, but you actually develop it

> when you have a period of high stress/illness and your immune system

> is weak. My mom got RA after a bout with bronchitis and pneumonia

> and while having a ton of stress at work and home, being a smoker,

> etc. My mom's cousin has diabetes and she got RA during a period of

> overwhelming stress at work and while having two little babies to

> care for. I got it when I was having a lot of work stress and then

> got a horrible stomach virus.

>

> So second polling question: Did you have a period of high stress

> and/or severe illness shortly before RA symptoms started?

>

> Jennie

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I have never been a picky eater! Unfortunately, my appetite is

sometimes too good. I weighed over eight pounds when I was born. When I

was a child, I was skinny as a rail but ate like a pig! I stayed skinny

until my diabetes started. I believed it actually started when I was in

my thirties, but I wasn't diagnosed until I was in my fifties.

I'm thankful that I didn't get RA until I was 60. I was under no

unusual stress before it began. About a year before, though, I did have

some kind of stomach virus or food poisoning. I have often wondered if

this was a trigger for my RA.

After the RA started, within the same year, I had shingles and breast

cancer, not to mention a bleeding ulcer and anemia from taking Aleve

before I was diagnosed and started on mtx. My immune system was not

functioning very well, I guess.

This is an interesting poll. I hope everyone participates.

Sue

[Guest guest]

Hi, Jennie!

1) No, I was not a small and skinny child and I was a very good eater. I

was usually one of the tallest in the class and ranged from a slim to

athletic build - I played a lot of competitive sports.

2) No, there was no obvious trigger for me before I began experiencing

symptoms, but, although I have one RA diagnosis from one doctor, it's

unclear what my diagnosis is.

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[ ] RA and picky eaters (a poll for the group).

> I guess you could say RA runs in my family. My mom, her cousin and I

> all have it, and we all got it in when we were in our 30's. I went

> to visit my mom and my sister a few weeks ago, and she said it looked

> like me and my sister switched kids. I am petite and my 3 yo

> daughter has always had a ton of baby fat. My sister is average and

> his this teeny-tiny little 2 yo girl. Then my mom started thinking

> and the three of us with RA were all teeny-tiny as kids, and were

> very finicky eaters. Her brothers, sister and cousins who were

> healthy eaters and average sized kids, do not have RA. My sister is

> barely in her 30's so the jury is still out.

>

> So here is my question for the group. Were you small, skinny and a

> picky eater when you were a child? If so, how old were you when you

> developed RA?

>

> Also, since we are polling, I always believe in the trigger theory

> that says RA is something you can get, but you actually develop it

> when you have a period of high stress/illness and your immune system

> is weak. My mom got RA after a bout with bronchitis and pneumonia

> and while having a ton of stress at work and home, being a smoker,

> etc. My mom's cousin has diabetes and she got RA during a period of

> overwhelming stress at work and while having two little babies to

> care for. I got it when I was having a lot of work stress and then

> got a horrible stomach virus.

>

> So second polling question: Did you have a period of high stress

> and/or severe illness shortly before RA symptoms started?

>

> Jennie

[Guest guest]

I was a VERY picky eater. As a young child, I would ³store² my food in my

cheeks. My mom would go to feed me my next meal and find my cheeks packed

with the previous meal. At 2 years old I was diagnosed with malnutrition.

I was a true test to my mother. She would do tricks to make me eat.

Finally my pediatrician told her to put my meal in front of me and if I

didn¹t eat it, take it away and don¹t coax me. He suspected I was looking

for attention, and he was right. After a few times of my plate being taken

away, I got hungry enough to eat. But I was always a very poor eater as a

child. I was skinny as a rail 5¹5² and 104 lbs. When I got older, I could

eat like a pig and gain nothing. Oh how I¹d love those days back! I now

eat everything and there isn¹t much I don¹t like, but unfortunately if I ate

what I wanted I¹d weigh 500 lbs!

RA is thought to be triggered following a bruised knee in an auto accident.

I can¹t say I had a lot of stress at the time. Several years later I became

pregnant with my second child and it caused a flare that never seemed to

end.

a

[Guest guest]

I was not a picky eater, and was quite chubby, though never " obese " as a

child.

Tess

[Guest guest]

Jennie

Hi, yes. Small, skinny, picky eater and neurotic. Diagnosed at 39, felt

symptomatic in my mid 30's.

Dana

[ ] RA and picky eaters (a poll for the group).

I guess you could say RA runs in my family. My mom, her cousin and I

all have it, and we all got it in when we were in our 30's. I went

to visit my mom and my sister a few weeks ago, and she said it looked

like me and my sister switched kids. I am petite and my 3 yo

daughter has always had a ton of baby fat. My sister is average and

his this teeny-tiny little 2 yo girl. Then my mom started thinking

and the three of us with RA were all teeny-tiny as kids, and were

very finicky eaters. Her brothers, sister and cousins who were

healthy eaters and average sized kids, do not have RA. My sister is

barely in her 30's so the jury is still out.

So here is my question for the group. Were you small, skinny and a

picky eater when you were a child? If so, how old were you when you

developed RA?

Also, since we are polling, I always believe in the trigger theory

that says RA is something you can get, but you actually develop it

when you have a period of high stress/illness and your immune system

is weak. My mom got RA after a bout with bronchitis and pneumonia

and while having a ton of stress at work and home, being a smoker,

etc. My mom's cousin has diabetes and she got RA during a period of

overwhelming stress at work and while having two little babies to

care for. I got it when I was having a lot of work stress and then

got a horrible stomach virus.

So second polling question: Did you have a period of high stress

and/or severe illness shortly before RA symptoms started?

Jennie

[Guest guest]

I'm not and never was a picky eater either. I was a bit chubby in

upper elementary, but average weight after that. During the year before

I was diagnosed with RA I had extremely bad knee problems and pain -

actually my orthopedist referred me to a rheumatologist when he did

blood work and though I did not have a positive rheumatoid factor, my

SED rate was extremely high. I was diagnosed in January of 1997. In

the year before I was finally diagnosed I had a hysterectomy, moved

during the time I was recovering from that surgery (thank goodness for

family help), and was a single parent of two sons who were in 10th and

12th grade during that time. We had our usual set of problems as you

do with teen age boys, though on the whole they were really good kids.

I was working two jobs (a special education teacher and a part time

job) as well as being an active member of the band boosters (we had a

concessions stand at the the college stadium in our town.) I don't

know that any one thing contributed to the RA, but I do know that I

would not want to repeat that year of my life. I also had the first

knee pains and problems in 1995 when I worked in a fast food place part

time. I'm sure all of this helped the RA along. Since then I have

also been diagnosed with narcolepsy, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Sorry to be so long winded.

Libby

> [ ] RA and picky eaters (a poll for the group).

>

>

> I guess you could say RA runs in my family. My mom, her cousin and I

> all have it, and we all got it in when we were in our 30's. I went

> to visit my mom and my sister a few weeks ago, and she said it looked

> like me and my sister switched kids. I am petite and my 3 yo

> daughter has always had a ton of baby fat. My sister is average and

> his this teeny-tiny little 2 yo girl. Then my mom started thinking

> and the three of us with RA were all teeny-tiny as kids, and were

> very finicky eaters. Her brothers, sister and cousins who were

> healthy eaters and average sized kids, do not have RA. My sister is

> barely in her 30's so the jury is still out.

>

> So here is my question for the group. Were you small, skinny and a

> picky eater when you were a child? If so, how old were you when you

> developed RA?

>

> Also, since we are polling, I always believe in the trigger theory

> that says RA is something you can get, but you actually develop it

> when you have a period of high stress/illness and your immune system

> is weak. My mom got RA after a bout with bronchitis and pneumonia

> and while having a ton of stress at work and home, being a smoker,

> etc. My mom's cousin has diabetes and she got RA during a period of

> overwhelming stress at work and while having two little babies to

> care for. I got it when I was having a lot of work stress and then

> got a horrible stomach virus.

>

> So second polling question: Did you have a period of high stress

> and/or severe illness shortly before RA symptoms started?

>

> Jennie

>

>

>

>