April From CA /New

[Guest guest]

Hello, My name is April and I am a married 36 yr old Christian from

Southern California with 2 daughters in 5 & 6th grade. I work one

day a/wk away from home and do home sales the rest of the time.

My Doctor did some blood work on me Wed. to see if I

have " Rheumatoid Arthritis " through out my body and it came back

Positive. He is going on vacation and my next appointment is not

till 2nd wk of Dec. and will talk to me and start me on med. then.

I have been in TWO car accidents (not my fault) and had a few Horse

accidents as well. I am on Wellbutrin and Synthroid, take my multi

vitamins, Fish oils/Flax, St. Jn's Wrt, Gingko, Caltrate, and take

my Acidophilus at night before bed.

I take mostly Tylenol when needed and ad 1/2 a Vicodine if it's real

bad alternating with Ibuprphen if my stomach allows.

Glucosamine/. Chondroitin is not an option for me, every time I take

it, even with food, it upsets my stomach.

I have been in some extra pain the past few yrs which disrupts my

everyday life and sleep patterns. I get tired easily and suffer from

ADD (suffered horribly in school w/out diagnosis then),

depression, , Anxiety/attacks, IBS, Scoliosis, bladder pain off and

on with no positive infection results but get better with

antibiotics and cranberry juice, Tender Points and Candida ( all the

classic symptoms and way too many antibiotics in the past). My pains

are in my Feet, Knees, Hips, Low back, Mid Back, Neck, Shoulders,

Arms/Elbows, Wrists, Hands and Fingers. I would say that my pain has

definitely accelerated sometime after I started Low Carbing (which

major acid reflux died down at that time but back again) and took me

2 years to lose 45 lbs. I am now back up about 20 less than when I

started and have tapered off from the gaining back. My constant goal

( but not always successful is to keep refined sugars and bad fats

out of my diet as much as possible and eat more veggies, complex

carbs, lean proteins and good fats. Can you believe as I wrote this

someone came to my door selling chocolates for a youth program!!

(which I declined but gave a donation)

I would love to exercise 3 x's a week but usually only manage 2, 4

sometimes 6 times a month 20-40 minutes at a time. I have a

Cardiofit, Gazelle Glider and Treadmill and try to do my stretches

etc in the evening.

I would like to learn more about RA and what it is doing to me and

how to cope with it. Any advice and prayer are much appreciated and

I would like to know what my options are and what meds I should not

take especially those that are safe for the stomach.

Thanks and blessings,

April from CA