Re: Help! New RA/Spondyloarthropathy Diagnosis

[Guest guest]

Hello,

My name is Jeanne and I've recently been tentatively diagnosed with

Spondyloarthropahy or RA---It all began at the end of December with a red,

swollen third toe on my left foot. Within a few weeks it had spread to my right

thumb, right shoulder and left knee. The docs had initially treated it with

prednisone and NSAID's...no luck, it kept going. So quick, so bad that my left

knee cap is torn away from the tendons. I was an active, exercising type 46

year old otherwise healthy lady. This has been absolutely devastating. I now

have a rheumy I trust and it working with me. I just took my second dose (50

mg) of Enbrel and am on MTX (5), Prednisone 10 mg. daily, Azulfidine - 500 mg.

2X a day, Dolobid - 500 mg. 2X a day, Diovan - 160 mg. 1x a day (this was the

ONLY drug I was on prior to this tornado that hit me-as I've had HBP for a few

years), Prilosec - 20 mg. X1 day, Calcium 500mgX3 a day, Xanax (to ease the

stress of the diagnosis:)....5mgX2 day, Folic Acid - 800 mcg

daily...and that's all folks. I feel like a walking medicine cabinet! The doc

said that if the Enbrel continues to work well (and it is so far) he will wean

me off the MTX, Azul and Dolobid. He is leaning towards the Spondo diagnosis

because this all started in a digit (my toe) and I have a positive HLA B27 test.

I've also, for several years now, had a high C-Reactive Protein. I sometimes

feel like I have " hot " spots popping up on my body -- various locations and my

face and neck get terribly flushed. Has anyone else had this type of odd

reaction--my doc and the Enbrel reps are puzzled.

Any suggestions or support would be greatly appreciated. Is there life after

this diagnosis?

With kind regards,

Jeanne

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

Welcome Jeanne. So sorry for your diagnosis, or lack of one. These

rheumatic diseases can be very tough to diagnose.

You're very lucky to have a great rheumy that is treating your

aggressively. I hope your meds stop the progression and you can live

a relatively normal life. I've live with RA for over 25 years and

have lived much better than my first rheumy expected.

Try to keep a positive attitude. It's hard on the bad days. Listen to

your body and rest when you need to. Life will be

different, but it can still be a very good life. I was also very

active when it hit me when I was just in my 20's.

I can still swim, which I think is the best exercise for arthritics.

I haven't had the flushing you describe. Is it a rash?

a

On Mar 18, 2006, at 1:23 PM, Jeanne Bruno wrote:

> Hello,

> My name is Jeanne and I've recently been tentatively diagnosed

> with Spondyloarthropahy or RA---It all began at the end of December

> with a red, swollen third toe on my left foot. Within a few weeks

> it had spread to my right thumb, right shoulder and left knee. The

> docs had initially treated it with prednisone and NSAID's...no

> luck, it kept going. So quick, so bad that my left knee cap is

> torn away from the tendons. I was an active, exercising type 46

> year old otherwise healthy lady. This has been absolutely

> devastating. I now have a rheumy I trust and it working with me.

> I just took my second dose (50 mg) of Enbrel and am on MTX (5),

> Prednisone 10 mg. daily, Azulfidine - 500 mg. 2X a day, Dolobid -

> 500 mg. 2X a day, Diovan - 160 mg. 1x a day (this was the ONLY drug

> I was on prior to this tornado that hit me-as I've had HBP for a

> few years), Prilosec - 20 mg. X1 day, Calcium 500mgX3 a day, Xanax

> (to ease the stress of the dia daily...and that's all folks. I

> feel like a walking medicine cabinet! The doc said that if the

> Enbrel continues to work well (and it is so far) he will wean me

> off the MTX, Azul and Dolobid. He is leaning towards the Spondo

> diagnosis because this all started in a digit (my toe) and I have a

> positive HLA B27 test. I've also, for several years now, had a

> high C-Reactive Protein. I sometimes feel like I have " hot " spots

> popping up on my body -- various locations and my face and neck get

> terribly flushed. Has anyone else had this type of odd reaction--

> my doc and the Enbrel reps are puzzled.

>

> Any suggestions or support would be greatly appreciated. Is

> there life after this diagnosis?

>

> With kind regards,

>

> Jeanne

>

>

>

>

> ---------------------------------

>

> Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail makes sharing a breeze.

>

>