Re: Doc (not mine) diagnosing me as not having RA?

[Guest guest]

Sorry - forgot to add my name.

Betsy in Houston.

[Guest guest]

Hi

I to have heard that mtx can raise the sed rate....... but like yourself it

lowered mine from in the 70s down to the mid 30s until recently when it is

starting to rise again....I think it is only rising as my RA is no longer

controlled as well as it was, and as the pain levels suggest their would be more

inflamation present. My RA is the seronegative type, that is I have never tested

positive.

take care

[ ] Doc (not mine) diagnosing me as not having RA?

What do you guys think of this? I have a friend that is a doctor

that no longer practices medicine. I talked with her a bit when I

was trying to decide whether to change doctors, and mentioned to her

that my sed rate was climbing and was now at 46. She told me that

Methotrexate makes the sed rate RISE. I thought that was not true,

since when I first started on MTX, it went down to 21, and then

started climbing again.

Today she told me she doesn't believe I have RA, that I need to

exercise, lose weight (I am very obese) and take lots of Vitamin D.

I mentioned that my doc had done mri's of my hands and they

show " scoop erosion " and " tunnel erosion " and had raised my dosage

of the meds to 20 mgs per week, and she said that she still didn't

think I did, just a gut feeling.

I have not had a positive RA test, but my doc has written on my

chart " inflamatory Arthritis " and says that I have the symptons of

RA, just not the test score.

Of course, this just FEEDS my denial that I have anything wrong with

me. All I know is that since starting the MTX, I have only had one

flare, can get up in the morning without vicodin and basically feel

pretty good (except toward the time that it's time to take my daily

Mobic).

So, my question is, if I did NOT have RA, would the Methotrexate

have any effect on me? Could it make me feel better without having

RA?

Hope everyone is having a non-pain-filled weekend.

[Guest guest]

Hi, I have been on methotrexate for a month and my sed rate has continued to

rise. But I also had no responce to my previous meds (Prednisone, plaquenil,

alfulazine, volteren.) She just upped my dosage so hopefully it will help.

Even though I tested positive for RA, my rheumy has also said that it is

possible to have RA and test negative. Best luck to you, Holly

oneoften71 <oneoften71@...> wrote: Hi

I to have heard that mtx can raise the sed rate....... but like yourself it

lowered mine from in the 70s down to the mid 30s until recently when it is

starting to rise again....I think it is only rising as my RA is no longer

controlled as well as it was, and as the pain levels suggest their would be more

inflamation present. My RA is the seronegative type, that is I have never tested

positive.

take care

[ ] Doc (not mine) diagnosing me as not having RA?

What do you guys think of this? I have a friend that is a doctor

that no longer practices medicine. I talked with her a bit when I

was trying to decide whether to change doctors, and mentioned to her

that my sed rate was climbing and was now at 46. She told me that

Methotrexate makes the sed rate RISE. I thought that was not true,

since when I first started on MTX, it went down to 21, and then

started climbing again.

Today she told me she doesn't believe I have RA, that I need to

exercise, lose weight (I am very obese) and take lots of Vitamin D.

I mentioned that my doc had done mri's of my hands and they

show " scoop erosion " and " tunnel erosion " and had raised my dosage

of the meds to 20 mgs per week, and she said that she still didn't

think I did, just a gut feeling.

I have not had a positive RA test, but my doc has written on my

chart " inflamatory Arthritis " and says that I have the symptons of

RA, just not the test score.

Of course, this just FEEDS my denial that I have anything wrong with

me. All I know is that since starting the MTX, I have only had one

flare, can get up in the morning without vicodin and basically feel

pretty good (except toward the time that it's time to take my daily

Mobic).

So, my question is, if I did NOT have RA, would the Methotrexate

have any effect on me? Could it make me feel better without having

RA?

Hope everyone is having a non-pain-filled weekend.

[Guest guest]

I think you should listen to your doctor, who is still practicing

medicine. Your friend sounds way out of date. As long as the mtx is

helping, I'd keep taking it. And if it doesn't help enough, there are

other meds that can be added.

Sue

On Saturday, March 25, 2006, at 08:37 PM, cammiesmom4 wrote:

> Today she told me she doesn't believe I have RA, that I need to

> exercise, lose weight (I am very obese) and take lots of Vitamin D.

[Guest guest]

Betsy,

Just out of curiosity, what was your friend's specialty when she practiced?

Generally speaking, MTX will cause the sed rate of RA patients to go down if

they are responding to it.

I can't really say what MTX would do for you or to you if you didn't have RA

or another inflammatory condition, but your rheumatologist probably did not

prescribe it for you on a whim.

I'm assuming that you had the rheumatoid factor (RF) test, but what about

the anti-CCP test? That one's newer and can be positive even if the RF is

negative, and anti-CCP is more specific for RA.

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[ ] Doc (not mine) diagnosing me as not having RA?

> What do you guys think of this? I have a friend that is a doctor

> that no longer practices medicine. I talked with her a bit when I

> was trying to decide whether to change doctors, and mentioned to her

> that my sed rate was climbing and was now at 46. She told me that

> Methotrexate makes the sed rate RISE. I thought that was not true,

> since when I first started on MTX, it went down to 21, and then

> started climbing again.

> Today she told me she doesn't believe I have RA, that I need to

> exercise, lose weight (I am very obese) and take lots of Vitamin D.

> I mentioned that my doc had done mri's of my hands and they

> show " scoop erosion " and " tunnel erosion " and had raised my dosage

> of the meds to 20 mgs per week, and she said that she still didn't

> think I did, just a gut feeling.

> I have not had a positive RA test, but my doc has written on my

> chart " inflamatory Arthritis " and says that I have the symptons of

> RA, just not the test score.

> Of course, this just FEEDS my denial that I have anything wrong with

> me. All I know is that since starting the MTX, I have only had one

> flare, can get up in the morning without vicodin and basically feel

> pretty good (except toward the time that it's time to take my daily

> Mobic).

> So, my question is, if I did NOT have RA, would the Methotrexate

> have any effect on me? Could it make me feel better without having

> RA?

> Hope everyone is having a non-pain-filled weekend.

[Guest guest]

Good morning, and all who have responded. The doc's specialty was thorasic

surgery, not RA. LOL. i will look at my tests and see if the anti-CCP test was

run. Thanks for your guidance.

Betsy

>

> Betsy,

>

> Just out of curiosity, what was your friend's specialty when she practiced?

>

> Generally speaking, MTX will cause the sed rate of RA patients to go down if

> they are responding to it.

>

> I can't really say what MTX would do for you or to you if you didn't have RA

> or another inflammatory condition, but your rheumatologist probably did not

> prescribe it for you on a whim.

>

> I'm assuming that you had the rheumatoid factor (RF) test, but what about

> the anti-CCP test? That one's newer and can be positive even if the RF is

> negative, and anti-CCP is more specific for RA.

>

>

>

> Not an MD

>

> I'll tell you where to go!

>

> Mayo Clinic in Rochester

> http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

>

> s Hopkins Medicine

> http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

>

>

> [ ] Doc (not mine) diagnosing me as not having RA?

>

>

> > What do you guys think of this? I have a friend that is a doctor

> > that no longer practices medicine. I talked with her a bit when I

> > was trying to decide whether to change doctors, and mentioned to her

> > that my sed rate was climbing and was now at 46. She told me that

> > Methotrexate makes the sed rate RISE. I thought that was not true,

> > since when I first started on MTX, it went down to 21, and then

> > started climbing again.

> > Today she told me she doesn't believe I have RA, that I need to

> > exercise, lose weight (I am very obese) and take lots of Vitamin D.

> > I mentioned that my doc had done mri's of my hands and they

> > show " scoop erosion " and " tunnel erosion " and had raised my dosage

> > of the meds to 20 mgs per week, and she said that she still didn't

> > think I did, just a gut feeling.

> > I have not had a positive RA test, but my doc has written on my

> > chart " inflamatory Arthritis " and says that I have the symptons of

> > RA, just not the test score.

> > Of course, this just FEEDS my denial that I have anything wrong with

> > me. All I know is that since starting the MTX, I have only had one

> > flare, can get up in the morning without vicodin and basically feel

> > pretty good (except toward the time that it's time to take my daily

> > Mobic).

> > So, my question is, if I did NOT have RA, would the Methotrexate

> > have any effect on me? Could it make me feel better without having

> > RA?

> > Hope everyone is having a non-pain-filled weekend.

>

[Guest guest]

Has your friend the doctor ever heard of sero-negative RA?

cammiesmom4 <betsyg77041@...> wrote: What do you guys think of this?

I have a friend that is a doctor

that no longer practices medicine. I talked with her a bit when I

was trying to decide whether to change doctors, and mentioned to her

that my sed rate was climbing and was now at 46. She told me that

Methotrexate makes the sed rate RISE. I thought that was not true,

since when I first started on MTX, it went down to 21, and then

started climbing again.

Today she told me she doesn't believe I have RA, that I need to

exercise, lose weight (I am very obese) and take lots of Vitamin D.

I mentioned that my doc had done mri's of my hands and they

show " scoop erosion " and " tunnel erosion " and had raised my dosage

of the meds to 20 mgs per week, and she said that she still didn't

think I did, just a gut feeling.

I have not had a positive RA test, but my doc has written on my

chart " inflamatory Arthritis " and says that I have the symptons of

RA, just not the test score.

Of course, this just FEEDS my denial that I have anything wrong with

me. All I know is that since starting the MTX, I have only had one

flare, can get up in the morning without vicodin and basically feel

pretty good (except toward the time that it's time to take my daily

Mobic).

So, my question is, if I did NOT have RA, would the Methotrexate

have any effect on me? Could it make me feel better without having

RA?

Hope everyone is having a non-pain-filled weekend.