Re: Having trouble with my RA and meds! Holly

[Guest guest]

Holly:

What it sounds like to me is that your overactivity

and lack of rest is working against your medications

and not letting them begin to help you. Take your

doctor's advice and take time off from work.

Concentrate on you, your health, and your life from

here on out. Let the medications begin to work by

resting and not fighting against the pain. Fighting

this disease is good, but it does not mean that you

have to continue being superwoman, just that you need

to be proactive in your getting yourself the best

treatment you can.

Take that time off and concentrate also on your little

boys - think of the increased time you will have to be

with them, and how much joy that will give them, to

have you there with them more. Sometimes I think that

these diseases make us stop and take stock of our

lives, and really concentrate on what is important to

us, and those who love us, and basically " stop and

smell the roses " in life. Sometimes we are moving at

so fast a pace through life that we miss much of the

wonder around us. This stopping of work will give you

the chance to do this. It does not necessarily mean

that you will never work again, don't look at it like

that, but if you continue along at the pace you are

currently on, you might end up with just that result

because you run yourself into the ground, and RA takes

your life. I don't want to scare you, but please take

the advice of your doctor to heart. I really think it

will end up being a very positive experience for you

in the long run.

Kathe in CA

--- Holly <hollybgroovin2003@...> wrote:

> I was only diagnosed last November with lupus and

> RA, and I guess I

> just assumed that I would be doing better already.

> I know it

> sometimes takes awhile but I'm getting impatient and

> my doctor is

> starting to worry me. My doctor has been

> consulting with other

> rheumys regarding my situation. The problem is that

> I have been on

> high doses of many things and since last november my

> sed rate has more

> than tripled and continues to rise (and so does the

> pain!). I can't

> take some of the best medications because of the

> lupus and many

> allergies, so I am very limited in what meds I can

> take. My rheumy

> sat me down today and told me that that I needed to

> get serious about

> this ( I was there to pick up some short term

> disability papers).

> This whole time I have been working 40+ hours as a

> computer operator,

> coming home, making dinner, laundry and raising 2

> amazining little

> boys. I never rest even when I am in severe pain.

> I don't know my

> limits yet, which often throughs me into a major

> flare,but the minute

> I start feeling even a little bit better I throw

> myself into

> overdrive. My doctor explained to me how important

> it is to rest and

> let my body heal. I was told about a month ago that

> if we cant get my

> ra under control that I would be in a wheelchair by

> my 27th birthday.

> She later explained that it wasn't because I

> wouldn't be able to

> walk, it was because I would be in so much pain I

> would need a

> wheelchair. My worst pain is in my feet and I use a

> cane for it right

> now. Then after our talk she told me that she wants

> me out of work for

> at least 6 months and then " we'll talk " . My rheumy

> describes my RA as

> progressing at a dangerously aggresive pace.

> Anybody know what that

> means? I'm still new to this. I just don't

> understand any of this,

> and I am very scared of how fast all this has

> happened. Don't get me

> wrong, I am not new to RA. I am new to the

> diagnosis. I was

> misdiagnosed with multiple scleroris almost 2 years

> ago now. I didn't

> have any plaques on my brain, but I did on my spine

> as well as erosion

> that my rheumy thinks is somewhat due to the RA. My

> doctor will be

> giving me a MRI of my spine soon to see how it has

> changes. So very

> sorry for the long post, I guess I just want someone

> to tell me they

> have been through all this with the misdiagnosis and

> the rapid

> progression. What does rapid progression of my RA

> mean for me?

> Thanks for all your help and support. You guys have

> helped me through

> this more than you can ever know. Holly

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Kathe

" To ride a horse is to borrow freedom. "

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