Re: New to RA Blue (long post)

[Guest guest]

Hi Blue:

Welcome to the group - you are not alone! - you will

find wonderful supportive people, and great

information here. I can completely understand the

frustration you are feeling now. Autoimmune diseases

can often mimic each other in symptoms and it can be

very hard to differentiate which disease you have at

times. Blood work can be helpful, but is not always

reliable for diagnosis. It is your symptomatology and

presenting symptoms that will usually let your doctor

know which way to look for a diagnosis, and how to

treat you.

I am sorry you have had so much trouble with your past

medications - I have been on Mtx and Arava. Have you

tried the injectible Mtx? That would help decrease

the side effects of your stomach problems. I had to

discontinue the Arava because of side effects, but I

continue on the Mtx, in combination with Enbrel, Mobic

and Ultram. The Mobic is an anti-inflammatory and the

Ultram is for pain. I also take other meds for

fibromyalgia, asthma, and high blood pressure.

I have been on Enbrel for about 7 months now, and have

had good results with it in combo with Mtx. I have

had no problems with it, no side effects other than

sometimes bruising at the injection site, and feeling

more tired the day after the injection. It has helped

me quite a bit, and my RA is under pretty good control

at this time. I still have flares, but nothing like I

was having prior to the Enbrel.

All of the medications we are prescribed have side

effects, and some of them seem quite scary, but you

must keep in mind that they have to tell you every

little possible side effect there might be, and most

of these are very unlikely to cause you any problem.

I would advise you to take Enbrel under consideration,

and give it a chance. It has helped me, and others

here in this group, to have a better quality of life

with RA.

I also have fibromyalgia, for about six years now, but

only dx two years ago. I take Lyrica, Skelaxin,

Ambien CR, Effexor XR, and Zanaflex for that. The

pain of fibro is more as you have described for your

symptoms right now. However, with your rheumy feeling

that you have RA too, I would definately treat both.

With my RA, I do have joint pain and some warmth and

swelling, but it is sometimes hard to tell the two

apart, as it all blends together and there is just

total pain some days.

It can be very confusing, very frustrating, and hard

to find the right meds or combo of meds to treat your

pain. With the right meds, I hope that you are able

to get control of your RA and fibro, and your quality

of life will improve. You are a survivor of cancer,

and can survive this too! You are not alone! We are

here for you, and this group has helped me soooo much,

and our moderators have access to many resources which

might help you. I am sure that you will get responses

from others here because very often we have more than

one autoimmune disease - seems like one occurs, and

then others follow behind when our immune system is

down.

Hang in there - let us know what decision your doctor

and you come to in regards to the Enbrel - any help I

can be, please don't hesitate to ask, okay? Take care

-

Kathe in CA

--- bluenightsleep <bluenightsleep@...> wrote:

I have a negative> RA test result but > a positive

CCP test for moderate RA.> I have been on methotrexate

it caused severe> vomiting and diarrhea. > I would

pass out. Then Arava caused severe head> pain, I

thought my > brain would explode. Then Imuran again

severe> vomiting and diarrhea. > Now the doc wants to

put me on Enbrel. I am scared> to death of the

> side effects.>

I'm on 10mg of prednisone for the swelling and>

percocet for the > sciatic pain going down my left leg

and Ambien CR to> help me sleep.> I was put on

Amitriptyline 50mg because doc says I> also have >

fibromyalgia and depression. The Amitriptyline made>

my muscles jerk > and my restless legs go crazy,

(Sleep lab diagnosed> RLS six years > ago), I was

walking around so groggy I couldn't> think but I could

not > fall asleep so I stopped taking it.

This disease is frustrating. The docs don't seem to>

know what to do.> My biggest fear is that I have no

idea of what to> do. My life is > slipping by. I

didn't fight and win over cancer to> live like this.>

I would like to hear from other people with multiple>

syptoms of > Rheumatoid disease so that I don't feel

like I'm the> only one.

>

>

>

>

>

>

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