Guest guest Posted April 24, 2006 Report Share Posted April 24, 2006 Hi Trish: Welcome to the group! The people here are so supportive and caring, and we have great information found for us from our tireless (seemingly) and a, our terrific moderators. I am sorry that you have been diagnosed with RA, but don't be scared too much by the side effects that come with some of these drugs. They have to list every single side effect that could possibly happen, and many, many people take them for RA. You can't see it, but the disease causes erosion of the joints which leads to pain and deformity, and if the disease is not treated early and aggressively, much damage can result. What medications has your doctor suggested to you? I am on Methotrexate, Enbrel, Mobic and Ultram, and also have more meds for fibromyalgia. Everyone has to decide for themselves about taking medications or not, or which ones to take, and I have decided that medications make my life better in the long run, and allow me to live a productive life. Yes, there are some that have caused me problems, and I discontinued them, but we are very fortunate to have several very good RA medications available to us now. We talk about lots of things in this group, not only RA and medications, but also how this affects our lives, our families, our work, we talk about pets, hobbies and good days we have had. So, just join in! Kathe in CA --- sleepysea66 <sleepysea66@...> wrote: > Hello Everyone > I have just been diagnosed with RA and bo am I > scared to take any pf > the medications after eradinga bout them/ > I am looking for some support as I am single and > alone > Umm not sure what else to write here > Trish > > > > > > > Kathe " To ride a horse is to borrow freedom. " __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 29, 2006 Report Share Posted April 29, 2006 Hi Kathe Thank you for your welcome. This is overwhelming. Why do we get RA? I asked the Dr and he said I dont know in the wrong place at the wrong time he said I know I was the most stressed I have been Broken relationship , moving and a virus and not eating properly I dont carry the gene nor do i have Lupus I am on 5mg Prednisone and some Panadol which is an analgesic it took 3 months for me to be brave enough to take the pred now he wants to put me on Methotrexate and folci acid and im too scared to take it The weather has changed here we are in autumn and boy dontu notice the stiffness - I live in Australia How are you? Hugs Trish Kathe Sabetzadeh <lv2ryd@...> wrote: Hi Trish: Welcome to the group! The people here are so supportive and caring, and we have great information found for us from our tireless (seemingly) and a, our terrific moderators. I am sorry that you have been diagnosed with RA, but don't be scared too much by the side effects that come with some of these drugs. They have to list every single side effect that could possibly happen, and many, many people take them for RA. You can't see it, but the disease causes erosion of the joints which leads to pain and deformity, and if the disease is not treated early and aggressively, much damage can result. What medications has your doctor suggested to you? I am on Methotrexate, Enbrel, Mobic and Ultram, and also have more meds for fibromyalgia. Everyone has to decide for themselves about taking medications or not, or which ones to take, and I have decided that medications make my life better in the long run, and allow me to live a productive life. Yes, there are some that have caused me problems, and I discontinued them, but we are very fortunate to have several very good RA medications available to us now. We talk about lots of things in this group, not only RA and medications, but also how this affects our lives, our families, our work, we talk about pets, hobbies and good days we have had. So, just join in! Kathe in CA --- sleepysea66 <sleepysea66@...> wrote: > Hello Everyone > I have just been diagnosed with RA and bo am I > scared to take any pf > the medications after eradinga bout them/ > I am looking for some support as I am single and > alone > Umm not sure what else to write here > Trish > > > > > > > Kathe " To ride a horse is to borrow freedom. " __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 29, 2006 Report Share Posted April 29, 2006 Hi Trish; Welcome to the group, but not to the disease. Alas, we are all in the same boat. With each other's moral support, we can deal with RA a whole lot better. Why and how we get this? Who knows. I stopped beating myself over the head with this question a long time ago ... negative energy. The only thing that matters now is that there is help. Don't be afraid to take your medication. That's what they were made for. If one does not agree with you. your MD will switch you to another one. I am sensitive to meds and a small dose goes a long way. I have been taking Prednisone and Methotrexate for over a year now , and so far, so good. I am doing well as long as I stay away from the foods I am sensitive to, meaning that will trigger flare-ups: dairy products and alcohol. Try not to get all worked up about things, stress never helps and in the end, what will happen will happen is you are stressed out or not. So, relax and try to enjoy the good moments in life. Take care. BusyLivin <sleepysea66@...> wrote: Hi Kathe Thank you for your welcome. This is overwhelming. Why do we get RA? I asked the Dr and he said I dont know in the wrong place at the wrong time he said I know I was the most stressed I have been Broken relationship , moving and a virus and not eating properly I dont carry the gene nor do i have Lupus I am on 5mg Prednisone and some Panadol which is an analgesic it took 3 months for me to be brave enough to take the pred now he wants to put me on Methotrexate and folci acid and im too scared to take it The weather has changed here we are in autumn and boy dontu notice the stiffness - I live in Australia How are you? Hugs Trish Kathe Sabetzadeh <lv2ryd@...> wrote: Hi Trish: Welcome to the group! The people here are so supportive and caring, and we have great information found for us from our tireless (seemingly) and a, our terrific moderators. I am sorry that you have been diagnosed with RA, but don't be scared too much by the side effects that come with some of these drugs. They have to list every single side effect that could possibly happen, and many, many people take them for RA. You can't see it, but the disease causes erosion of the joints which leads to pain and deformity, and if the disease is not treated early and aggressively, much damage can result. What medications has your doctor suggested to you? I am on Methotrexate, Enbrel, Mobic and Ultram, and also have more meds for fibromyalgia. Everyone has to decide for themselves about taking medications or not, or which ones to take, and I have decided that medications make my life better in the long run, and allow me to live a productive life. Yes, there are some that have caused me problems, and I discontinued them, but we are very fortunate to have several very good RA medications available to us now. We talk about lots of things in this group, not only RA and medications, but also how this affects our lives, our families, our work, we talk about pets, hobbies and good days we have had. So, just join in! Kathe in CA --- sleepysea66 <sleepysea66@...> wrote: > Hello Everyone > I have just been diagnosed with RA and bo am I > scared to take any pf > the medications after eradinga bout them/ > I am looking for some support as I am single and > alone > Umm not sure what else to write here > Trish > > > > > > > Kathe " To ride a horse is to borrow freedom. " __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 29, 2006 Report Share Posted April 29, 2006 Hi Trish: Yes, RA can get very overwhelming at times, but you need to learn the best way for you to deal with the stress. For me, I sit down and read a book, I light a candle, and have total quiet around me, as I go into a different place, into my book, and try and forget what I am going through. I can also take a hot shower, and that helps so much to loosen up my joints and muscles, and then, even if I am not going anywhere, put on some body spray or perfume, not much, just a quick scent, and feel better about myself. Or I go down to the corrals with my horses, and just sit and watch them eat, or play, or just be, and get their sweet nuzzles on my hands and face. That is very relaxing to me, just to stand with my nose in their skin and breathe in their scent. The same can go for sitting and just petting one of my dogs, enjoyable for both, and it can de-stress me pretty good. Whatever works for you. Yes, weather, for me, raining or cold or humid, will definately raise the flare quotient. I don't think there is any set reason why some people develop RA and some don't. I do have RA in my family, in my father's mother, but am the only other one with RA. So maybe there is a genetic component in some of us. But I think your doctor is pretty right, just the wrong circumstances for your body at the wrong time. Some have noticed that their RA comes on after an accident, an emotional trauma, or virus. Maybe that all has something to do with it, but nobody is sure, not even the researchers. They have found a gene the think might be a marker, but it's still such a big mystery. I just hope my kids don't get hit by the same truck carring that RA or FM load that I was lol. Don't be afraid of medications that can help you. You need to be on a DMARD, and that is what Methotrexate is. It is also one of the oldest and most studied RA meds. Prednisone and Panadol are just masking the symptoms of the RA, taking some of the pain and inflammation away, but not touching the disease process itself. Under your skin, the RA disease can be destroying your joints, and without a disease modifying drug like Mtx, it will keep on destroying your joints, and can also effect heart and lungs. So, getting on Mtx is a very positive step you can take to be proactive about getting control of your RA. Yes, it's a scary drug when you look at the whole " cancer " connotation of it, but we use it in much, much smaller doses than do cancer patients, although it is still doing the same thing, supressing our immune system which is in malfunctioning and in full swing trying to destroy our connective tissue. I have been on Mtx for about 4 years now, and take Folic Acid and Milk Thistle which are both helpful to the side effects of Mtx, and have not had any really bad experiences on the med. I have had some hair thinning, some skin fragility (I scratch easier and bleed easier), if I don't wear sunscreen I will get a sunburn faster, but that's about it. I take my Mtx at night on Friday, after dinner, so that I can pretty much sleep through any nausea it might cause. I do feel more fatigued the day after, and might get a slight headache. Don't be afraid of something that will help you to control the disease process in your body. And if you do have side effects that cause you to discontinue Mtx, there are other DMARDs for you to try. Prednisone is a great drug for a short while, but you really don't want to take it for too long because of the damage it can do to your body. I think Prednisone is far more scary than Mtx in that way. I hope that this has all helped you. There is life after RA, Trish, and it will get better with use of the proper medications, but you need to give them a try. Be proactive, learn as much as you can about RA and the meds used to treat it, and then you will be able to better discuss your treatment options with your doctor. Knowledge is definately power in this medical game. I have always wanted to go to Australia, but am scared of the way the bugs there seem to be sooooo huge! And everything is venomous according to some of these nature shows! Where in Australia are you? My daughter has been friends with a guy in the north of Australia for about 4 years now, and he says he is in the boonies lol and the spiders there are really, really big! Anyway, good luck to you, wish you the best of luck, and let us know if you decide to go on the Mtx - take care - hang in there - Kathe in CA > Kathe > > " To ride a horse is to borrow freedom. " > --- BusyLivin <sleepysea66@...> wrote: > Hi Kathe > Thank you for your welcome. > This is overwhelming. > Why do we get RA? > I asked the Dr and he said I dont know in the > wrong place at the wrong time he said > I know I was the most stressed I have been > Broken relationship , moving and a virus and not > eating properly > I dont carry the gene nor do i have Lupus > I am on 5mg Prednisone and some Panadol which is > an analgesic it took 3 months for me to be brave > enough to take the pred now he wants to put me on > Methotrexate and folci acid and im too scared to > take it > The weather has changed here we are in autumn and > boy dontu notice the stiffness - I live in Australia > How are you? > Hugs Trish > > Kathe Sabetzadeh <lv2ryd@...> wrote: > Hi Trish: > > Welcome to the group! The people here are so > supportive and caring, and we have great information > found for us from our tireless (seemingly) and > a, our terrific moderators. I am sorry that you > have been diagnosed with RA, but don't be scared too > much by the side effects that come with some of > these > drugs. They have to list every single side effect > that could possibly happen, and many, many people > take > them for RA. You can't see it, but the disease > causes > erosion of the joints which leads to pain and > deformity, and if the disease is not treated early > and > aggressively, much damage can result. > > What medications has your doctor suggested to you? > I > am on Methotrexate, Enbrel, Mobic and Ultram, and > also > have more meds for fibromyalgia. Everyone has to > decide for themselves about taking medications or > not, > or which ones to take, and I have decided that > medications make my life better in the long run, and > allow me to live a productive life. Yes, there are > some that have caused me problems, and I > discontinued > them, but we are very fortunate to have several very > good RA medications available to us now. > > We talk about lots of things in this group, not only > RA and medications, but also how this affects our > lives, our families, our work, we talk about pets, > hobbies and good days we have had. So, just join > in! > > Kathe in CA > > --- sleepysea66 <sleepysea66@...> wrote: > > > Hello Everyone > > I have just been diagnosed with RA and bo am I > > scared to take any pf > > the medications after eradinga bout them/ > > I am looking for some support as I am single and > > alone > > Umm not sure what else to write here > > Trish > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Kathe > > " To ride a horse is to borrow freedom. " > > > > __________________________________________________ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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