Re: Patsy re: RA clusters in families

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I just wanted to comment on the family question regarding RA. I usually

substitute teach here in Pasadena, CA., but last year I taught full time and

was shocked when I met the office manager of my school. She has severe RA, but

manages to keep working. Like me, she feels she is better off working since it

takes her mind off her pain. She takes Plaquinil (sp), and Remicade, but

recently had to go off Methotrexate due to liver problems.

She has two sisters and two half sisters -- mother's side of family -- and all

of the sisters have RA also. I discussed this with my UCLA rheumatologist and

was surprised at his thoughts on the subject. He told me that the current

thinking is that in a case like Marilyn's family the cause is environmental.

Have you heard this before. Most of us in my clinic do not have others in the

family who suffer from RA.

I have always felt that my RA was related to chemicals I have been around,

which included being drenched in chemicals from a crop duster at one point. I

have met others at my clinic who worked exclusively with chemicals and feel the

same way.

Your comments please!

Patsy

<Matsumura_Clan@...> wrote:

,

I hope your daughter doesn't have JRA. I can understand your worry.

Please keep us posted.

Not an MD

[ ] Re: INFO - Will my children inherit my autoimmune

disease?

> This was very interesting. I was totally caught off guard today when

> my 16 year old daughter (a competitive swimmer) went to her

> orthopedist for continued shoulder pain and out of the blue he asked

> if anyone in our family had RA or other rheumatic disease.

>

> Theresa had all the blood work drawn today to look at the

> possibility that her joint problems are related to JRA. She is very

> scared and I am more than a little nervous. I can't imagine her

> having to limit the many things she does. Swimming would probably

> still be OK but knowing the pain won't go away when she is " off

> season " is certainly not something I want to even imagine for her.

>

> She has another auto-immune disease eosinophilic gastroenteropathy,

> that she has been in remission from for a little over two years.

> Before that time she had to be tube fed a special formula with all

> proteins broken down to their amino acid level or her digestive

> tract ulcerated and bled.

> I am trying not to get ahead of myself in worrying about things that

> aren't here yet, but it is difficult for all of us right now.

>

>

> in St. Louis

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hi Patsy,

This is Steph in VA. I also think RA and other inflammatory diseases can

have environmental causes too. I grew up in NYC and every single person I know,

let alone my family members have at least one inflammatory disease (the most

popular are asthma & allergies). A number of my aunts have RA but they have

smoked their entire lives, which didn't help their immune systems. Most doctors

don't think my aunts and uncles would have so many health problems if my

grandmother had stopped having kids. On my mom's side we have: COPD, RA, MS,

Bell's Palsy, Cerebral Palsy, diabetes, thyroid cancer, lung cancer, asthma,

allergies, scoliosis, Raynaud's, Tourette's, sleep apnea, broken arches & 8

heart attacks between 6 people.

By the way, my uncle lives in Laguna Beach, CA and works for an Infectious

Diseases doctor at UCLA. He is 60 years old & has been HIV+ since 1984. No one

knows why he is still alive, so the researchers are testing their theories on

him. He's a medical miracle.

Take care,

Steph in VA

P.S. I have severe RA too and have been working full time for 5.5 of the 6

years I have had it, thanks to my Remicade!

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