Guest guest Posted February 26, 2008 Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 Joy: I have been prescribed a medrol (Methylprednisolone) dose pack to treat a flare. It is a corticosteroid. Prednisone is a glucocorticoid. in Texas Joy <jhoorm01@...> wrote: Is medrol the same as prednisone? Joy Shihtzumom <shihtzumom1@...> wrote: So, do the joints with the osteo respond to the Ra treatment? (Do you have both at once?) My knees (definitely osteo also) feel much better on the Medrol, which is only supposed to help RA, not osteo). Chrissie [ ] Re: question on RA tests Chrissie, Forget the lab values. I've had this disease for at least 11 years if not 22. I've only ever had 2 positive RA factors and even then just borderline. My ccp is also always negative. I also have a lot of osteo and lost two hips to osteo. we can have more than one type of arthritis and sero-negative RA can be just as bad as sero-positive disease. I know how you feel as I too was in denial for a few weeks. The answer for me was after all this time my hands are finally showing some swelling. Sorry. > > I am questioning whether I really do have RA or not. I know I have > osteoarthritis in my knees and have for many years. My knees and my small > joint on my pinky finger are where I have the worst pain. These can both > probably be attributed to osteoarthritis. My rheumatologist, however, says I > also have rheumatoid arthritis and has me on Medrol (which does help), > although a small dose, methotrexate 4 per day, which doesn't seem to do > anything at all, and I have now had 3 IV infusions of Remecade, which > doesn't seem to be doing anything either, although I do know the Remecade > can take quite a while to work. > > OK, so I asked the office why she says I have RA if my pain is from > osteoarthritis. They say my labs show RA. So, I went back over my labs. > Here are the results: > > 7/06 Rheumatoid Factor 12 (range <14) Normal > IGM Anti-CCP neg > 11/06 Rheum. Factor 14 (range <14)High-right on the cutoff) > IGG Anti-CCP neg > 7/07 Rheum. Factor 13 (range <14) Normal > IGG Anti-CCP neg > > > So, according to these, IF I have RA, I am right on the borderline, right? > Or is this range incorrect? > I have no problem taking these meds if I really need them, but they don't do > anything for my pain (which supposedly is osteoarthritis), so why am I > risking the side-effects of these drugs? I just want to know for sure that > I am doing the right thing by taking the MTX and Remecade. > > Oh, my rheumatologist says that because the Medrol does work, that shows > that it IS rheumatoid arthritis. Has anyone heard of this before? Does that > mean the Medrol would NOT work if it was only osteoarthritis, because I > admit that the Medrol does help. She says that as the Remecade starts to > work, I can come off the Medrol. But if the Medrol is helping my pain > (osteoarthritis) and the Remecade doesn't help osteoarthritis, then how is > the Remecade that going to help my pain so that I can go off the Medrol? > It all just doesn't add up to me. What is it that I am not seeing? > > Chrissie > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2008 Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 , What is the differnce between a coricosteroid and glucocorticoid? does one raise blood glucose levels and the other doesn't? The reason I ask is my doctor will not give me prednazone because of the raise in blood sugars. Recently I was hospitalized (they thought I had the mumps but I didn't) My glands were swollen. They gave me prednizone in the hospital to reduce the swelling. They had to monitor my BG in the hospital as it got to almost 400 with the predizone. BUT it really helped the pain in my shoulders and fingers. Has thiws swelling ever happened to anyone else. They still don't know what caused it. marla Pou wrote: > > Joy: > > I have been prescribed a medrol (Methylprednisolone) dose pack to > treat a flare. It is a corticosteroid. Prednisone is a glucocorticoid. > > in Texas > > Joy <jhoorm01@... <mailto:jhoorm01%40>> wrote: > Is medrol the same as prednisone? > Joy > > Shihtzumom <shihtzumom1@... > <mailto:shihtzumom1%40verizon.net>> wrote: > So, do the joints with the osteo respond to the Ra treatment? (Do you have > both at once?) > > My knees (definitely osteo also) feel much better on the Medrol, which is > only supposed to help RA, not osteo). > > Chrissie > > [ ] Re: question on RA tests > > Chrissie, > > Forget the lab values. I've had this disease for at least 11 years if not > 22. I've only ever > had 2 positive RA factors and even then just borderline. My ccp is also > always negative. I > also have a lot of osteo and lost two hips to osteo. we can have more than > one type of > arthritis and sero-negative RA can be just as bad as sero-positive > disease. > I know how > you feel as I too was in denial for a few weeks. The answer for me was > after all this time > my hands are finally showing some swelling. > Sorry. > > > > > > > I am questioning whether I really do have RA or not. I know I have > > osteoarthritis in my knees and have for many years. My knees and my > small > > joint on my pinky finger are where I have the worst pain. These can both > > probably be attributed to osteoarthritis. My rheumatologist, > however, says > I > > also have rheumatoid arthritis and has me on Medrol (which does help), > > although a small dose, methotrexate 4 per day, which doesn't seem to do > > anything at all, and I have now had 3 IV infusions of Remecade, which > > doesn't seem to be doing anything either, although I do know the > Remecade > > can take quite a while to work. > > > > OK, so I asked the office why she says I have RA if my pain is from > > osteoarthritis. They say my labs show RA. So, I went back over my labs. > > Here are the results: > > > > 7/06 Rheumatoid Factor 12 (range <14) Normal > > IGM Anti-CCP neg > > 11/06 Rheum. Factor 14 (range <14)High-right on the cutoff) > > IGG Anti-CCP neg > > 7/07 Rheum. Factor 13 (range <14) Normal > > IGG Anti-CCP neg > > > > > > So, according to these, IF I have RA, I am right on the borderline, > right? > > Or is this range incorrect? > > I have no problem taking these meds if I really need them, but they > don't > do > > anything for my pain (which supposedly is osteoarthritis), so why am I > > risking the side-effects of these drugs? I just want to know for sure > that > > I am doing the right thing by taking the MTX and Remecade. > > > > Oh, my rheumatologist says that because the Medrol does work, that shows > > that it IS rheumatoid arthritis. Has anyone heard of this before? Does > that > > mean the Medrol would NOT work if it was only osteoarthritis, because I > > admit that the Medrol does help. She says that as the Remecade starts to > > work, I can come off the Medrol. But if the Medrol is helping my pain > > (osteoarthritis) and the Remecade doesn't help osteoarthritis, then > how is > > the Remecade that going to help my pain so that I can go off the Medrol? > > It all just doesn't add up to me. What is it that I am not seeing? > > > > Chrissie > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2008 Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 OK thanks . Not sure the diff between the two steriods though. Joy [ ] Re: question on RA tests Chrissie, Forget the lab values. I've had this disease for at least 11 years if not 22. I've only ever had 2 positive RA factors and even then just borderline. My ccp is also always negative. I also have a lot of osteo and lost two hips to osteo. we can have more than one type of arthritis and sero-negative RA can be just as bad as sero-positive disease. I know how you feel as I too was in denial for a few weeks. The answer for me was after all this time my hands are finally showing some swelling. Sorry. > > I am questioning whether I really do have RA or not. I know I have > osteoarthritis in my knees and have for many years. My knees and my small > joint on my pinky finger are where I have the worst pain. These can both > probably be attributed to osteoarthritis. My rheumatologist, however, says I > also have rheumatoid arthritis and has me on Medrol (which does help), > although a small dose, methotrexate 4 per day, which doesn't seem to do > anything at all, and I have now had 3 IV infusions of Remecade, which > doesn't seem to be doing anything either, although I do know the Remecade > can take quite a while to work. > > OK, so I asked the office why she says I have RA if my pain is from > osteoarthritis. They say my labs show RA. So, I went back over my labs. > Here are the results: > > 7/06 Rheumatoid Factor 12 (range <14) Normal > IGM Anti-CCP neg > 11/06 Rheum. Factor 14 (range <14)High-right on the cutoff) > IGG Anti-CCP neg > 7/07 Rheum. Factor 13 (range <14) Normal > IGG Anti-CCP neg > > > So, according to these, IF I have RA, I am right on the borderline, right? > Or is this range incorrect? > I have no problem taking these meds if I really need them, but they don't do > anything for my pain (which supposedly is osteoarthritis), so why am I > risking the side-effects of these drugs? I just want to know for sure that > I am doing the right thing by taking the MTX and Remecade. > > Oh, my rheumatologist says that because the Medrol does work, that shows > that it IS rheumatoid arthritis. Has anyone heard of this before? Does that > mean the Medrol would NOT work if it was only osteoarthritis, because I > admit that the Medrol does help. She says that as the Remecade starts to > work, I can come off the Medrol. But if the Medrol is helping my pain > (osteoarthritis) and the Remecade doesn't help osteoarthritis, then how is > the Remecade that going to help my pain so that I can go off the Medrol? > It all just doesn't add up to me. What is it that I am not seeing? > > Chrissie > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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