Re: Reply to Cindy who is New to group - have leukemia and RA.

[Guest guest]

Hi there my name is Jolene. I am also sorry about your leukemia.. As far as

the ra i have been on my lets see going on eight week of the methotrexate.

I am doing better than i thought i would. I have good days and bad days.. I

also have complex regional pain syndrome, ra, and psoriasis. I have five

kids three left at home. I t has not taken away all my pain, but i now look

forward as (Heidi on here would say) to methotrexate day. I am able to walk a

little more. No im not 100 percent, but i am blessed that i am much much

better. Hope this helps.

Jolene

In a message dated 4/30/2008 11:32:10 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

jenncrew@... writes:

:

I am very sorry to hear of your health conditions, but glad to hear the

leukemia is in remission.

As far as the RA goes, each person is different and has a different

experience. You have to give each drug a reasonable trial until you find what

works

best for you. I have struggled through at least two years of drug combinations

trying to keep off the newest class of drugs - the biologics - due to the

expense even though most rheumatologists now recommend early aggressive therapy

usually with the biologics. I have been on methotrexate (mtx) the longest. I

could not take the pill form because it made me very ill and switched to

injections, which work great for me. I also take plaquenil and have been on it

about as long as the mtx. Both have helped, but I still hurt every day. Just a

few months ago, my rheumy put me on what's called " triple therapy " and added

sulfasalazine. All of it has improved my quality of life to an ever greater

degree, but I am not symptom free and live with daily pain.

Perhaps if I quit being stubborn and go on a biologic like Remicade, Enbrel,

etc., that might change. There are folks in this group that have done very

well with such drugs and there are others that did not find it quite so

helpful. In any case, I still live with daily pain. But, not so much that I am

disabled. I work a full-time job, have 4 children ranging in age from 11-18 and

am active in my church.

The key is to never give up on finding what meds work best for you and to

give each med a reasonable trial. Your rheumy can tell you what a reasonable

trial is. For most meds, that's anywhere from 3-6 months.

Wishing you the best of God's blessings,

in Texas

thea7441 <_thea7441@..._ (mailto:thea7441@...) > wrote:

Hello Everyone,

I am new to the group, and I've recently been diagnosed with RA.

I have had CML (leukemia) since 2000, and take the drug Gleevec. Now

my doctors are trying to see if I can take methotrexate or paquinal

with Gleevec. I really would like to take methotrexate, as I hear it

is the best, but I'm not sure yet if I can. I hear that methotrexate

supresses your bone marrow, and I take Gleevec which also supresses

your bone marrow. By the way, I've been in complete molecular

remission on Gleevec since 2000.

So, I have a few questions...So, I have a few questions...

Every joint in my hands, and my wrists, are in a great deal of pain.

I feel as if my wrists are breaking any time I lift things. Will

this go away once the doc's put me on paquenal, which is what I think

they're going to start me on next week.

I do take Alieve, and I've been given a script for naproxin.

This is new to me, and the symptoms just started last fall, so I

would appreciate any advice.

Thanks to all,

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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