Re: First appointment with Rheumy on Monday

[Guest guest]

Best of luck. I am planning to call my PCP tomorrow and see if he will work

on getting me a referral to a Rheumatologist. I have been on Mobic for over

2 weeks and I keep getting worse instead of better. I hope you get relief

soon.

On Wed, May 14, 2008 at 1:53 PM, Jeanette <grrtlvr@...> wrote:

> Hello everyone! I finally have my first appointment with a

> rheumatologist on Monday. I am hoping to get on some kind of med to

> help me with pain and function. My PCP put me on some kind of

> Prendisone dose pack..it was only for 6 days..it helped a lot with the

> pain...but the side effects were not worth it for me. I got really

> depressed, irritable and paranoid...it was awful. I have heard a lot

> about Methotrexate..and was wondering...is that a kind of Prendisone?

> Are there other people who can't tolerate Prendisone? If so, what has

> worked for you? I am excited and scared at the same time. My PCP told

> me he suspected RA last November at my physical, when my blood work

> came back with a positive RA factor...but he hasn't given me an

> actual " diagnosis " ...stating he wants to defer to the rheumatologist

> for that. I had to wait for some insurance things to clear, then it

> took three months to get the appointment. Now, I want to make sure I

> get the most out of this appointment...and not have a " brain fart " and

> forget everything. My husband is going with me. I am ready...no matter

> what...to go to the next step with this. Hope to get to know all of

> you. Jeanette from Michigan

>

>

>

--

Deb N

" If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing

was started with a dream and a mouse "

[Guest guest]

Hi Jeanette!

I'm from Michigan too! Prednisone is a corticosteroid drug. It can help with

inflammation and surpress the immune system. I'm 36 and my doctor has only used

it twice because it can have very severe effects on the bones. Methotrexate is

a DMARD medication that is also used as chemotherapy agents in leukemias. Some

doctors, depending on tests, don't always start out with the methotrexate right

away. I was started on Plaquenil, and after 2 years it wasn't enough so we

added Sulfasalazine as my symptoms became more severe. The past three months,

I'm worsening so my next step is Methotrexate or Enbrel. Many seem to take a

combination of meds, plaquenil, sulfasalazine, methotrexate, or plaquenil and

methotrexate. If started on Plaquenil, it can take up to 6 months to notice any

improvement in symptoms. However, I can tell you, I once thought my

Sulfasalazine was not doing any good because I was still having flares. I had

to stop it for three months when I had bronchitis

and I was in so much more pain I thought I was going to die. I couldn't sit

up, it was hard to walk. Once I began to get it back in my system the pain went

from a ten to a 5 which was better for me! Good luck at your first rheumatology

appointment! I go every 12 weeks, I can't wait for June 2nd to get here I'm

having some new symptoms and a flare that I'm hoping my doctor actually gets to

SEE! Sometimes, I will have one and by the time I get there, its not as severe

or is almost gone. Walking lately is almost impossible so I'm going to have to

see what she thinks of this. At one point, we had discussed a device to help me

when needed. I already have a cane, but I can't bear weight standing even so

something new is needed.

Jeanette <grrtlvr@...> wrote: Hello everyone! I

finally have my first appointment with a

rheumatologist on Monday. I am hoping to get on some kind of med to

help me with pain and function. My PCP put me on some kind of

Prendisone dose pack..it was only for 6 days..it helped a lot with the

pain...but the side effects were not worth it for me. I got really

depressed, irritable and paranoid...it was awful. I have heard a lot

about Methotrexate..and was wondering...is that a kind of Prendisone?

Are there other people who can't tolerate Prendisone? If so, what has

worked for you? I am excited and scared at the same time. My PCP told

me he suspected RA last November at my physical, when my blood work

came back with a positive RA factor...but he hasn't given me an

actual " diagnosis " ...stating he wants to defer to the rheumatologist

for that. I had to wait for some insurance things to clear, then it

took three months to get the appointment. Now, I want to make sure I

get the most out of this appointment...and not have a " brain fart " and

forget everything. My husband is going with me. I am ready...no matter

what...to go to the next step with this. Hope to get to know all of

you. Jeanette from Michigan

[Guest guest]

Jeanette,

Your PCP gave you a medrol dose pak. I get them when I have a really

bad flare-up. The rheumy will help you with a medication treatment

to help w/ pain and function. What works for one person, might not

work well for you. (Medrol dose paks work for me, but higher doses of

predisone, which I was on for months, made me an insomniac crying

mess). Methotrexate is not a steroid. There are alot of medications

out there. Just tell the rheumy about your experience on the medrol

dose pak and any other medications you have tried to help w/ the pain

and inflammation.

I think most of us are on some sort of DMARD medication. It may take

a few different kinds of DMARD's and doses to figure out what would

work best for you. It can be a trial and error at first. Write down

any questions that you and your husband have and take that w/ you to

your appointment.

It took me 4 months to get dianosed. My rheumy had labs that my PCP

ordered and took x-rays. He was able to give me a diagnosis of RA on

my first visit and started me immediately on medication. I have

tried a few differnt types of medication over the years. I am

currently on diclofenic, sulfasalzine and plaquinel. (I am seeing my

rheumy in about 2 weeks to see if we can try something else, because

the meds aren't working as good as they should. She was thinking

about putting me back on methotrexate).

Just FYI...when I finally started feeling relief, I was so happy,

because I felt like my old self again...I went for a jog. The next

day I regretted it. Pace yourself. Best of luck to you. If you have

any questions, feel free to ask. This web board has been great for

me, not only as a support system...but everyone is nice, and very

knowledageable.

>

> Hello everyone! I finally have my first appointment with a

> rheumatologist on Monday. I am hoping to get on some kind of med to

> help me with pain and function. My PCP put me on some kind of

> Prendisone dose pack..it was only for 6 days..it helped a lot with

the

> pain...but the side effects were not worth it for me. I got really

> depressed, irritable and paranoid...it was awful. I have heard a

lot

> about Methotrexate..and was wondering...is that a kind of

Prendisone?

> Are there other people who can't tolerate Prendisone? If so, what

has

> worked for you? I am excited and scared at the same time. My PCP

told

> me he suspected RA last November at my physical, when my blood work

> came back with a positive RA factor...but he hasn't given me an

> actual " diagnosis " ...stating he wants to defer to the

rheumatologist

> for that. I had to wait for some insurance things to clear, then it

> took three months to get the appointment. Now, I want to make sure

I

> get the most out of this appointment...and not have a " brain fart "

and

> forget everything. My husband is going with me. I am ready...no

matter

> what...to go to the next step with this. Hope to get to know all of

> you. Jeanette from Michigan

>

[Guest guest]

THANKYOU all so much! I really have no one to talk to about all of

this. I work as an LPN at a local hospital and I am on my feet eight

hours a day...I don't know how much longer I can do that..and I have

a new grandson...whom I am having trouble holding for very long. It

seems like the changes are coming on so quickly...and I am scared,

but I am a realist...so I will do whatever the doctor recomends.

Thanks for the info about the meds...very helpful! Jeanette

> >

> > Hello everyone! I finally have my first appointment with a

> > rheumatologist on Monday. I am hoping to get on some kind of med

to

> > help me with pain and function. My PCP put me on some kind of

> > Prendisone dose pack..it was only for 6 days..it helped a lot

with

> the

> > pain...but the side effects were not worth it for me. I got

really

> > depressed, irritable and paranoid...it was awful. I have heard a

> lot

> > about Methotrexate..and was wondering...is that a kind of

> Prendisone?

> > Are there other people who can't tolerate Prendisone? If so,

what

> has

> > worked for you? I am excited and scared at the same time. My

PCP

> told

> > me he suspected RA last November at my physical, when my blood

work

> > came back with a positive RA factor...but he hasn't given me an

> > actual " diagnosis " ...stating he wants to defer to the

> rheumatologist

> > for that. I had to wait for some insurance things to clear, then

it

> > took three months to get the appointment. Now, I want to make

sure

> I

> > get the most out of this appointment...and not have a " brain

fart "

> and

> > forget everything. My husband is going with me. I am ready...no

> matter

> > what...to go to the next step with this. Hope to get to know all

of

> > you. Jeanette from Michigan

> >

>