Re: Got Results via Rheumy Visit

[Guest guest]

Bob,

I am glad that you got a diagnosis. I think the unknown and

speculations are the worse. I can even handle pain better when

I know what I am dealing with.

Most people do not have a problem with MTX. I hope you are

included in that group. Hopefully it will begin to work before

the prednisone is out of your system. I did not know how much

it was helping with my pain until I was off of it for 5 weeks.

Be sure to get your blood work regularly.

It's great that you have a plan now. Hopefully remission is in

the not too distant future.

God Bless,

Shirley

>

> Had my follow up appointment with my Rheumy today. She diagnosed

me

> with seronegative RA. Continued high SED and CRP. Wants to start

me

> today on Methotrexate and folic acid and continue for 2 weeks on

the

> 20mg of Prednisone and start weaning off the Pred. in 2 weeks if

all

> goes OK with the Methotrexate. Also wants me to get a physical

therapy

> evaluation particularly for my knees and hips as it appears I'm

losing

> significant muscle tone. Says also have a fair amount of Osteo

> Arthritis going on as well which just adds to the fun. That

part I

> can blame on my age (59) and a pretty active life.

> At least I got a diagnosis and a plan for treatment. We'll have

to

> continue to take it a day at a time to see how well it goes with

the

> MTX. Not crazy about that but I know it could be a hell of a lot

> worse. Fortunately for now the Prednisone is handling a good 50%+

of

> the pain. Just hope the MTX is as effective. I know I wasn't

going to

> be able to stay on the Pred. forever and certainly don't want the

side

> effects from that so from what I've learned on this forum is it

seems

> to be the right approach.

> Thanks to all of you for your support and great advise. I've

learned a

> ton here.

> Bob

>

[Guest guest]

> Be sure to get your blood work regularly.

> It's great that you have a plan now. Hopefully remission is in

> the not too distant future.

> God Bless,

> Shirley

Thanks Shirley. Yup. She's on the ball and gave me a blood work order

to get filled within 2-3 weeks after starting the MTX. She appears to

know her stuff. I checked her out with several Dr. friends of mine and

she's very well respected amongst her peers so I've placed my faith in

her. I too hope I fall into the category of people with minimal side

effects. Crossing my fingers and saying a prayer..

Bob

[Guest guest]

Bob,

I know you didn't want to hear all that today, sorry. What is your

dose of mtx? I will tell you, take the mtx when your not going to be

busy. I am taking mine on the weekend, I have time to rest. If you

don't do well on the pills, you can go to the injection.

I know its hard to go off the prednisone, but there are a lot of side

effects later on, which you don't need. Did the rheumy give you any

pain meds? Going off the prednisone, may leave you with pain, I pray

not. You are right, take it one day at a time. It is overwhelming

at first, but after awhile, its just a part of our life. I pray the

med will work for you, and you can spend your time doing what you

love. Hugs, Tawny

>

> Had my follow up appointment with my Rheumy today. She diagnosed

me

> with seronegative RA. Continued high SED and CRP. Wants to start

me

> today on Methotrexate and folic acid and continue for 2 weeks on

the

> 20mg of Prednisone and start weaning off the Pred. in 2 weeks if

all

> goes OK with the Methotrexate. Also wants me to get a physical

therapy

> evaluation particularly for my knees and hips as it appears I'm

losing

> significant muscle tone. Says also have a fair amount of Osteo

> Arthritis going on as well which just adds to the fun. That part

I

> can blame on my age (59) and a pretty active life.

> At least I got a diagnosis and a plan for treatment. We'll have to

> continue to take it a day at a time to see how well it goes with

the

> MTX. Not crazy about that but I know it could be a hell of a lot

> worse. Fortunately for now the Prednisone is handling a good 50%+

of

> the pain. Just hope the MTX is as effective. I know I wasn't going

to

> be able to stay on the Pred. forever and certainly don't want the

side

> effects from that so from what I've learned on this forum is it

seems

> to be the right approach.

> Thanks to all of you for your support and great advise. I've

learned a

> ton here.

> Bob

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Tawny for the words of encouragement and support. She said it

was a fairly small dose for now as she wants to bridge me to getting

me off the Pred. I believe it's 7.5 mg and after 2 weeks cutting the

Pred back to 15 mg and then possibly up on the MTX. Said if after

cutting back the Pred to 15 mg if the pain gets bad to not wean it

any further until she can run the blood tests and then asses as to

whether or not to increase the MTX. She seems to be on the ball and

I do trust her. If I need anything for pain I she said to call her

and she'd call it in.

I just took my first dose so I guess we'll know soon how well I

tolerate it.

Thanks Tawny. I appreciate your concern. Tough toughing this out

alone when the homefront really doesn't know what you're going

through.

Bob

> >

> > Had my follow up appointment with my Rheumy today. She diagnosed

> me

> > with seronegative RA. Continued high SED and CRP. Wants to start

> me

> > today on Methotrexate and folic acid and continue for 2 weeks on

> the

> > 20mg of Prednisone and start weaning off the Pred. in 2 weeks if

> all

> > goes OK with the Methotrexate. Also wants me to get a physical

> therapy

> > evaluation particularly for my knees and hips as it appears I'm

> losing

> > significant muscle tone. Says also have a fair amount of Osteo

> > Arthritis going on as well which just adds to the fun. That

part

> I

> > can blame on my age (59) and a pretty active life.

> > At least I got a diagnosis and a plan for treatment. We'll have

to

> > continue to take it a day at a time to see how well it goes with

> the

> > MTX. Not crazy about that but I know it could be a hell of a lot

> > worse. Fortunately for now the Prednisone is handling a good 50%

+

> of

> > the pain. Just hope the MTX is as effective. I know I wasn't

going

> to

> > be able to stay on the Pred. forever and certainly don't want the

> side

> > effects from that so from what I've learned on this forum is it

> seems

> > to be the right approach.

> > Thanks to all of you for your support and great advise. I've

> learned a

> > ton here.

> > Bob

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Bob,

That seems to be a high dose. I take 2.5mg, six pills weekly. I

started out on 4 pills weekly. I do have high liver enzymes, been on

mtx almost five years.

I'm glad you got a good doctor, they are hard to find. I hope you do

well on the mtx, let me know how it goes.

I know how you feel, it gets rough sometimes. My family has no clue

what goes on. I found friends on the group, who goes through what I

do. I just try to hide my aches and pains to my family. I'm tired

of myself, so I know they get tired of it all. It is a disease that

don't go away. Its not the flu or a bug, that you can get rid of. I

think that is the hardest part, were stuck with it. Just know, were

stuck with it together,lol If you need to vernt, were here for you.

Good luck, and keep us posted, Tawny

>

> Thanks Tawny for the words of encouragement and support. She said

it

> was a fairly small dose for now as she wants to bridge me to

getting

> me off the Pred. I believe it's 7.5 mg and after 2 weeks cutting

the

> Pred back to 15 mg and then possibly up on the MTX. Said if after

> cutting back the Pred to 15 mg if the pain gets bad to not wean it

> any further until she can run the blood tests and then asses as to

> whether or not to increase the MTX. She seems to be on the ball

and

> I do trust her. If I need anything for pain I she said to call her

> and she'd call it in.

> I just took my first dose so I guess we'll know soon how well I

> tolerate it.

> Thanks Tawny. I appreciate your concern. Tough toughing this out

> alone when the homefront really doesn't know what you're going

> through.

> Bob

>

[Guest guest]

Bob,

I hope that the MTX works for you. It does take a while to kick in, so

prednisone is often used kind of like a bridge until the MTX can build

up in the body. Frequent blood work is done to make sure that the side

effects are not too bad, so make sure that you keep up with that. And

if the side effects are too bad, there are plenty of other meds that

she can try.

I have been on MTX, then Arava, and now Enbrel. The Enbrel is working

wonderfully well for me; you can't even tell that I have RA! Now I wish

I had something equally well for some hip pain that my rheumy thinks is

caused by osteoarthritis in my spine.

Good luck! Keep us informed about your progress.

Sue

On Monday, September 22, 2008, at 04:15 PM, fullwave2 wrote:

> At least I got a diagnosis and a plan for treatment. We'll have to

> continue to take it a day at a time to see how well it goes with the

> MTX. Not crazy about that but I know it could be a hell of a lot

> worse. Fortunately for now the Prednisone is handling a good 50%+ of

> the pain. Just hope the MTX is as effective.

>

[Guest guest]

>

> Bob,

>

> That seems to be a high dose. I take 2.5mg, six pills weekly. I

> started out on 4 pills weekly. I do have high liver enzymes, been on

> mtx almost five years.

Tawny,

I just checked the bottle. The pills are 2.5 mg and I'm taking 3 per

week. I guess that's 7.5 mg if I did the math right.

Took them about 3 hours ago and only thing I've noticed so far is a

taste in my mouth and my taste buds aren't sensing sweet normally.

Hmm.. May be all in my imagine. Probably just need to get a good

night's sleep.

Thanks.

Bob

[Guest guest]

Thanks Sue. It's good to know I have options.

Bob

>

> Bob,

>

> I hope that the MTX works for you. It does take a while to kick in,

so

> prednisone is often used kind of like a bridge until the MTX can

build

> up in the body. Frequent blood work is done to make sure that the

side

> effects are not too bad, so make sure that you keep up with that.

And

> if the side effects are too bad, there are plenty of other meds

that

> she can try.

>

> I have been on MTX, then Arava, and now Enbrel. The Enbrel is

working

> wonderfully well for me; you can't even tell that I have RA! Now I

wish

> I had something equally well for some hip pain that my rheumy

thinks is

> caused by osteoarthritis in my spine.

>

> Good luck! Keep us informed about your progress.

>

> Sue

>

[Guest guest]

Bob,

Oh yeah, that is a low dose, good. My taste buds have changed a lot,

not sure why. I use to eat sweets quite a bit,(naughty me,) now I

don't even crave them. When I go in the kitchen, I'm actually looking

for something that is half way good for me,lol

Yes, you need to get some rest. I hope you have a nice night, gentle

hugs, Tawny

> Tawny,

> I just checked the bottle. The pills are 2.5 mg and I'm taking 3

per

> week. I guess that's 7.5 mg if I did the math right.

> Took them about 3 hours ago and only thing I've noticed so far is a

> taste in my mouth and my taste buds aren't sensing sweet normally.

> Hmm.. May be all in my imagine. Probably just need to get a good

> night's sleep.

> Thanks.

> Bob

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Tawny. Made it through the first night on MTX fairly

unscathed. That is as long as you don't count getting up at 4AM. At

least no nausea. Maybe building the tolerance level at a lower dose

before upping it when the Pred. weaning starts might be the way to

go. Hope you all have a great (painless) day.

Bob

>

> Bob,

>

> Oh yeah, that is a low dose, good. My taste buds have changed a

lot,

> not sure why. I use to eat sweets quite a bit,(naughty me,) now I

> don't even crave them. When I go in the kitchen, I'm actually

looking

> for something that is half way good for me,lol

> Yes, you need to get some rest. I hope you have a nice night,

gentle

> hugs, Tawny

>

>

>

>

> > Tawny,

> > I just checked the bottle. The pills are 2.5 mg and I'm taking 3

> per

> > week. I guess that's 7.5 mg if I did the math right.

> > Took them about 3 hours ago and only thing I've noticed so far is

a

> > taste in my mouth and my taste buds aren't sensing sweet

normally.

> > Hmm.. May be all in my imagine. Probably just need to get a

good

> > night's sleep.

> > Thanks.

> > Bob

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Bob,

Well, glad you are doing OK. Now, getting up at 4AM, I can

understand that. I didn't go to bed until 2:30, and today, I'm

feeling like I have the flu, lso have a fever.

You have a great day, Tawny

>

> Thanks Tawny. Made it through the first night on MTX fairly

> unscathed. That is as long as you don't count getting up at 4AM.

At

> least no nausea. Maybe building the tolerance level at a lower

dose

> before upping it when the Pred. weaning starts might be the way to

> go. Hope you all have a great (painless) day.

> Bob

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hey Tawny - I think what Bob is taking is (3)2.5mg pills per week

which would give him the 7.5mg his doctor recommended (Right, Bob?).

I take (6)2.5mg pills per week like you do - that gives us a total of

15mg per week. So, you see, Bob's dosage is really half of what we

take (Right, Bob?).

Bob - best of luck to you. It does sound like you have a good,

conscientious doctor...........Doreen

>

> Bob,

>

> That seems to be a high dose. I take 2.5mg, six pills weekly. I

> started out on 4 pills weekly. I do have high liver enzymes, been

> on mtx almost five years.

> I'm glad you got a good doctor, they are hard to find. I hope you

> do well on the mtx, let me know how it goes.

> I know how you feel, it gets rough sometimes. My family has no

> clue what goes on. I found friends on the group, who goes through

> what I do. I just try to hide my aches and pains to my family.

> I'm tired of myself, so I know they get tired of it all. It is a

> disease that don't go away. Its not the flu or a bug, that you can

> get rid of. I think that is the hardest part, were stuck with it.

> Just know, were stuck with it together,lol If you need to vernt,

> were here for you.

> Good luck, and keep us posted, Tawny

[Guest guest]

Yeah, I got it, I'm so dumb Tawny

> >

[Guest guest]

Noooo, Tawny, you're not dumb! I just don't think the doctor's

explain very well what we're taking at times. I'm sorry.....Doreen

>

> Yeah, I got it, I'm so dumb Tawny

>

[Guest guest]

>

> Hey Tawny - I think what Bob is taking is (3)2.5mg pills per week

> which would give him the 7.5mg his doctor recommended (Right, Bob?).

> I take (6)2.5mg pills per week like you do - that gives us a total of

> 15mg per week. So, you see, Bob's dosage is really half of what we

> take (Right, Bob?).

>

> Bob - best of luck to you. It does sound like you have a good,

> conscientious doctor...........Doreen :

You got it right Doreen. I believe in a few weeks when the Pred.

starts weaning down, she's planning on upping the MTX. Sounds like a

reasonable plan. I hope my joints agree.

Bob

[Guest guest]

That's OK Doreen, no problem really, Tawny

> >

> > Bob,

> >

> > That seems to be a high dose. I take 2.5mg, six pills weekly.

I

> > started out on 4 pills weekly. I do have high liver enzymes,

been

> > on mtx almost five years.

> > I'm glad you got a good doctor, they are hard to find. I hope

you

> > do well on the mtx, let me know how it goes.

> > I know how you feel, it gets rough sometimes. My family has no

> > clue what goes on. I found friends on the group, who goes

through

> > what I do. I just try to hide my aches and pains to my family.

> > I'm tired of myself, so I know they get tired of it all. It is a

> > disease that don't go away. Its not the flu or a bug, that you

can

> > get rid of. I think that is the hardest part, were stuck with

it.

> > Just know, were stuck with it together,lol If you need to vernt,

> > were here for you.

> > Good luck, and keep us posted, Tawny

>