Questions....?????

[Guest guest]

,

My RA pain moved all around my body. I kept going to my Primary Care

Physician and she didn't believe me that it was something systemic. She said it

was osteo-arthritis. So when it was my shoulder and knee, she sent me to an

orthopedic for cortisone shots and when it was my foot, she sent me to an

podiatrist. When I described it to my podiatrist, he said it sounded like I

was having a flare and asked if I had seen a rheumatologist. By the time I

got to the RA doctor, I couldn't get out of a chair.

He ran tests and found out I have RA. He started me on prednisone and

although there were side effects, it took the inflammation and pain away. Then I

started on Methotrexate, then we tried Arava, which didn't work and now

I'm getting infusions of Remicade. So I am on Remicade, 4 pills a week of Mtx

and 5 mg a day of Prednisone.

I have some pain once in awhile, but compared to the way I was a year ago

before seeing the RA doc, I am great.

dd

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[Guest guest]

Ok...I posted the other day about having foot pain...I guess I'm just looking to

get some pointers as to whether or not RA is something I may be dealing with

without having to go to my doc yet because I'm afraid he is going to blow me off

and just tell me what do you expect youre getting older and its probably

arthritus everyone gets it...deal with it.

I know y'all are not doctors..I know that technically you obviously can't

diagnose especially someone you don't know that you can't even see. I am not

expecting or asking for that, what I am hoping is that if I say....this, this

and this are going on...does it sound to you in your experience to be something

that might indicate RA or RA symptoms...I am merely trusting your experience to

be a guide to help me decide if I need to further check into or not

So....all that said, here it is...the bones in the tops of my feet feel like

someone has hit them with a hammer by the end of the day and alot of times in

the morning when I get up. Last week I was going down the basement stairs and

felt a pain like that of an ice pick being rammed into my left ankle which

nearly caused me to fall down the stairs. If i sit on a soft surface for as

little as ten minutes when I get up my lower back and hips hurt so bad I walk

like I'm 90, all bent over and like i'm on egg shells...my hips get those ice

pick sticks as well as the sides of my upper legs at times. My knees are a

wreck and nothing would suprise me about them after all of the surgeries I have

had on them.

All in all that is about it...my 2 aunts and grandma on my dads side all had RA

and much of my older aunts problems dealt with her hands and feet/ankles....I

don't know very much about it other than what little I have seen in commercials

for the drugs used to treat it...I always thought that it was just like

arthritus and that's all. So any information or insight you all can give would

be appreciated even if it doesn't apply to me since it will help me understand

better what they went thru as well.

I thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

[Guest guest]

My recommendation would be to go to your doctor, ask him to run blood tests for

inflammatory markers and ask for a referral to a rheumatologist.  If you are

specific then hopefully he/she won't blow you off. 

Hope this helps,

________________________________

From: <ubsober2@...>

Sent: Saturday, June 13, 2009 10:09:00 PM

Subject: [ ] Questions....?????

Ok...I posted the other day about having foot pain...I guess I'm just looking to

get some pointers as to whether or not RA is something I may be dealing with

without having to go to my doc yet because I'm afraid he is going to blow me off

and just tell me what do you expect youre getting older and its probably

arthritus everyone gets it...deal with it.

I know y'all are not doctors..I know that technically you obviously can't

diagnose especially someone you don't know that you can't even see. I am not

expecting or asking for that, what I am hoping is that if I say....this, this

and this are going on...does it sound to you in your experience to be something

that might indicate RA or RA symptoms...I am merely trusting your experience to

be a guide to help me decide if I need to further check into or not

So....all that said, here it is...the bones in the tops of my feet feel like

someone has hit them with a hammer by the end of the day and alot of times in

the morning when I get up. Last week I was going down the basement stairs and

felt a pain like that of an ice pick being rammed into my left ankle which

nearly caused me to fall down the stairs. If i sit on a soft surface for as

little as ten minutes when I get up my lower back and hips hurt so bad I walk

like I'm 90, all bent over and like i'm on egg shells...my hips get those ice

pick sticks as well as the sides of my upper legs at times. My knees are a wreck

and nothing would suprise me about them after all of the surgeries I have had on

them.

All in all that is about it...my 2 aunts and grandma on my dads side all had RA

and much of my older aunts problems dealt with her hands and feet/ankles. ...I

don't know very much about it other than what little I have seen in commercials

for the drugs used to treat it...I always thought that it was just like

arthritus and that's all. So any information or insight you all can give would

be appreciated even if it doesn't apply to me since it will help me understand

better what they went thru as well.

I thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

[Guest guest]

,

Honey, I have foot pain all of the time. The tops feel as if someone broke all

of the bones and the bottoms have excruciating pain, especially heel area . No

swellings, just pain. Had me down to a walker and very close to a wheel chair

last winter. I went back on the prednisone, which I both hate and love, and

raised the strength of my oxycontin. Got me through the flair but took a couple

weeks. My Rheumy told me it is quite common to have problems with the feet

because there are so many bones and joints.

Now I an only having problems with my hips, shoulders and stomach area. I take

the oxyconitin, Lyrica, Humira, Cymbalta, MTX and ambien. They help with

controlling the pain, but now I am having involuntary hand movements, shortness

of breath, heart palpitations, I can tell when my blood pressure is to high, so

the I take the Meteprolol too, which recently has been quite often,

Vicki

Iowa

[Guest guest]

I get all those pains and the stiffness also. WHen I wake up in the morning I do

what I call the enstein shuffles for an hour or more.

Lou

" " " " " " So....all that said, here it is...the bones in the tops of my feet feel

like someone has hit them with a hammer by the end of the day and alot of times

in the morning when I get up. Last week I was going down the basement stairs and

felt a pain like that of an ice pick being rammed into my left ankle which

nearly caused me to fall down the stairs. If i sit on a soft surface for as

little as ten minutes when I get up my lower back and hips hurt so bad I walk

like I'm 90, all bent over and like i'm on egg shells...my hips get those ice

pick sticks as well as the sides of my upper legs at times. My knees are a wreck

and nothing would suprise me about them after all of the surgeries I have had on

them. " " " " " " "

Ok...I posted the other day about having foot pain...I guess I'm just looking

to get some pointers as to whether or not RA is something I may be dealing with

without having to go to my doc yet because I'm afraid he is going to blow me off

and just tell me what do you expect youre getting older and its probably

arthritus everyone gets it...deal with it.

I know y'all are not doctors..I know that technically you obviously can't

diagnose especially someone you don't know that you can't even see. I am not

expecting or asking for that, what I am hoping is that if I say....this, this

and this are going on...does it sound to you in your experience to be something

that might indicate RA or RA symptoms...I am merely trusting your experience to

be a guide to help me decide if I need to further check into or not

So....all that said, here it is...the bones in the tops of my feet feel like

someone has hit them with a hammer by the end of the day and alot of times in

the morning when I get up. Last week I was going down the basement stairs and

felt a pain like that of an ice pick being rammed into my left ankle which

nearly caused me to fall down the stairs. If i sit on a soft surface for as

little as ten minutes when I get up my lower back and hips hurt so bad I walk

like I'm 90, all bent over and like i'm on egg shells...my hips get those ice

pick sticks as well as the sides of my upper legs at times. My knees are a wreck

and nothing would suprise me about them after all of the surgeries I have had on

them.

All in all that is about it...my 2 aunts and grandma on my dads side all had

RA and much of my older aunts problems dealt with her hands and feet/ankles....I

don't know very much about it other than what little I have seen in commercials

for the drugs used to treat it...I always thought that it was just like

arthritus and that's all. So any information or insight you all can give would

be appreciated even if it doesn't apply to me since it will help me understand

better what they went thru as well.

I thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

[Guest guest]

Hi - I went for years with lower back, hip and knee pain before I was

finally referred to a Rheumatologist. You know how they say that hind sight is

20/20 - if I knew then what I know now, I would have asked (or demanded) a

referral sooner. Don't let these doctors blow you off or downplay your symptoms.

You have the right to proper treatment. Persistent pain is not normal.

Please keep us posted on how you're doing. We care.....Doreen

Ok...I posted the other day about having foot pain...I guess I'm just looking

to get some pointers as to whether or not RA is something I may be dealing with

without having to go to my doc yet because I'm afraid he is going to blow me off

and just tell me what do you expect youre getting older and its probably

arthritus everyone gets it...deal with it.

I know y'all are not doctors..I know that technically you obviously can't

diagnose especially someone you don't know that you can't even see. I am not

expecting or asking for that, what I am hoping is that if I say....this, this

and this are going on...does it sound to you in your experience to be something

that might indicate RA or RA symptoms...I am merely trusting your experience to

be a guide to help me decide if I need to further check into or not

So....all that said, here it is...the bones in the tops of my feet feel like

someone has hit them with a hammer by the end of the day and alot of times in

the morning when I get up. Last week I was going down the basement stairs and

felt a pain like that of an ice pick being rammed into my left ankle which

nearly caused me to fall down the stairs. If i sit on a soft surface for as

little as ten minutes when I get up my lower back and hips hurt so bad I walk

like I'm 90, all bent over and like i'm on egg shells...my hips get those ice

pick sticks as well as the sides of my upper legs at times. My knees are a

wreck and nothing would suprise me about them after all of the surgeries I have

had on them.

All in all that is about it...my 2 aunts and grandma on my dads side all had RA

and much of my older aunts problems dealt with her hands and feet/ankles....I

don't know very much about it other than what little I have seen in commercials

for the drugs used to treat it...I always thought that it was just like

arthritus and that's all. So any information or insight you all can give would

be appreciated even if it doesn't apply to me since it will help me understand

better what they went thru as well.

I thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

[Guest guest]

.. You need to go see a doctor... My feet started with the pain your

describing as well as in my heal... Please seek help... Early detection is the

key here.. If its not RA or something major, then take a deep breath and thank

God! But at least you'll know.

Bonnie

[Guest guest]

Vicki, I found your post interesting! I, too, have heart palpitations,

involuntary limb movements, etc... It seems that no matter how much cutting edge

medicine we take it always comes back to Prednisone to save us! I have just

been told last month that I possibly have heart blockage. I wonder if the

BRM's/ TNF's affect the heart to such a degree?? It is a question worth looking

at more thoroughly. I would ask any on this forum to send me a message if you

have heart related problems since being on these meds. Take care, MicheleBB

>

> ,

> Honey, I have foot pain all of the time. The tops feel as if someone broke

all of the bones and the bottoms have excruciating pain, especially heel area .

No swellings, just pain. Had me down to a walker and very close to a wheel chair

last winter. I went back on the prednisone, which I both hate and love, and

raised the strength of my oxycontin. Got me through the flair but took a couple

weeks. My Rheumy told me it is quite common to have problems with the feet

because there are so many bones and joints.

>

> Now I an only having problems with my hips, shoulders and stomach area. I take

the oxyconitin, Lyrica, Humira, Cymbalta, MTX and ambien. They help with

controlling the pain, but now I am having involuntary hand movements, shortness

of breath, heart palpitations, I can tell when my blood pressure is to high, so

the I take the Meteprolol too, which recently has been quite often,

>

> Vicki

> Iowa

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Of course I know that the proteins released with RA can cause blockage too so

its a lose/ lose.......... MicheleBB

>

> Vicki, I found your post interesting! I, too, have heart palpitations,

involuntary limb movements, etc... It seems that no matter how much cutting edge

medicine we take it always comes back to Prednisone to save us! I have just

been told last month that I possibly have heart blockage. I wonder if the

BRM's/ TNF's affect the heart to such a degree?? It is a question worth looking

at more thoroughly. I would ask any on this forum to send me a message if you

have heart related problems since being on these meds. Take care, MicheleBB

>

>