Re: Bottom Line to Bonnie and all my buddys, every one of you, we have to stick toge

[Guest guest]

Hi Kathy...    Hope you feel better Soon!  I was diagnosed with R.A. - several

yrs. ago, bout 6 yrs. ago.  I did take teh Methxrate (mis-pelled) for 7 weeks

ONLY; i quit taking it due to i stopped seeing my Rheumatolgist (for reasons i

don't have time to get into - right now; sorry.  My R.A. - sometime AFTER i took

the Methoxrate (weeks or months LATER), SOMEHOW seemed to be in remission - for

all these years, but lately it's a little worse.

The only med i've been taking for bout 6 yrs. is:  otc ibuprofen --  two (2) 200

mg. daily.

Recently I'm in a little more Pain, tho, but thus far it's Not SEVERE -- the way

it was 6 + yrs. ago.  And, yes - I was diagnosed with R.A. (not the other types

of arthritis).  I'm afraid

my R.A. might get BAD - again. If it does - i might have to travel a 3 hour

drive - to see

a Rhematologist Who accepts Medicaid, which I'm on (fortunatley). 

               I believe my R.A. has gotten a little Worse lately, due to

Thyroid med and / or

my cholesterol med, as I've just in past few mo's been prescribed those 2 meds. 

The

Thyroid med causes me to be more nervous and fidgety, it seems, and my Doc has

already cut my dosage down to half the former dosage; and my Thyroid level seems

to be ok, right now.  (My thyroid level was a  ' little low' - according to my

Doc), before she put me on the thyroid med (generic synthroid);  i had not even

gained any weight in past 2 yrs. either --- and had even lost 5 lbs. in past

year (not much).

               Thanks for letting me vent.   I sure hope you will feel better

Soon!  And hope you will wish me luck - in my R.A. NOT getting WORSE  again -

the way it was about 6 to 8

yrs. ago.  I had seemingly unbearable pain Back then!  I'd cry, as it'd hurt

Severely for 12 to 15 hrs. Straight, feeling as tho a knife or needle, or

something -was going thru my wrist;

my wrists would swell LOTS and get very RED - LOOKING.  (I would awake in middle

of nights, on occasions - with the seemingly unbearable PAIN.  One wrist would

do that and then a day or two or perhaps up to one week LATER - the other Wrist

would do That.

I read that bone cancer and also Gout - could cause a person to have unbearable

pain and would often awaken them in middle of night;  I wondered if I didn't

have Bone Cancer and that God might have sort of healed that!   I am convinced

that my Zyprexa (med) for bipolar - has also helped my R.A. because my R.A. was

at it's Worst - right before Starting it

about 7 or 8 years ago. and then When i tappered off Zyprexa, one yr. later - my

R.A. got,

i'd say: 95 per cent  as Bad AGAIN!!!  Strange! - But I've read that Stress can

make R.A. Worse , and or/ help bring R.A.  on -  so my Stress level  was  Even

Worse -When I tappered off  Zyprexa and took no nerve meds for one year (this

was after I'd taken Zyprexa for one full year - about 7 years ago.).  ( I take

low dose, daily of Zyprexa (2.5 mg), but i took 5 mg. when i was 1st prescribed

it -bout 7 or 8 yrs. ago).   Just tonight - i read somewhere on Internet that

Zyprexa is sometimes used for treatment of Cancer Pain ---so

I really do wonder now - if, somehow the Zyprexa --has possibly kept me from

having Severe Pain - in past several years?  But  lately - I don't think 

Zyprexa is helping me as Well as it has in past years (which was not all that

well, anyways, but it does keep my mania from getting as High and my Depression

- from getting as low! 

                       Thanks for letting me Vent (I might have already said

that); I need some sleep now; did not intend to write so much in this Post.  I

did not get much sleep Last night, due to house-hold chores and some other

stuff.          Best Wishes!  Hope you will soon be PAIN-FREE!   Even tho I

think Zyprexa has somehow helped my Rheumatoid

Arthritis -  I would not recommend anyone to take it (probably) - because it has

always caused me to need at least 12 hours Plus Sleep each day, on average! (too

much); Before going on Zyprexa - I needed very little sleep On average!  And

Zyprexa took lots of my

Ambitions away (it seems), as I used to enjoy Publishing Newsletters (National, 

small

circulation), but now I just do not have the ambition ENOUGH to do my work

ANYMORE;

and R.A. , as you already know, i'm sure - can cause fatigue, also ----so Even

tho I've NOT

been in Severe Pain for several years  now, with my R.A. -  I believe that I do

have lots of Fatigue due to my R.A.

             Have a Happy 4th of July!        Judy in GA./ USA  ; age:  upper

50's.

From: Kathy <stepnitzcandles@...>

Subject: [ ] Bottom Line to Bonnie and all my buddys, every one of you,

we have to stick toge

Date: Wednesday, July 1, 2009, 10:17 PM

> Bottom Line

> RA sucks. It tries to get the best of us, but it will not! I was on 2-3

> Vicodin a day(with ibuporfen) and quit that(which was hard) and now on

> darvocet with Tylenol, now what do I do? go back on Vicodin cause you can

> get it in ibuprofen form, which really kills 2 birds with one stone (pain

> and inflammation)

> So who knows

> I am curious as to what you all take. Now i am hoping after my Humira

> starts working, has not since April, God knows what to try next, he is

> thinking that along with Methotrexate.

> Anyways hoping when my meds kick in I will have a bit less pain, Ya Know??

> PSS

> Do you run in to trouble trying to explain how you feel cause you look

> fine?

>

> I love this saying that I have on facebook

> BYW let me know if you are on, would love more RA buddys

>

> It says... I MAY NOT LOOK SICK, BUT YOU DO NOT LOOK DUMB

Kathy

Michigan

[Guest guest]

Kathy

I drink 1 ml of methyltrexate, I get Rituxin infusions and then there is the

usual.... planqunile, folic acid, Bayer low dose, clonadine (for high blood

pressure caused by all the meds) and my faviorite weight gaining

friend---Steroids...

For the pain I try to just take Tylenol arthritis, but when days are hard I take

Demoral. Lately the weather has really stunk, so I've been taking alot of

Demoral which often scares me due to the addictive nature of pain pills.

I hope you feel better soon.. Gentle hugs and a prayer sent your way.

Bonnie

>

>

>

>

> > Bottom Line

> > RA sucks. It tries to get the best of us, but it will not! I was on 2-3

> > Vicodin a day(with ibuporfen) and quit that(which was hard) and now on

> > darvocet with Tylenol, now what do I do? go back on Vicodin cause you can

> > get it in ibuprofen form, which really kills 2 birds with one stone (pain

> > and inflammation)

> > So who knows

> > I am curious as to what you all take. Now i am hoping after my Humira

> > starts working, has not since April, God knows what to try next, he is

> > thinking that along with Methotrexate.

> > Anyways hoping when my meds kick in I will have a bit less pain, Ya Know??

> > PSS

> > Do you run in to trouble trying to explain how you feel cause you look

> > fine?

> >

> > I love this saying that I have on facebook

> > BYW let me know if you are on, would love more RA buddys

> >

> > It says... I MAY NOT LOOK SICK, BUT YOU DO NOT LOOK DUMB

>

> Kathy

> Michigan

>