Can anyone help or advise please?

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone.

Can anyone give me some help or advice please. My wife has RA and we live in

the UK, she started with it just over five years ago and we have been trying to

fight it ever since.

When she was first diagnosed, she initially refused the drugs that the

rheumatologist prescribed/recomended ( scary side effects ) plus her dad also

had RA and died young ( 57 ) he was on a coctail of different tablets but none

seemed to work for him but caused other problems.

We tried the alternative path, I grew wheatgrass and juiced it, sprouted seeds,

she took supliments etc, we changed to more healthy eating and juicing ( lots of

different things tried )

It seemed to hold it at bay for about two years but when she visited the

rheumatologist to get the results of xrays and tests he told us that the disease

was progressing as erosions were visible in he foot xrays and told her that she

faced some stark choices.

After long and hard thinking she decided to give the drugs a try.

first sulfasalazine, she tolerated this but was told that methatrexate had to be

taken as well to do any good.

So she started on the Methotrexate, had bad sickness side effects so we went

from tablets to injections but then she also started getting infections, ending

up with pneumonia and pleurisy ( please Forgive any spelling mistakes, these

medical terms defeat me )

So had to come off the methotrexate and have treatment from a chest specialist.

When she was ok again went back on to the methotrexate but infections, (chest

and dental/abscesses ) started again.

methotrexate was stopped.

Next came embrel. After five injections, no improvement but bad injection site

reactions, she had another chest infection so the drug was halted for antibiotic

treatment. Back on the enbrel, but again three injections and an infection. drug

was discontinued.

Now the rheumatologist wants her to start on rituximab infusions but after all

the trauma and stress of the last three years she has decided that enough is

enough and is not going to have them.

Can anyone here please give us any help or advice regarding things to try, diet

or alternative treatments /supliments that may help

any advice on things that have helped or improved your condition will be very

gratefully received, in fact any any ray of hope from someone who has made

progress against this vile disease without using the strong frightening drugs

would be fantastic.

Thank you in advance.

best wishes to you all.

Graham.

PS, sorry for the long post.