Guest guest Posted September 26, 2010 Report Share Posted September 26, 2010 Hi...when I was 13 (in the Stone Age : )  I became very, very ill while we were on vacation. I got progressively sicker and our family doctor put me in the hospital when we got home. He said it looked like I had a severe infection but could not tell from where as I had no pain anywhere, no swelling, no redness. No test pointed to anything specific. I remember waking up on a bed of ice with a nurse trying to get me to drink really salty, tomato juice. My temp was 105. They transferred me to the big city hospital 30 miles away and for the next 17 days I went downhill until my liver's failing escalated and they were going to 'try' to build me up enough over as little time as possible to do exploratory surgery or send me to Boston's Children's Hospital (I live in Oregon...this was 1964). They decided they had to take a look inside or I would die soon, so they did. An hour into the surgery the surgeon called the Nurse's Station who got my Mom on the phone and mom said he was SO excited...they had found that my appendix had 'exploded' and the resulting trauma had made adhesions over all my organs. He did not know why I did not die more rapidly from the perinitis (our family doctor did put me on antibiotics when I first saw him). He was removing as many adhesions as possibly, cleaning up the area, and thought though it would take a long time, I would be ok. I was in the hospital 30 days, had a tutor at home and eventually went back to school 3 months later. I have always had questions...why wasn't the appendix area sore?...what kept me from dying all that time til they found out what was what through surgery?...did this event trigger somehow the 'autoimmune potpourri' I have had for many years (Dx's of mixed connective tissue disease, Lupus, PsA, RA, Sjogren's, Raynauds...they have settled on RA though wonder off and on about the others and overlaps). Cheryle, in Oregon...aka Tess : ) [ ] T cells  It was interesting to read the articles on the Thymus (Tregs cells) and their possible role in RA. I was thinking over my particular history and realize I may have had an event that triggered this RA cascade. I had had a very bad gall bladder I put off for about 4 months to deal with and wonder if that chronic situation stressed the t-cells. Would be interesting to see if they start researching what could have been an onset of the change in Tregs ability to monitor self-autoimmune functionality. I will from now on seek this research and hope research continues in this vein. Thanks to all who introduced this line of thought. Dale Ellen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 26, 2010 Report Share Posted September 26, 2010 wow, I'm still doing much research on the thymus gland. I'm actually going to talk to my doctor in a few weeks and see what information he can give me about the thymus. I wish I could get more on it on the internet but have not found much related to it and auto immune disorders. in land [ ] T cells It was interesting to read the articles on the Thymus (Tregs cells) and their possible role in RA. I was thinking over my particular history and realize I may have had an event that triggered this RA cascade. I had had a very bad gall bladder I put off for about 4 months to deal with and wonder if that chronic situation stressed the t-cells. Would be interesting to see if they start researching what could have been an onset of the change in Tregs ability to monitor self-autoimmune functionality. I will from now on seek this research and hope research continues in this vein. Thanks to all who introduced this line of thought. Dale Ellen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 My rheumatologist told me Rituxan was one of the drugs they used to neutralize the T cells, if those are the cells causing your RA problems. Other drugs work on the B cells or the tissue cells. When I had cancer, I received shots to stimulate my T cells after receiving my alotted chemotherapy. G Re: [ ] T cells wow, I'm still doing much research on the thymus gland. I'm actually going to talk to my doctor in a few weeks and see what information he can give me about the thymus. I wish I could get more on it on the internet but have not found much related to it and auto immune disorders. in land Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 I'm still doing much research on it. want to cover all basis of the thymus gland and the T cells. I want to know how they relate with autoimmune disorders and other deseases as well. Who knows maybe a light bulb will go off and I will find something that is helpful to RA, besides what meds are already out there. in land Re: [ ] T cells wow, I'm still doing much research on the thymus gland. I'm actually going to talk to my doctor in a few weeks and see what information he can give me about the thymus. I wish I could get more on it on the internet but have not found much related to it and auto immune disorders. in land Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 Hi, . Rituxan (rituximab) is a B-cell depletion therapy. Not an MD On Wed, Sep 29, 2010 at 7:29 AM, KGrounds <kgrounds@...> wrote: > My rheumatologist told me Rituxan was one of the drugs they used to neutralize the T cells, if those are the cells causing your RA problems. Other drugs work on the B cells or the tissue cells. When I had cancer, I received shots to stimulate my T cells after receiving my alotted chemotherapy. > G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 My husband researched this and found the same thing. HOWEVER, the rheumy STILL insists that is rituxin affects T cells not B cells....even with printed articles in front him. This is the man I am trusting with my health?? And that is why I'm switching rheumatologists!!! G Re: [ ] T cells Hi, . Rituxan (rituximab) is a B-cell depletion therapy. Not an MD On Wed, Sep 29, 2010 at 7:29 AM, KGrounds <kgrounds@...> wrote: > My rheumatologist told me Rituxan was one of the drugs they used to neutralize the T cells, if those are the cells causing your RA problems. Other drugs work on the B cells or the tissue cells. When I had cancer, I received shots to stimulate my T cells after receiving my alotted chemotherapy. > G ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.856 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3168 - Release Date: 09/30/10 01:34:00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 Interesting and weird, . Researchers are exploring the possible effects of rituximab on T cells (and there is some proof that it does affect T cells), but to say that it doesn't affect B cells is incorrect. Not an MD On Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 12:25 PM, KGrounds <kgrounds@...> wrote: > My husband researched this and found the same thing. HOWEVER, the rheumy STILL insists that is rituxin affects T cells not B cells....even with printed articles in front him. This is the man I am trusting with my health?? > > And that is why I'm switching rheumatologists!!! > G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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