Re: night owl

MSN: Maggies1429

AOL: Maggies85

-----Original Message-----From: Nina [mailto:ncampbell@...]Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 11:41 AMRheumatoid Arthritis Subject: Re: Re: night owl

----- Original Message -----

From:

>Everybody's pain is different, though, and it is hard for me to say "No, you shouldn't take pain meds round the clock", because I am not in their body, just like they are not in mine.

Oh, I agree! Everyone should do what is best for them.

Nina

March 25, 2005

----- Original Message -----

From: Maggie

> I've been reading here where people take vicodin, darvocet, oxycodone, etc. For those that are taking them , is that all in the same day?

I only take Darvocet-N, none of the others. I wouldn't mix that many meds in one day either. Rarely will I take a pain pill in the evening, then a sleeping pill later that night. Otherwise, I am like you, I try to only have one med in my system at a time. Otherwise, that's a lot of medication for your liver and kidneys to try to process.

Nina

March 25, 2005

<< I've been reading here where people take vicodin, darvocet, oxycodone, etc. For those that are taking them , is that all in the same day? >>

Ouch, I hope not. They're all essentially the same thing in various strengths and forms. I mean, you could take a vicodin and a darvocet and an oxycodone at the same time and there wouldn't be any side effects merely from mixing them, but it'd be the same as taking three or four vicodins, three or four darvocets, etc. Why would you want to do that? The only reason you'd even have more than one narcotic prescribed to you at the same time is that some are stronger than others and some nights you might want more relief than others. Or you might want a very mild one that won't fuck you up during daily life, and a stronger one at night. Also, not all of them work for all people. My doctor keeps me on vicodin because percocet doesn't seem to help any with the pain despite the fact that it's stronger, and it makes me nauseated. (Well, that and the fact that percocet is a stronger class of drug and the prescriptions have to be filled out in triplicate and filed with DEA, which is just not worth it. Percocet's the ibuprofen of the narcotic world. Vicodin's just basic aspirin.)

Jenni

March 25, 2005

Absolutely. And not only that, but I'd like to think that there'll be something out there if the pain is unbearable. Exercise works pretty well for me -- I can certainly tell the difference when I lay around all day and when I'm out and about. I feel much better with activity. Another thing that no one has brought up is WEIGHT. I've lost 30 lbs recently(and have a bunch more that I want to lose) and that's made an incredible difference. Anybody with aching joints doesn't need to be hauling around extra weight.

----- Original Message ----- From: Nina

Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 10:32 AM

Subject: Re: night owl

----- Original Message -----

From: Hasenstab

>And I've had several surgeries and had nightmares from the narcotics used afterwards for pain. It's a pretty well-documented effect in literature, as well as research. Just because you are not addicted to something does not mean you won't get some of the same effects. People taking a drug for pain certainly can become addicted. It's a very real danger.

I agree. I told my doctor I'd rather live with some pain than add an addiction to my other problems. So I only take the pain meds when I really, really need them.

Nina

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March 26, 2005

----- Original Message -----

From: Joyce McCrary

> ,

You are right. Drugs are a curse. I have been off Prednisone

for four or five weeks and have been suffering death

lately. I don't want to go back on them as I have lost 18 pounds.

But you can take so much pain and that's it..............Joyce M

Every time I get weaned down to a reasonable amount (like 2.5 mg), I flare big time and have to go back up to 25 mg. It's like a yo-yo.

Nina

March 26, 2005

----- Original Message -----

From: Joyce McCrary

> My oldest son died in 1968. He's the one I had the most nightmares.My daughter died in 1993 and another son died just last April. Whenthe last one died I was under such stress that I had the worst RAflare up I have ever had.............Joyce M

Wow, Joyce, you've really been through the wringer! You must be one strong woman to be able to get through all that.

Nina

March 26, 2005

----- Original Message -----

From: Hasenstab

> Exercise works pretty well for me -- I can certainly tell the difference when I lay around all day and when I'm out and about. I feel much better with activity. Another thing that no one has brought up is WEIGHT. I've lost 30 lbs recently(and have a bunch more that I want to lose) and that's made an incredible difference. Anybody with aching joints doesn't need to be hauling around extra weight.

I would LOVE to get off the Prednisone so I can lose some weight. I know carrying around this extra baggage is not helping me a bit. I've always used the critter care here as my form of exercise. I used to be able to do all the outside work in 45 minutes. Now it takes me 2 1/2 hours because I keep having to sit and rest. My Sjogren's took a sudden and horrible turn last August and I've been on Prednisone and sick ever since. Then they diagnosed me with RA. I'm hoping I will qualify for Enbrel through Medicare so I can get off the Prednisone and back to some kind of semi-normal life. And lose some weight, too!

Nina

March 26, 2005

> Mostly diet, but I got a pedometer

I do low carb (for blood sugar reasons) and walk 3.5 miles 5 to 6

mornings a week. I love my pedometer, but sometimes I take it off!

When I wore it to the horse show with my 4H kids, and clocked 8.5

miles, I decided I really didn't want to know :-)

I simply can't lose weight if I don't exercise, and when I have lost

it, I can't keep it off if I don't exercise. My metabolism just

slows down if I try to lose using diet alone. When I was first

diagnosed with RA, I was really bad, couldn't exercise much because

of my knees. I gained 15 lbs. When I got on the MTX, I was able to

go back to my walking and lost the extra weight. I mall-walk when

the weather is bad. Our local malls open at 6:30 am for exercise

walkers. It is great because you can walk when it is still dark in

the winter, and when it is too hot in the summer (I live in AZ, and

summers are HOT). I can do 3.5 miles in just under an hour, with two

trips up and down the stairs. If I walk 5 times a week and watch my

carbs I can lose a steady 1 to 1.5 lbs a week. I don't like to lose

faster than that. I am 5'8 " tall and 62 years old. I am most

comfortable with my weight between 150 and 155. If I go below that

I am tired all the time. Once I get my weight where I want it, I

increase my carbs a bit to maintain, and keep the exercise level the

same.

March 26, 2005

Thank you Nina but I have never thought of myself

being strong. There has been so many times I

wanted to give up. But I couldn't because I had

other children. I still have a son and five grandchildren.........Joyce M

----- Original Message -----

From: Nina

Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 6:59 PM

Subject: Re: Re: night owl

----- Original Message -----

From: Joyce McCrary

> My oldest son died in 1968. He's the one I had the most nightmares.My daughter died in 1993 and another son died just last April. Whenthe last one died I was under such stress that I had the worst RAflare up I have ever had.............Joyce M

Wow, Joyce, you've really been through the wringer! You must be one strong woman to be able to get through all that.

Nina

March 26, 2005

I use my IPOD when I'm at the gym...keep telling myself to get thru one more song LOL...then it's 40 minutes gone by lol

One of my problems is I'm not a big eater..when I sit down for a meal it's one helping and not much of it..but I eat the wrong foods. Hoping to buckle down come Monday and get back on the low fat foods. It's hard to get diciplined agan....

That's great you feel better with exercise..I know it helps me too, and they say it strenghtens your joints.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maggie

MSN: Maggies1429

AOL: Maggies85

-----Original Message-----From: Hasenstab [mailto:saludo@...]Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 3:35 PMRheumatoid Arthritis Subject: Re: night owl

Mostly diet, but I got a pedometer(recommended by someone on the list) and it's self-reinforcing. The more I walk, the more I want to push those numbers up there<g>. I find myself parking farther away from things, taking the long way around at work, getting up and walking around the building when I need to take a break, etc. I can do three flights of stairs now and still keep walking when I get to the top. I haven't taken the elevator for months. It took a big push to get started, because I *hate* feeling out of breath, etc. but I stuck with it and now it's a lot easier. I'm a vegetarian, so I don't have the meat issue to deal with, but I began eating a lot more salads and fish and totally cut out the candy.

March 26, 2005

It tore me up when one of my ferrets died in September...but I think that stress from my mom dying in 1989 brought on the RA...ofcourse it runs rampid in my family...but the symptoms came out at that time.

I'm sorry to hear about your losses Joyce.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maggie

MSN: Maggies1429

AOL: Maggies85

-----Original Message-----From: Joyce McCrary [mailto:j.mccrary@...]Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 4:27 PMRheumatoid Arthritis Subject: Re: night owl

Thank you Jenni.....Joyce M

----- Original Message -----

From: Jenni

Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2005 11:27 PM

Subject: Re: night owl

> It wasn't medication that caused my nightmares. It was aftermy husband and three children died..........Joyce M

Joyce, I'm so sorry to hear that. I think if anything comparable happened to me, I'd be one of those people taking the drugs to get high. My DOG died last summer and I was inconsolable for days. I can't imagine what it's like for you to deal with your losses AND your own body's total betrayal. You must be the stongest woman I know. Bless you.

Jenni

March 26, 2005

I wouldn't be a bit surprised stress from your Mom's death

started your RA. I don't know of anyone else in my family

that has it. Other family members had arthritis but we

never knew what kind...........Joyce M

----- Original Message -----

From: Maggie

Sent: Saturday, March 26, 2005 12:25 AM

Subject: RE: night owl

It tore me up when one of my ferrets died in September...but I think that stress from my mom dying in 1989 brought on the RA...ofcourse it runs rampid in my family...but the symptoms came out at that time.

I'm sorry to hear about your losses Joyce.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maggie

MSN: Maggies1429

AOL: Maggies85

-----Original Message-----From: Joyce McCrary [mailto:j.mccrary@...]Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 4:27 PMRheumatoid Arthritis Subject: Re: night owl

Thank you Jenni.....Joyce M

----- Original Message -----

From: Jenni

Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2005 11:27 PM

Subject: Re: night owl

> It wasn't medication that caused my nightmares. It was aftermy husband and three children died..........Joyce M

Joyce, I'm so sorry to hear that. I think if anything comparable happened to me, I'd be one of those people taking the drugs to get high. My DOG died last summer and I was inconsolable for days. I can't imagine what it's like for you to deal with your losses AND your own body's total betrayal. You must be the stongest woman I know. Bless you.

Jenni

March 26, 2005

Wow, you really do walk! I had already decided to do the mall walking thing this summer, because I don't like walking in my neighborhood. 8.5 mi. is incredible!!

----- Original Message ----- From: Sharon Wertz

Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 10:58 PM

Subject: Re: night owl

> Mostly diet, but I got a pedometerI do low carb (for blood sugar reasons) and walk 3.5 miles 5 to 6 mornings a week. I love my pedometer, but sometimes I take it off! When I wore it to the horse show with my 4H kids, and clocked 8.5 miles, I decided I really didn't want to know :-)I simply can't lose weight if I don't exercise, and when I have lost it, I can't keep it off if I don't exercise. My metabolism just slows down if I try to lose using diet alone. When I was first diagnosed with RA, I was really bad, couldn't exercise much because of my knees. I gained 15 lbs. When I got on the MTX, I was able to go back to my walking and lost the extra weight. I mall-walk when the weather is bad. Our local malls open at 6:30 am for exercise walkers. It is great because you can walk when it is still dark in the winter, and when it is too hot in the summer (I live in AZ, and summers are HOT). I can do 3.5 miles in just under an hour, with two trips up and down the stairs. If I walk 5 times a week and watch my carbs I can lose a steady 1 to 1.5 lbs a week. I don't like to lose faster than that. I am 5'8" tall and 62 years old. I am most comfortable with my weight between 150 and 155. If I go below that I am tired all the time. Once I get my weight where I want it, I increase my carbs a bit to maintain, and keep the exercise level the same.

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March 26, 2005

I live alone, and eating is easier that way because I don't have to fix anything for anyone else. Chewing sugarless gum helps with sugar urges, too.

----- Original Message ----- From: Maggie

Sent: Saturday, March 26, 2005 1:22 AM

Subject: RE: night owl

I use my IPOD when I'm at the gym...keep telling myself to get thru one more song LOL...then it's 40 minutes gone by lol

One of my problems is I'm not a big eater..when I sit down for a meal it's one helping and not much of it..but I eat the wrong foods. Hoping to buckle down come Monday and get back on the low fat foods. It's hard to get diciplined agan....

That's great you feel better with exercise..I know it helps me too, and they say it strenghtens your joints.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maggie