survey

[Guest guest]

If you have a few minutes, please fill out the survey below and e-

mail the results to me at _avillani@healthstaravilla_

(mailto:avillani@...) . All answers

will remain anonymous.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient Survey

1) How old are you? 60

2) How old were you when you were diagnosed with rheumatoid

arthritis (RA)? 45

3) What are your overall symptoms?.... constant pain, red, swollen joints,

tiredness etc

4) How often do you experience these symptoms (flare ups, for

example)?........Until I found the Minocin treatment (antibiotic therapy) I

had constant chronic RA..I did not cycle on and off.

5) What brand/medication are you currently using to treat your

RA? 100 mg minocin three days a week.

6) Are you satisfied with the medication you are currently

using? Do you feel your medication successfully reduces your

symptoms and improves your quality of life? My RA is completely resolved on

this maintanance dosage. No pain at all. And my bloodwork , which I have

done yearly, is completely normal.The only thing better than minocin would be

a complete cure.

7) How long have you been using this medication? since 2001

8) Have you used any medications prior, and if so, which ones?

What have you heard about other medications? I used Plaquenil, prednisone,

Mtx. All had side effects, all were very harsh on stomach, none totally

resolved symptoms.

9) Have you heard of Cimzia? What have you heard about it?

From what source? No

10) What factors played a role in your decision to choose a

specific brand (physicians, news stories, family/friend suggestion,

etc.)? Physician

11)Did treatment cost influence your decision of which brand of

medication to you use? No.

12) What did you use to pay for this medication (Private

insurance, patient out-of-pocket, etc.)? I paid myself

13) Why did you switch to the new medication? Went to Minocin because it

WORKED, it was relatively inexpensive....and it had virtually no side effects.

14) What resources did you use to learn more about RA after you

were diagnosed? Computer, books, magazines.

15) Do you wish there were more resources available for you, or

other RA patients, to learn more about the conditions of RA and the

treatment options? Ideally, what tools would help you?

16) Do you attend a patient support group or communicate with

other patients? On line groups

17) What has your experience with physicians been like? Not happy with

rheumatologist. now go to an internast.

18) What type of physician diagnosed you (i.e., primary care

physician, rheumatologist, immunologist, etc.)? primary care

19) Is there anything else that would be helpful for other

patients to know when talking to doctors about RA? Use Minocin first and

go to a doctor who has heard of antibiotic therapy. Educate yourself. Your

health is YOUR responsibility. Doctors get paid to prescribe certain

drugs, that tells me they have a financial perk in making sure you use these

items. It clouds their judgement. Payments to docs for prescribing meds should

be

banned, money corrupts even the most well intentioned doc.

20) Do you suffer from another autoimmune disease (Crohn's

disease, psoriasis, etc.) and if so, how has this affected your

treatment options? no

21) What personal aspects of your life (physical exercise,

emotional well-being) have been impacted by this chronic illness? Do

you feel that this illness has taken away something that you want

back? Until I found the right therapy it took everything away.

22) If you are in the tri-state area, would you be open to a phone

or live interview to tell your story? yes

Thank you for taking the time to share your story. Please let me

know if you have any questions. Please enjoy the rest of your week.

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