New to all this

[Guest guest]

Hi TEL,

I have been going through a period of short fasts, like 1-3 days, then eating,

then fasting 1-3 days. This is my fourth week in doing this. Actually, I'm

doing a colon cleanse on the days

I fast, along with taking enemas. I personally at this time in my life cannot

do fasts for longer than 3 or 4 days. And I have found that alternating these

short fasts with eating really

has helped lose some weight, about 5 lbs, and also given me a boost of energy.

I'm finding that my muscles are more flexible, my stiff neck is less, and I can

stay up longer at night. And

the days that I do eat I'm finding that I don't need to eat so much and I enjoy

the food more. I will probably continue this routine for a couple of more

weeks. Extended fasts are out of

my realm, but there are some on this list who can give you first hand knowledge.

And fasting is not a new fad. Hope this helps. Lori

TEL wrote:

> Hi. I am new to this group and have a few questions. I have fasted on

> occasion many years ago as a way to try to loose weight. The thought of

> fasting as a way to better health and all that is a new concept for me.

> Does it really help a person feel more engergetic? Going on extended fasts

> seems like it could be dangerous somehow. And what kind of diet does one go

> back to when breaking a fast? Is fasting something that is new or has it

> gone on forever?

>

> -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>

[Guest guest]

Hi Angi, The problem is that you're not really

buying yourself time. Cortizone might mask the pain for

a bit but it does nothing to stop or slow down

cartilage deterioration. What is wrong with your knees that

you're in so much pain? Have you had x rays or an MRI

yet? jan

[Guest guest]

Jan,<br><br> I had xrays that showed that the

Tibia (hope that is the right one) is laying down new

bone growth at the very top... I had that CT scan a

long long time ago but nothing new yet.... <br><br> He

says with the pain I discribe... with the old CT

scan... and such... and the new bone growth.. it all

points to softening of the cartiledge.... <br><br> I

know the cortizone doesn't do anything to fix it...

infact I know eventually it will even cause more

problems... damaging the cartiledge even more... Buying time

I meant getting some pain relief so I have time to

figure out what is the best for us to do next...<br><br>

But I think I am stuck... I had my right knee done

last week and it seemed to work wonders... I was up

and moving around... and seemed like a dream... It

must have been... cuz I went in for the other knee

yesterday and today I am hurting incredibly bad again... so

who knows... just pray that it is a temperary

thing.... from the injection... Angi

[Guest guest]

Well it seems miraculous... I can actually

move... It took a few days after that last injection...

but I am up on my feet again :0)) <br><br> Once we

are sure the pain is going to be gone for a little

while I will start physical therapy again... We tried

that at the onset of this latest doc visits... but I

was in too much pain to do much of anything...

<br><br> Then we discuss what the long term treatment

options are... He mentioned Synvisc injections.. has

anyone had these?? He also mentioned a few surgical

things as well... but he prefers not to even discuss

those since he said not many get great relief from

them...<br><br> So hmmmm don't know seems like synvisc is the

next step if my insurance will even pay for it.. Angi

[Guest guest]

Angi,<br><br>Check on the INDEX (Message #1127). It has three posts on

Synvisc.<br><br>Tom

[Guest guest]

Thanks Tom... I went and read those posts.. Not

much as far as after treatment though... so if anyone

has had the complete synvisc injections and has

something to add as to how long they lasted and how

benificial they were... My doc says they are very expensive

and my ins might not even cover them.... Angi

[Guest guest]

Angi,<br><br>Go back to the INDEX (1127), click

on the KneeGuru link provided there, click on

KneeGuru's Search feature, type " Synvisc " and then click on

search KneeGuru site. You'll get scores of hits.

Summarize what you find for us some time.<br><br>Good

luck.<br><br>Tom

[Guest guest]

Welcome Amy:

How old is your son? What sort of jra was he diagnosed with? Or do they even

know yet? When my daughter was first diagnosed, it was months before they

settled on a diagnosis of systemic onset - though this puzzles me now as one

of the first presenting features of it for her were months of high fevers,

rashes, anemia, etc. I sort of attribute this waffling to the doctors

refusal to believe me in the beginning about the fevers recurring every

night and being gone by morning... until I started dragging her into our

local emerg. dept night after night to have it documented. Okay, I am still

a little peaved about not being taken seriously in my concerns for my

daughter.

No matter. I haven't heard of any particular links between asthma and jra

but a lot of kids on this list seem to have more than one medical difficulty

that they are dealing with. In our case, my elder daughter Mickey, now 7,

was diagnosed with systemic onset jra at 3. Her younger sister, soon to be

five, has been pretty healthy, but was recently diagnosed with chronic

bronchial asthma. I'm still learning about this. She is on an inhaler, and

some allergy meds.

Anyway, I just wanted to say welcome to the list. You will find lots of

great support here, and lots of helpful information. Hang in there. As awful

as it feels right now to know your son has a chronic illness, there are many

ways to control it for a good quality of life. It may take a while to find

the right combination for your son - it is SOOO important to find a

pediatric rheumatologist. One that has experience working with the childrens

forms of arthritis. This can make a huge difference. Good luck, and welcome

again.

Lynn

From: amyluker@...

Reply-

Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2001 15:42:57 -0000

Subject: New to all this

Hi,

I had a friend who told me about this board yesterday. My son has

recently been diagnosed with JRA. We are still awaiting our

appointment with the rheumatologist. Hopefully it is next week. I

have been reading several threads and can not believe this. The one

one prednisone especially. I thought it was just him, the mood

swings and all. It is reasurring to know other people are going

through that also.

I was also wondering about asthma and jra. Are they actually

connected? My son has terrible asthma also and everytime he starts

wheezing his joints start up also. His regular doctor says he has

never heard if they are connected.

I am just so happy to have found a site like this. Just to know we

are not alone in all this.

Amy

To manage your subscription settings, please visit:

For links to websites about JRA:

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Village/8414/Links.html

[Guest guest]

Hi and welcome. You will definitely find a ton of info here, plus links to

places you can learn more. About the asthma, my son (14 with pauci jra) also

has it and pretty bad allergies. Our rhuemy said that they are all

symptomatic of a " hyper " immune system. Meaning that the immune system is

out of whack in each disease. As you know, jra is an immune system disease.

So from her I got the impression that while not necessarily related, they

are similar in that they center around the immune system. I hope your visit

goes well and that your dr. can help. Michele

New to all this

Hi,

I had a friend who told me about this board yesterday. My son has

recently been diagnosed with JRA. We are still awaiting our

appointment with the rheumatologist. Hopefully it is next week. I

have been reading several threads and can not believe this. The one

one prednisone especially. I thought it was just him, the mood

swings and all. It is reasurring to know other people are going

through that also.

I was also wondering about asthma and jra. Are they actually

connected? My son has terrible asthma also and everytime he starts

wheezing his joints start up also. His regular doctor says he has

never heard if they are connected.

I am just so happy to have found a site like this. Just to know we

are not alone in all this.

Amy

To manage your subscription settings, please visit:

For links to websites about JRA:

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Village/8414/Links.html

[Guest guest]

Thank you for the welcome. My son is 8. He answers to the name of Buzz, a

nickname given to him by his older sister when he was a baby. He has been

having symptoms for 4 months now. We have had all the test done and the

orthopedist came to the diagnosis a month ago. They have not said what type of

jra it is yet. His right hip, both knees and left ankle have been affected.

I am just waiting till next week so hopefully we will have an answer to what

type he has and what to expect. It sure is a long process.

Amy

New to all this

Hi,

I had a friend who told me about this board yesterday. My son has

recently been diagnosed with JRA. We are still awaiting our

appointment with the rheumatologist. Hopefully it is next week. I

have been reading several threads and can not believe this. The one

one prednisone especially. I thought it was just him, the mood

swings and all. It is reasurring to know other people are going

through that also.

I was also wondering about asthma and jra. Are they actually

connected? My son has terrible asthma also and everytime he starts

wheezing his joints start up also. His regular doctor says he has

never heard if they are connected.

I am just so happy to have found a site like this. Just to know we

are not alone in all this.

Amy

To manage your subscription settings, please visit:

For links to websites about JRA:

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Village/8414/Links.html

[Guest guest]

hello amy and welcome...i also have never heard of asthma and jra being

connected...but who knows now a days...my daughter tabitha is sixteen and was

diagnosed with polyarticular jra back in 1989. Of course i was shocked

because i had never heard of children getting arthritis...what is sad is that

it is now 2001 and people are still shocked when their child is diagnosed

with jra...

hang in there..and good luck......this group is great..glad i found them

too..thank god for computers...

karen and tabitha

[Guest guest]

Hello Amy, and Buzz, Glad to hear from you and Know your concerns about

this condition, as I have been Living with it for 33 years myself.

Your concerns are good, it will keep you asking questions of Buzz's Dr.

and don't worry if a question may seem, as some people say, stupid!

Because there is NO Stupid Questions, when it comes to a child with JRA.

Lower extremities are usually most commonly the first joints to be

affected by the on set of jra.

I, myself have never heard of asthma being brought on by jra. But this

list of people are about the BEST source of information, you could hope

to find, If not in medical knowledge, personal hands on dealing with the

day to day effects of jra.

One piece of advise I would like to offer you, don't be afraid to let

Buzz, do the same activities as he did before, he'll know when he can and

can't do them.

I know you'll find lot of understanding here, with the eners!

of Mich

[Guest guest]

n , age 12, has systemic JRA. Her little brother, age 3, has pretty

bad asthma. Both are types of immune disorders.

>From: amyluker@...

>Reply-

>

>Subject: New to all this

>Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2001 15:42:57 -0000

>

>Hi,

>

>I had a friend who told me about this board yesterday. My son has

>recently been diagnosed with JRA. We are still awaiting our

>appointment with the rheumatologist. Hopefully it is next week. I

>have been reading several threads and can not believe this. The one

>one prednisone especially. I thought it was just him, the mood

>swings and all. It is reasurring to know other people are going

>through that also.

>

>I was also wondering about asthma and jra. Are they actually

>connected? My son has terrible asthma also and everytime he starts

>wheezing his joints start up also. His regular doctor says he has

>never heard if they are connected.

>

>I am just so happy to have found a site like this. Just to know we

>are not alone in all this.

>

>Amy

>

>

>To manage your subscription settings, please visit:

>

>

>For links to websites about JRA:

>http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Village/8414/Links.html

>

>

[Guest guest]

I thank you all for your response. I am just so happy to have found this group.

I have already gotten a lot of information on various topics I was wondering

about. Again thank you so much.

Amy

New to all this

>Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2001 15:42:57 -0000

>

>Hi,

>

>I had a friend who told me about this board yesterday. My son has

>recently been diagnosed with JRA. We are still awaiting our

>appointment with the rheumatologist. Hopefully it is next week. I

>have been reading several threads and can not believe this. The one

>one prednisone especially. I thought it was just him, the mood

>swings and all. It is reasurring to know other people are going

>through that also.

>

>I was also wondering about asthma and jra. Are they actually

>connected? My son has terrible asthma also and everytime he starts

>wheezing his joints start up also. His regular doctor says he has

>never heard if they are connected.

>

>I am just so happy to have found a site like this. Just to know we

>are not alone in all this.

>

>Amy

>

>

>To manage your subscription settings, please visit:

>

>

>For links to websites about JRA:

>http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Village/8414/Links.html

>

>

[Guest guest]

Amy,

My I ask where you live?

Amy

[Guest guest]

I live in Excel, Alabama. Our town is very small. We are having to travel 4

hours to go to the ped. rheumotologist in Birmingham. There is not one in

Mobile which is about a hour and a half away.

Amy

Re: New to all this

Amy,

My I ask where you live?

Amy

[Guest guest]

Hi Amy,

So glad that you found us Good luck with your son's upcoming doctor's

appointment. Be sure to ask lots of questions. And let us know how it

went.

Aloha,

Georgina

amyluker@... wrote:

>

> Hi,

>

> I had a friend who told me about this board yesterday. My son has

> recently been diagnosed with JRA. We are still awaiting our

> appointment with the rheumatologist. Hopefully it is next week. I

> have been reading several threads and can not believe this. The one

> one prednisone especially. I thought it was just him, the mood

> swings and all. It is reasurring to know other people are going

> through that also.

>

> I was also wondering about asthma and jra. Are they actually

> connected? My son has terrible asthma also and everytime he starts

> wheezing his joints start up also. His regular doctor says he has

> never heard if they are connected.

>

> I am just so happy to have found a site like this. Just to know we

> are not alone in all this.

>

> Amy

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 07/05/2001 8:56:05 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

gmckin@... writes:

> So glad that you found us Good luck with your son's upcoming doctor's

> appointment. Be sure to ask lots of questions. And let us know how it

> went.

>

>

It might be a good idea to write down your questions and also the answers.

It is a lot to absorb all at once

[Guest guest]

Amy

i am in Atlanta Ga and so far the rhuemys are just at Elgeston childrens hosp

which is about 20 miles away

i know one of the drs travels to macon every week to see kids there

Robbin

[Guest guest]

Hi Amy,

My name is Sharon and I have two children with JRA. dx with

systemic and Olivia--well her jra has many faces, although is

by far the most ill. Anyhow Olivia began as reactive, then

pauciarticular and then polyarticular. Primarily her hips are the

most involved. I suppose whatever the " label " each case of jra is

very, very different.

I've been on vacation since July 3. We went to Gulf Shores (actually

Orange Beach) Just got back yesterday. Beautiful weather, the water

was the most beautiful I'd ever seen it. I'm from Mobile. I married

a country boy and moved to Chatom. This is why your post caught my

eye being you are near me. Chatom is about 1 1/2 hours North of

Mobile and about 20 minutes south of , Al. We are real close

to the Mississippi/Alabama line.

We used to see our Rheumy in Mobile, then he moved to Pensacola and

we followed him right there.

was dx about 8 years ago and Olivia about 3 or 4 years ago

and I am constantly learning something about JRA. This group is

absolutely wonderful and a great source of information and can offer

you many points of views and experiences.

-----How old is your child and what type JRA? Are you going to Camp

M*A*S*H in a couple of weeks? It's still not too late to register.

Jerry Burch is the contact person at the B'Ham office and Elyse

Marley in the Mobile office.

Sharon Beech

> I live in Excel, Alabama. Our town is very small. We are having

to travel 4 hours to go to the ped. rheumotologist in Birmingham.

There is not one in Mobile which is about a hour and a half away.

>

> Amy

> Re: New to all this

>

>

> Amy,

> My I ask where you live?

> Amy

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, it is so nice to meet you. I know where Chatom is. Just yesterday I

talked to Jerry about camp mash. I am not sure yet whether we can go because my

husband may have to work. I hope we can, my father may be able to go.

My son is 8. We are still not sure what type he has. His right hip, both

knees, and left ankle so far are affected. Just last night at bible school he

all of the sudden was in tears because his neck hurt so bad. He has been up all

night in pain. I don't know what is going on. He couldn't even get his shirt

off this morning. I thought the Vioxx would be working by now. He seems to be

getting worse.

Maybe we will see you at camp.

Amy

Re: New to all this

>

>

> Amy,

> My I ask where you live?

> Amy

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Petey,

Hypogonadism is a condition that affects more males than you might

think. Basically what happens is your body stops producing enough

testosterone. There can be several reasons for this. This first is

that the testes(where testosterone is made) simply shut down. This

can be due to illness, injury, or drugs. The other possibility is

that the brain is not sending the right chemical signals to stimulate

the testes to make testosterone. These signals come from the

pituitary gland in the brain, and may be turned off due to illess,

stress, drugs like steroids, or a brain tumor. Sometimes it just

stops for no apparent reason at all.

So, now that you know what it is, an Endocrinologist is the best type

of MD to help, since this is all related to the endocrine system of

your body. You should know in advance that many MDs (including some

Endocrinologists) are ignorant about this condition or just have too

much of a male ego to admit men have 'hormonal problems'. Therefore,

you should be prepared to be assertive when it comes to your medical

care. Learn all you can. Go to the " Bookmarks " section of our forum

on click on some of the suggested internet links. Do not be

afraid to ask your doctor questions. Do not be afraid to fire your

doctor and find another if he does not listen to you or if you do not

truly feel better after treatment.

Now, what is the treatment? Well, most of the time you simply take

testosterone to make up for the fact that your body is not making

enough itself. The most commonly prescribed form is a gel that is

spread on the skin each day called Androgel. There are other topical

forms like patches and creams. There are also injections, which some

people prefer. Each form has its own benefits and drawbacks. You will

have to find the one that's best for you.

In order for the Endo to diagnose you properly, you should probably

have the following tests done:

Testosterone Free and Total

Progesterone

Lipid Panel

Thyroid Panel

PSA (if this is elevated, you should not take testoserone)

Bone Density Scan (to check for osteoporosis)

If the Endo suspects your pituitary gland is not working right, he

should order an MRI of the brain to check for brain tumors.

Check the posts on the forum and let us know if we can help you in

any way. There is a lot of knowledge and support here.

Regards,

K4

> I'm a 50 year old male who has been having some problems lately. I

> went to an new urologist, was tested for testosterone levels, and

> they came out around 204. He told me that was prety low, and

> recommended I see an endocrinologist. What's that all about? He

wants

> me to see him for hypogonadism. I've only got 1 kidney and I'm a

> little worried when trying to look this up online cause I'm not

> really sure what I'm going to the endo for. Any help would be

greatly

> appreciated.

[Guest guest]

Here are my levels from my blood tests.

My total testosterone was 218

free testosterone was 2.3% 50.8 pg/ml

My fsh,serum was 1.2(low levels) don't know what that is.

My creatinine was a 1.5 which the results say were high.

ANy help interpreting these?

Thanks

Pete

> > I'm a 50 year old male who has been having some problems lately.

I

> > went to an new urologist, was tested for testosterone levels, and

> > they came out around 204. He told me that was prety low, and

> > recommended I see an endocrinologist. What's that all about? He

> wants

> > me to see him for hypogonadism. I've only got 1 kidney and I'm a

> > little worried when trying to look this up online cause I'm not

> > really sure what I'm going to the endo for. Any help would be

> greatly

> > appreciated.

[Guest guest]

Petey wrote:

" Here are my levels from my blood tests.

My total testosterone was 218

free testosterone was 2.3% 50.8 pg/ml

My fsh,serum was 1.2(low levels) don't know what that is. "

Well, testosterone levels are definitely low. Should be in the 500 to

600's. FSH = Follicle Stimulating Hormone - one of the chemical

messengers from the brain that tells your nuts to " get to work " !

There should also be a value for LH (Leutenizing Hormone). If it is

also low, the probable diagnosis is secondary hypogonadism. This is

the type that can be caused by a brain tumor (usually benign and very

treatable). If you truly have secondary hypo, you should insist on an

MRI of the brain and a Bone Density scan.

Regards,

K4

> > > I'm a 50 year old male who has been having some problems

lately.

> I

> > > went to an new urologist, was tested for testosterone levels,

and

> > > they came out around 204. He told me that was prety low, and

> > > recommended I see an endocrinologist. What's that all about? He

> > wants

> > > me to see him for hypogonadism. I've only got 1 kidney and I'm

a

> > > little worried when trying to look this up online cause I'm not

> > > really sure what I'm going to the endo for. Any help would be

> > greatly

> > > appreciated.

[Guest guest]

> Petey wrote:

> If you truly have secondary hypo, you should insist on an

> MRI of the brain and a Bone Density scan.

Not necessarily. A better first step would be a Clomid stimulation

test. See the American Association of Clinincal Endocrinologists

guidelines on hypogonadism at:

http://www.aace.com/clin/guidelines/hypogonadism.pdf

A positive response to a Clomid stimulation test would rule out a

pituitary tumor or other pituitary abnormality and is much less

stressful to the individual. Further, it is important to note that

most cases of secondary hypogonadism are ideopathic (i.e, no tumor or

other abnormality exists and the doctors don't know why the

pituitary/hypothalamus axis has reduced LH/FSH production).

-