Toni

[Guest guest]

Toni, I kindof think you should call a knowing neighbor

or local frenly school secretery,and ask what illnesses are going

around the town......

the stiff neck is an important symptom...the red dotty eyes are ..too

the itching...strep throat? it doesnt always follow what one expects

have you used a new soap or lotion? new clothing? new food?

I want to solve this!

how old are you--may I ask? and where are you?

luv

Rica

[Guest guest]

Hey there fellow bandster!!! Glad to meet you. I think the very

strict limited post of diet has a big effect. Then it was also

summer...so very hot here in Texas. I wish it would have lasted

longer...but it didn't. I was also exercising and walking daily.

Which I still do but now not as much as my hip is killing me.

As far as my weightloss is concerned I need a fill really bad...so I

am stuck at 60 lbs. I hope to get one soon when things get

financially better here and I can get my car fixed so I can get to my

band doc. I see a surgeon two hrs away.

What meds are you on and how do you handle side effects with your

band? I am curious. I am on another group and there are a few

gastric bypass patients..one lady is a total mess...the sad part is

she has no clue that her malabsorption is why she can't seem to get

herself stable mentally or with her RA. She has a ton of medical and

mental issues she is dealing with that require lots of meds.

I can truly say I am glad I chose the band for the exact reason I

wanted to make sure I could absorb my meds and not put myself into

the situation to really need a med and it would not work for me.

Toni

> >

> > ,

> > I tried a bunch of different stuff. I used evening primrose oil,

> > fish oil and a few other suppliments. They really didn't do much

for

> > me. I went into 9 month remission and was on NO meds after

having

> > weight loss surgery (lapband) I truly think the drastic change in

> > diet and exercise made a world of difference. At the end of the

none

> > months I started to have problems again and its just gotten worst

and

> > worst.

> >

> > I have gone through three rheummies. The first one was great and

> > moved away and the second one was total quack it did not listen

to me

> > at all. All I was was a peice of meat and lab tests. I started

on

> > Arava, pred and a bunch of other stuff with my first rheummy.

When

> > he moved away I had no care for a year. Then came rheummy two,

he

> > changed all my meds around and stopped the arava. He then

started me

> > on MTX and that is when all the trouble started. It made me sick

as

> > dog from day one!!!! Vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, dizziness, and

> > headaches...then I got a cough that would not go away and he

ignorred

> > me for a month. I finally went to my PCP who stopped the drug

> > immediately. I had a protential fatal side effect called drug

> > induced pneumonitis. I could not talk, eat or sleep. All I did

was

> > cough, gag, throw up and gasp for breath. Fourtunately my lungs

did

> > recover and with no permenent damage.

> >

> > Then my stupid rheummy wanted me back on MTX but on

injections...so

> > desperate for relief and trusting my doc I started taking

it...again

> > came nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, mouth

sores,

> > eye sores, throat sores, genetalia sores, I was absolutely

misrable

> > I spent my time on the bathroom floor. It was getting so bad

that I

> > didn't get to the bathroom all the time and going out anywhere

proved

> > to be a very embarrasing experience. But my doc said my labs

looked

> > great keep taking the " poison " . He even upped my folic acid to

5mg a

> > day and leukovorin once a week to try and stop the side effects

and

> > nothiong working. My red and white counts went to crap! Finally

I

> > told him ENOUGH!!!! No more posion. At the same time I also was

> > started with enbrel. During this 9 month period of time it was

hard

> > to tell if anything did any good I was took sick otherwise to

tell.

> >

> > I decided to have weight loss surgery (lapband) I had to stop all

> > meds two weeks before surgery. I was so happy to be free of

shots,

> > pills and all the side effects. I had surgery and it was great

> > afterward..no pain, swelling or other problems. This went on for

9

> > months.

> >

> > I went back to see quack rheummy and he wanted me back on MTX

when my

> > symptoms started to return and my lab work was not good. I made

lots

> > of excuses...there was a shortage and my pharmacy never had any

when

> > I went. He then started talking Humira...too expensive...health

plan

> > won't cover it. I keep stalling him and making excuses as he had

told

> > me he was moving away.

> >

> > Now I have a good rheummy that is very conservative and moves at

MY

> > pace. We stopped all meds and started all over. Since

weightloss

> > surgery many meds are off limits or have to be used with caustion

due

> > to my small pouch and its sensitive to meds that can cause ulcers

or

> > irritation. So I don't take oral steriods...only shots when

> > absolutely needed. No NSAIDS...since they removed Bextra off the

> > market there are really aren't any I am suppose to take. But I

had

> > to have something so I take lodine XL only when needed and then I

> > have to take it with Nexium when I can get samples or Prilosec.

> >

> > He started me on antibiotic therapy. Doxycycline. It went OK for

a

> > few weeks then it started making me sick to my stomach...I had to

> > stop it. I can't afford ulcers in my small pouch. So he started

> > Plaquinil. I have been on that a few months now. I have not

noticed

> > any real difference..things have just gotten worst. Then again

since

> > I have been free of meds for so long I rarely remember to take it

as

> > prescribed.

> >

> > So now he wants to add Humira...but I will stall him until the

> > summer. I have a few projects and trips and I don't want to be

> > burdened with carrying this stuff around and hoping I can keep it

> > cold. PLus I hear it burns so that is a real turn off. Next

problem

> > is my insurance is not going to pay for it. So that pretty much

says

> > it...no Humira or any biologic for me cause I can't afford it.

> >

> > I am also going to check out harolds suggestion as well. I just

wish

> > they would invent some sort of pill...Very small

preferable...cause

> > that is another problem I have since having surgery. I can not

get

> > large pills down...they get stuck and make me real sick.

> >

> > Toni

>