Hi All. I was told yesterday that most people are diagnosed after 1 of 4 things....Surgery, car accident, Hep B shots , or a major illness. I am curious. I had nasal surgery in Sept diagnosed the following year , I have also had the 3 shots to prevent Hepititis. My son is type 1 diabetic...which also is an auto immune disease, he was dx'd at 3 years on the heels of a stressful military move to Germany.
Thanks in advance for the input! Chris
none of the above..not even a minor surgerySame as buckeye...never had a serious illness before RA..Pneumonia, but I believe it was actually there before that but the illness triggered it into the next phase. Stress does definitely not help things.
Chris -
I had dental surgery to remove an abscessed tooth. Does that count?
APer's (people on antibiotics to control their disease) tend to stop getting vaccinations after they find AP.
Never heard of car accidents...anybody?...but maybe the stress.
Major illness - I'm assuming they mean infections.
Hope that helps,
Pip
Burst appendix...major, major infection.Yes, total thyroidectomy in 07/02 with a strange reaction of fever and difficulty breathing that landed me back in the ER a week afterwards, with no answers. Then, the surgeon was shocked at the incision site when I returned for release post-surgery, but no followup was suggested. Then 3 months later was when I suddenly developed bad pain in my right chest area with abnormal blood readings, and it only continually to deteroriate ad nauseum until recent partial diagnosis.
And this all happened after a major neck injury in 01/01. I am coming to the belief that the neck injury jarred my system, stirred up the little beasties, set my thyroid off, and I finally, finally was able to get my body, my symptoms, a testing doctor, and results all in one basket to begin to obtain some form of treatment for some relief in 06/06, but still no definite diagnosis. Cost to date: ,000.
Yes, Bronchitis which tested out to be a Coxsackie Virus and a strep infection, sick for 3 weeks in Feb 05. Then had Mono which turned to Epstein-Barr Virus right after. Alas, my life has not been the same since.
Take care
Hi Christine, WELCOME!! Mine was surely inherited from my poor grandmother who suffered unmentionable pain with this 'stuff'. No good meds then and she was hurting so badly (1940's).
I can't remember having a severe case of flu virus, or anything like that , but it could have happened. I first noticed it one summer in Nevada (10 years ago) when I had excruciating pain in my left foot. Swelling so I couldn't put my shoes on, etc. I thought it was a 'neuroma', and the stiff clutch in my VW GTI, and went to a foot doctor. He said, "you have arthritis', i went to another foot doctor as it was only in the front pad of my left foot and I was in DENIAL. I bought orthotics,0), took pain pills, etc. But no RA meds yet.
My hands joined in with this pain/swelling/stiffness. Thats, when I finally went to an RA at my GP's insistance. She gave me plaquinel which I took sparingly. then to another doctor who gave me methotrexate , (this all took 5 years!). I took the metho and it kept my pain and swelling down and I went on with my life. But, the damage has been done to my hands and feet,
Now, after pneumonia in Nov. and the discovery of a heart murmur that required 'open heart surgery' I am RIGHT back where I started with this disease! Isn't this strange??. I've been taking much more powerful drugs since March, Prednisone, Methotrexate, and the big one (expensive), Remicade for 4 months. I've gotten much better, my hands are doing well, but my left foot (the original problem) hurts like the devil and feels like i have rock inside my foot. The bones feel like I have no padding.
I go for more Remicade today and hope I'll be able to walk better tomorrow. Increasing prednisone hasn't helped. (from 5 to 10, I went back to 5)
This is such a struggle and I wish you luck sorting it all out. How we get this stuff, what we do about it and how we 'maintain' some quality of life 'with' it is the important thing. Welcome to the board and a lot of people who really care! Keep posting.....Lynda
All of the people on my dad's side of the family died on or about 61 y/o. My granddad was the youngest at 43.
I guess I am never going to follow the crowd. Oh, and the lastest I heard was this was my "generational curse" and I had to repent for the sins of my fathers....I don't know their sins except the obvious.
I had emergency hysterectomy in June 2002, 12 weeks later I had major back surgery. I feel that the trauma of two big operations so close together definitely had an affect on my body. Dx with RA 2006, having suffered quietly with joint pain for approx. 2 years prior. I just thought that after typing for a living for 20 years it was wear and tear.I believe stress brought mine on? We've had some major financial problems...still crawling out from under them, but I kinda see a light at the end of the tunnel.
About 3-4 years ago, Dr's thought I had MS...MRI showed nothing, they said it was stress that brought on the symptoms.
Stress is a nasty thing for our bodies! But it's not like you can live life without it I guess--at least I haven't figured out a way. [QUOTE=chrise4983]
Hi All. I was told yesterday that most people are diagnosed after 1 of 4 things....Surgery, car accident, Hep B shots , or a major illness. I am curious. I had nasal surgery in Sept diagnosed the following year , I have also had the 3 shots to prevent Hepititis. My son is type 1 diabetic...which also is an auto immune disease, he was dx'd at 3 years on the heels of a stressful military move to Germany.
Thanks in advance for the input! Chris
[/QUOTE]Jasmine - there's not much more to add is there? I love it when all, I mean all the books, websites, doctors, nurses, et al tell us that stress causes flares and to keep our stress down. In situation like yours (and I have come close with my story/half told), I would love to know how you were suppose to avoid the "stress".
I haven't even mentioned the political campaign, wiretapping, illegal voting, police investigation bizarreness that proceeded my neck injury :) Stress? Stress? Stress? LOL
Chris,
I was diagnosed after a car accident. My doc says it triggered it but I also have a inherited gene also, my mom has a mild case (thank God).I agree that stress makes it worse also.
Keep posting!!
Mine started after after several miscarriages. Went on to fertility treatments and 2 more miscarriages. Still not 100% on dx, now they are calling it UCTD, undifferentiated connective tissue disease.
Michele,
What were your symptoms for neuropathy? If you don't mind me asking.....
Thanks bunches [QUOTE=justsaynoemore]
Jasmine - there's not much more to add is there? I love it when all, I mean all the books, websites, doctors, nurses, et al tell us that stress causes flares and to keep our stress down. In situation like yours (and I have come close with my story/half told), I would love to know how you were suppose to avoid the "stress".
I haven't even mentioned the political campaign, wiretapping, illegal voting, police investigation bizarreness that proceeded my neck injury :) Stress? Stress? Stress? LOL
[/QUOTE]I had a series of 3 hepatitis B vaccines and after the 2nd one I started with the symptoms of RA. I really didn't consider a connection until a couple years later. 5 years later I received my first flu vaccine because my rheumy wanted me to get it. 2 days later I broke out in hives for 1 month. I think my body is trying to tell me something. No more vaccines please.
Your story is why I can't seem to shake my idea that we hit some sort of 'threshold' on these diseases. Like too much stuff in a row and we start a chain reaction.
Maybe I need a better word/phrase to describe it tho?
Anybody have any suggestions?
Pip
[QUOTE=Pip!]You know, Lori
Your story is why I can't seem to shake my idea that we hit some sort of 'threshold' on these diseases. Like too much stuff in a row and we start a chain reaction.
Maybe I need a better word/phrase to describe it tho?
Anybody have any suggestions?
Pip
[/QUOTE]