All I know is having pieces of a necrotic appendix floating around in your abdomen can't be a good thing....This is all hard to internalize right now, I wish they understood more! I saw Sergent at Vandy who recommended MTX/Plaq. so that's what I've started (been on 10 mg for two weeks, no side effects except mild mouth sores...). So it's hard to think, should I be doing something else?? When I've just started down the long road to see if MTX will work.
I was on antibiotics for long periods of time as a child for acne. At the time, and now, it seemed stupid to me. I'm not sure what it did, really. Also, I never had strep as a child--that I knew of--because apparently I don't get a sore throat--so maybe I had it for long periods of time, without knowing? And when I got mono at age 21, I got REALLY sick. Secondary hepatitis, sores at the corners of my mouth, etc. For a while they thought I had chronic fatigue.
Sigh. Who knows, but at least I'm being treated now...before it was, "just take an antidepressant..."
I don't know anything about your MD - but Vanderbilt has some INCREDIBLE research coming out about the nature of these diseases. Search for Dr. Stratton. He's the guy that's reversing people in wheelchairs with MS. Their whole protocol is the exact opposite of the Marshall Protocol - they are into massive doses of vitamin D along with antibiotics. Personally, I think the MP people are closer to the cure - but hey, out of a wheelchair is out of a wheelchair.
Anyway - yes, you've started treatment - but a little research isn't going to kill you. If you suspect infection and you seem to have had quite a few - get the book the New Arthritis Breakthough by Henry Scammell. It will rock your world.
Hugs,
Pip
P.S. Innerglow - my bad -
Pip
Here's another one.
Pip
I have inflammatory arthritis and have also tested positive for strep. Seems like the arthritis started after my infection also.
My son used to get strep joint. it never went to his throat. When he was 8 months old he suddenly couldnt crawl one day and his knees were huge red and swollen.. for years he got it.. he also had scarlett fever at age 3.
I also had scarlet fever and a lot of strep.
I wonder..
I hope there is not a connection. My daughter was very prone to strep for a long time and I'd hate to see her come down with this disease. She's already worried it runs in families
Everybody get the New Arthritis Breakthrough! Strep is one hard to kill bugger but it can be done. My AP doc switched me to Zith to start addressing my strep titres. Hence the Minocin AND Zith in my signature.
Your children will not necessarily get this disease or one of the sister rheumatic diseases. This is not a genetic disease, rather, we may have the gene for it which may or may not switch on. There are things you can do to really lessen the chances of this happening to your children. Make sure they are given probiotics if they ever use antiobiotcs. The last thing you want to do is decimate the good gut bacteria in the intestines.
Hugs,
Pip
Aaaargh! Apparently I haven't updated my sig since October. Damn - I'll look into that today.
Pip!2008-04-11 07:15:31My daughter has an awful problem with her stomach. She should probably be on the probiotics anyway. I think she and her doctor blame it on an anxiety thing and I think it aggravates it but I think there is more to the emergency bathroom tripsmy doc swears that there is a connection between ra and strep. he said that either i had a bad strep infection as a child or it had to do with my ruptured appendix. he believes it's strep though. but i can't remember having strep ever...so i'm a little skeptical. anyway, he said that the strep either manifests itself in the joints and you get ra or it goes into your heart and you get rheumatic fever. i don't know if i totally believe the strep connection, but maybe it's true. hope it helps with your question.Hi,
This is an interesting thread as I had strep a couple of times before my RA diagnosis. I had strep in January and March of 07 and a flare in June of 07. I was finally diagnosed with RA in February 08 and have been on plaquenil, fentanyl patches and tramadol for pain. I often wondered if the strep and its relapse had anyhting to do with my RA. Hiking_galKatie G: Do you recall what antibiotics were used to treat your strep infection?
pjsmama: You can have strep throat without having a full-blown nasty throat infection. Our older daughter had a few bouts of strep as a child without a throat infection. She did have nasal congestion and very high temps. First doctor kept giving her 10-days of penicillin to clear it up and within two weeks of taking her last dose we would be back in the doctor's office again. Went to another doctor but cannot remember what she was given but she hasn't ever had strep throat again. When I remember what the antibiotic was I'll post it.
The first time I was EVER diagnosed with strep was at age 28, while I was pregnant, and it was a bladder infection with Strep A (the throat strep) not Strep B. Don't remember what antibiotic.
The second time was later in the same pregnancy, and I think they put me on a penacillin or something since I was pregnant.
Then, 5 months after I gave birth, same situation--didn't know I had strep until doctor looked in my throat. They did tetracycline first, I still had strep, then a Z pack. That wiped it out.
I really do think there are so many factors involved. I was responding to a post about RA and pregnancy and I felt GREAT through my first pregnancy and after it, but awful during my second pregnancy and after, and that's when I got RA. So it was something more than the estrogen that triggered it. Strep?
I didn't get obvious joint involvement until about 4 months after that second strep incident, which was 9 months after I gave birth. But I'd had problems with my feet in college, and with fatigue.
KatieG2008-05-02 11:54:07Please, anybody thinking strep is anyway involved - please get the book "The New Arthritis Breakthrough" by Henry Scammell. Yes, it's 'science-y" but really is a quick easy read. I recommend kind of bluring thru chapters 1 thru 4 - then the rest - then go back and reread chapters 1 - 4. WOW!
The thing about antiobiotics is it only kills one form of strep - and then they become cell wall deficient - with 2 other forms left to wreak havoc.
Hugs,
Pip
It isn't 2:00AM but I have remembered the name of the drug was "linocin" the doctor gave my daughter for strep throat.
I know I posted this before when strep was brought up, but I also had scarlet fever at age 3. I had strep 20 years ago, and a wicked case of walking pneumonia about 5 years ago. Just diagnosed with RA 4-08.
Pip.........I have the book! Time to get reading again. :)
I forgot..I had strep and tonsillitis at the same time that literally put me in bed for 10 days. Per the Dr, it was either that or the hospital with no insurance at the time.
Yeah, I used to beg them to take my tonsils out every year and eventually 'outgrew' it. Some 'outgrowing' huh?
You are going to LOVE that book! That's what made me think I could start learning this stuff!
Hugs,
Pip
I believe there is a direct correlation between strep and RA. That's where the infecting stealth pathogens, mycoplasma, originate from. Another offending bacteria is Chlamydia pneumoniae (gives you pneumoniae, not chlamydia). There are others but I can't remember what they are. Those are the two big ones, I think.
Gimpy-a-gogo2008-05-03 00:33:59
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