Just A little FYI..... | Arthritis Information

 

Thanks Lynn, first time I have ever seen "early" and "terminal" arthritis defined or mentioned - most sites only refer to "moderate" and "severe".  Why do they keep harping about osteoporosis?  My primary did the bone density test about a year into my ex-rheumatologist's drugs.  She said he was suppose to be keeping track of it, and never mentioned it nor tested for it.  I didn't realize osteoporosis is such a big indicator and a way to track RA activity.  You're welcome.  My RD has always been concerned about osteoporosis  and keeps a sharp eye on my bone density scans...........I take extra, extra calcium, vit D and magnesium, to make sure my bones maintain their density because of the RA and the blood thinners I need to take, which can contribute to osteoporosis.

Thanks Lynn, for your posts. I soak up all the research you pump out! You're awesome!
Lynn. Do people move through those stages....or do you stay in stage one, two , three or four? Does everyone have osteoporosis with RA?yeah I am surprised they used the word terminal it kinda sounds permanent. Yep Lynn, that's why he is my ex-rheumatologist.  And I had 2 second opinions who reviewed my case, and neither of them mentioned getting checked for osteoporosis.  One was at the medical school up in Tampa.  I tell you, these FL rheumies are running around with their heads cut off, shooting from the hip.  Morons.  The Ankylosing can be terminal --as in dealth. Once a bone fuses in your spine, it is very weak around the fusing so it becomes doubly easy to break your spine. People with ankylosing spondylitis sometimes die of a snapped neck. A friends father fell and didn't catch himself and was instantly dead. But that is becoming rarer with the TNF's which have been a miracle for AS people. MTX works for the outer limbs but only the TNF's slow the fusing.

My google news recently sent me a clipping of a man in a bar fight getting tackled (along with the other fighter) by his brother and he was paralized and died the next day.

I consider anyone who promotes alternative treatment plans for AS as pure evil and that includes antibiotics and diet.Lynn - I went to the site to print this out for my family practitioner who is handling my RA, and found this:

In the critrea the ankylosis is not referring to ankylosing spondylitis.  ankylosis means stiffness or auto fusing which is how it manifests itself in end stage RA.  

Ditto what buckeye said (from personal experience), I don't have extensive joint involvement but my wrist is in the process of ankylosing.  Thank god it's just one wrist.  But I can still write, type so that's good. I have other joints involvement but I still usually have full ROM in them or least at the end of the day.  The scary thing for me is that I haven't had an x-ray since this got bad but I get one in October.  Maybe things aren't as bad as they seem, will know then...I still want to know that this document is the most current version, 1949?  This is what rheumatologists are suppose to use for criteria.  what does it matter if the pattern of joint destruction hasn't changed buckeye2008-08-17 09:25:05Joint destruction is joint destruction irregardless of the date on the criteria posting.  Joints are the same as they've always been,  how it's treated and assessed has changed, specifically this year.  Lindy  I am not saying this is not correct, I am asking very nicely if anyone knows that this document is STILL the current guideline?  I am just curious, and I appreciate any responders who might know this answer for me.  Thank you to my brothers and sisters with RA.  Take care ~~ Cathythat is the criterea for joint damageFWIW I heard first about staging when I was diagnosed with lymphoma. It's mostly a way of giving doctors a way to put parameters on disease progression. You can be quite far along and still recover. The use of terminal in staging means the disease has run its course to the best of my understanding. Not a good way of describing things    most doctors tend to use the Disease Activity Score (DAS) as the measurement of day to day disease progression/activtythe information that Lynn49 posted is a compilation of other data regarding RA that includes some more recent information as well as the 1949 info... What has me puzzled is the use of the word "radiographic".  I had my chiropractor take my baselines of my hands after diagnosis, then again a year later, then again two months ago at 2 years since diagnosis.  He sent them to a radiologist for reading as its outside his scope of practice.  The last set was taken after I asked for MRIs of my hands and wrists when I read somewhere the MRIs are the new standard over x-rays.  If the word "severe" is being used about your hands from the MRI I would question the qualtiy of the x'rays.  Severe damage shows up on xray especially in the small joints of the hands.  Synovitis and  cysts don't usually show up on x'ray which can only see hard tissue.  Synovitis and ganglion cysts are soft tissue problems [QUOTE=buckeye]If the word "severe" is being used about your hands from the MRI I would question the qualtiy of the x'rays.  Severe damage shows up on xray especially in the small joints of the hands.  Synovitis and  cysts don't usually show up on x'ray which can only see hard tissue.  Synovitis and ganglion cysts are soft tissue problems
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