I have been a lurker here for a few days and have found some needed answers to my questions. Thank you.
I am going to take my first shot of enbrel tomorrow. I am somewhat scared.
I have been on 20Mg per day of Prednisone and methotrextae once a week now for about 1 month.
I think its the pred that is robbing me of my sleep and making me very hungry. I am about to go over 140 lbs which I havent for a long long time. So, it looks like I will be battling my weight again. I keep telling my self I'll do better tomorrow but, I still am hungry as a cow.
Anyway, The one thing I get is that most everyone thinks I am making a big deal out of having RA. They figure well, everyone gets that one day right??
I can see the general population dosent know much about this. I didnt either till I woke up on April 17th this year and couldnt move my joints in my feet, hands and knees. All were swollen. Boy, that was scarey.
I am 59 years young and hey, I was jumping rope last year.
So, How do I curb this ridiculous appetite???
Bless you all for sharing your info. It is so precsious.
Hi Thinkthin, It seems we are very much on the same page. I woke up with RA this year, found out for sure in April. I have been on Enbrel for 7 weeks now. I took my first shot in the Dr.'s office but now I give them to myself every Thursday morning. They don't bother me at all. I was suprized at that. I felt better two hours after I took my first shot, but I know it can take weeks for some. I am on 20 mg. 0f Pred each day, I am ALWAYS hungry! I am hungry in the middle of the night. Meds are very new to me in general ( I have never taken them before) and I turned 52 this year. I had heard that Pred makes you hungry makes you gain weight, but I never understood why until last week. I read that when you are on Pred everything you eat turns to fat! I'm not joking, we could be eating fruit and veggies and it would turn to fat...BUT it takes the pain away. Everything I have read on the boards says you should stay on Pred for a short time, it has terrible side effects! I will be starting MTX on the 28th and I'm hoping that I will cut down on the Pred. I never sleep, even with taking Lunesta. Pred does alot of things to us, it can keep us hungy, tired and moody. But for the most part I take it because I have been in constant pain for almost 8 months now. I did'nt want to start the meds becuse of the side effects and then I realized RA was much worse, and the important thing is to slow down the damged. As far as the general public understanding, they don't. Most peole think "age and arthrits" but you will see very young people with RA. If you say autoimmune disease, they think AIDS.. I have learned to have my 30 sec. explanation ready, keep it short and to the point. I read a book when I first found out I had RA called "Rheumathoid Arthritis an essentail guide for the newly diagnosed by M.E.A. McNeil. I hope you can find it;it helped so much. keep in touch, Rain
I forgot to tell you, click on the Rheumathoid Arthritis link here that's where most of us are.
Welcome ThinkThin. Aw the wonderful weight of prednisone. I hate it. I hate what it has done to my looks as I also have the moon face. The good news is that if they get good results from the Enbrel and MTX, they will taper you down on the Prednisone and work to get you completely off. So there is a lot of hope there.
Many, many people get good results from Enbrel. I think your sleep will improve as you go off the Prednisone which makes me more hyper and it harder to sleep.
As far as people goes, you pretty much have to beat it into their heads. Learn everything you can about it. You need to be informed in order to fight this illness. Then you will be armed when others make some of those dumb remarks like "my knee creaks, too."
There is no comparison. What most people think of as arthritis is the wear and tear type, osteoarthritis. This is the space between joints drying out and rubbing on each other. RA inflames the entire joint and not only joints. It also can start the osteoarthritis process much earlier than it would in a healthy person. But the pain is completely different and I have both.
Stick to your guns. This is a serious disease with potential serious complications. You must become very active in taking care of yourself. That means you are going to have to tell people "NO!" when you are not up to doing things. You are going to have to take rest and naps.
As far as "thinking thin," exercise is one of your main allies here. Swimming and walking are great. Eating healthy is still where you want to concentrate. Try power bars instead of candy bars, etc. The doctors know it is terribly hard to lose weight on prednisone. Most of the time they don't even hassle me about it. But even if you aren't see the results of weight loss, practicing them will eventually pay off. You will build muscles and that will help your joints and your energy. Fueling your body will help it heal.
Then, when they start lowering your prednisone, I think you will see the weight start to come off. Regardless, you will have done your best. You cannot do more than that.
Thank you H2sign and Deanna,In the beginning, about 15 years ago I started prednisone and was on it for about 8 years. I gained the weight and had the moon face but PTL I a have been off of it now for about 7 years. I did loose the weight but it was very hard coming off of it, either that or the dr. at the time didn't take me off slow enough. I now take it only when having a bad flare and need a little extra pick me up. I have been on Plaquenil for about 13 years and have nothing but praise to say about it. I am so glad to have gone to a Dr. who started me on that right away. Last month my RA Dr. started me on methetrexate as well due to some progression in hands and loss of energy. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. Was a little afraid to start it. Could use some in-put from anyone who is on it. Now I have the weight problem just because I'm not getting my exercise in or eating right. I am trying to get back to the exercise but sometimes the energy level want let me. So send up a prayer for me to get with the program.
A FRIEND IS WHAT THE HEART NEEDS ALL THE TIME.
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