Hey! Another 'newbie' here. I have been reading this forum for over a month and finding myself drawn here on a daily basis!
Three years ago I was dx with PA (now RA I am told?? ) on top of the degenerative and osteo I have had since my teens. My RA symptoms started the day after I painted my kitchen 'Razorback' red with hand/wrist pain and swelling and within a month my hubby was dressing me and I was wearing slippers to work!! Yeah!! My Rheumy put me on pred, enbrel and tramadol. My doc was so impressed with my success he called me his poster child
The past six months have not been as 'fun' though. I am in a stressful job (which I will NEVER give up), I live 700 miles for family/home and my mom died last year (GUILT!!!). I read your posts daily - you know what I talking about!
My rheumy switched me to Humira and I am not liking the results. He is the type of doc that I love - he seems to listen, he wants me to be happy with the medications and he will never make me feel guilty for saying 'no' I don't want to go back on Pred!!!!
At this point, I am in pain. I have built an immunity to tramadol, darvocete and flexeril - eh! Being the advocate I WANT to be for myself I am looking for options and found this forum. WOW!! people who understand and people who have this a lot worse than I do.
Thank You - hearing your stories makes me feel stronger.
Okay..now questions...
What are these blood tests you speak of??? My doc takes 'liver function' tests but I have never been told results of the sed rates and such. WHY have I not been given these tests or results??? Oh, and is it typical to have x-rays?? I had my initial wrists done three years ago. The rheumy says he wants to stay on top of any damage (I am in my early 30's) yet, after reading here I am not seeing it... mmmm.
and pain relief...recommendations?? I need something for those days, you know those!
I know I have more questions, but I had to start somewhere didn't I?
Thanks for 'listening' and letting me rant!
Hi Vickey and welcome
Stress and RA do not sit well together, you may well feel that you thrive on a demanding job (you are not alone) but maybe now is the time to cut back and find ways to make your career work in your favour? I'm sorry you lost your mum and appreciate you probably feel bad about being so far away but you must let go of the guilt, maybe you are still in the initial grieving? Bottom line is, too much stress and guilt will aggravate RA,
As to tests, I am on methatrexate and have a blood test every 8 weeks to check liver function as mtx can affect this. My rheumy does not give me numbers and details, she just tells me everything is fine or, once, told me there was a slight change on my last test and had another test done straight away - it was fine. I can't comment on blood tests on other meds but I'm sure another poster will.
I had hand and feet xrays taken when I was first diagnosed in July 05, none since. These are to look for signs of deterioration in joints which would signify RA.
With the right meds for you there is a good chance of stopping RA progress and minimising damage.
I am responding on my own experience, hope it is useful to you.
Vickey,
Welcome! You can always request copies of your lab work. My rheumy charges like 5 cents or something per page. At your visit ask him what was my sed rate, or liver function, whatever.
Depending on what meds you are on...I am on methotrexate and it is metabolized through the liver, that is why they check your liver. My rheumy is fixing to start me on Humira, and there are no labs that have to be monitored for that.
Tinker is so right about stress. Decrease it if you can. You might find that you won't have a choice on day. It is hard to think that you might have to give up on what you've always loved because of this disease. Think positive, but be realistic, too.
I was diagnosed last september and my rheumy took xrays and I did have erosions already in my wrists. Haven't had any since.
There are experts on this board who will share their experiences with you. Anytime you think of a question, post it. Because you will have more.
Take care!
Trish
Vickey - I never leave a doctor's appointment without a copy of all my labs that they just verbally told me about, then I research the results myself. I keep an excel spreadsheet of my labs, broken down by test/date/result. That's how I diagnose and then point it out to them. Doctors are morons. And you have the right to a copy of every document in your file, at any time. Take care ~~ CathyChances are your test results are fine and that's why you never hear about them. My first RD never sent me any results. My current RD always sends me a note after my blood work and it shows what was tested and it has a section where they check off positive or negative results. If something is abnormal he'll explain the result in detail in the notes section of the letter. I appreciate seeing that even when all is well. Maybe you should as to be informed regardless of the resutls. It's your right.
I'm no longer on Humira; but when I was on it I had to take it weekly to get the full benifit from it. That might be an option you could ask your doctor about.
Welcome to AI. Glad you're here.
I am sure also to get a copy of all my lab work. I am not a clear cut case of anything so it is very helpful to take my folder of tests results from dr to dr and it makes researching things much easier. You may also want to ask for x-rays now just to have something to compare to later.Hi Vickey....welcome!
I get blood tests every month ranging from liver function, to white blood count, to sed rate etc. Where I get treated they want you to "doctor yourself" as much as possible so they explain all the blood tests and give you a handout on what the tests moniter and what normal ranges are and stuff. Also, the lab sends me copies of my tests when they send them to my doctors. It's reassuring (or alarming!) to keep track of how I'm doing myself. Here's a site that explains all blood tests