Hi....anyone
I am 38 yrs old.... and about to a father for the first time....
I've been diagnosed with AS, approx. 3 years ago....I do believe it has been evident much much longer....
As a young child, and then a teenager,...I was involved in every sport
I could get my hands on.... and not to be a braggart, excelled at
hockey, basketball , and was in supreme shape....physically....
however....I recall when our gym teacher would do tests annually,
(good thing theres a "u" in that word...lol)involving fat percentage .
and flexibility. I was always close to the bottom of the class in
flexibility... although no stiffness or pain was present at the time....
Fast
forward to when i was 29/30 yrs old..... I was still playing hockey
weekly, tennis and golf....and was still very active.....but I had a
"sciatica" problem, causing pain down my buttocks and hips....
eventually this pain lessened, and new ones arose... such as a painful
neck and back pain near the T6 vertabrae (middle of back)... I
shrugged this off as "getting old" ...or too many sports when i was
young.... but the pain and stiffness persisted and got worse.... I
finally made a doctors appointment, (thank-you, Mrs Andy) . my posture
had gotten worse...also... this scared me, but being a "tuff" guy , I
tried to shrug that off too...
I sit here with tears in my
eyes..... not even half the person I use to be...and am scared that i
won't be active , when my son/daughter is born soon this year....
I finally got in to see a RA doctor this past month, and am awaiting a call for my first Remicade infusion....
I'm
quite frightened and leery of taking this medication.... after reading
what I could find on web...Reluctancy has set in....but what options do
I have? I need and want my life back.
If there's anyone out there that has any words of wisdom , id gladly cherish your words and time....
I
am preparing to write a journal on my remicade trial.... I think some
people would like to read about a real life trial , rather than read
about it under a marketing scheme....
Andy
Hi again !
Outstanding...by all means keep updating us on your experience. Congratulations on your success so far.
Alan
Andy, what wonderful news! May it continue to get better & better.
Also, congratulations on your up-coming addition to the family!
Keep us posted,
Nini
HI Andy, wlecome to the board and I am so excited for you, genuinely and sincerely, its so great to hear success stories, I truly hope you continue to improve and really enjoy your new baby together with your wife, best lof luck, Janie. Andy, that is great news and you are obviously feeling so positive about it all. Long may it continue! And that big decision about the giving u0 smoking - I know how difficult that one is - and still trying!! I give up at least twice a day!!I'm excited for you Andy! Sounds like things are turning around for you. Awesome.
I know of a few people that have gotten some sort of shot that's helped them stop smoking. They swear by it. They say they wake up the next morning and don't even want one. I'm thinking about doing that myself.....but I like it so much! Wish, wish, wish I didn't.....but I do. I keep putting it off; but I think that's what I'm going to do. I've tried several times without much luck. My will power in that regards is NONE. The shot cost about 0 but a friend of mine with BCBS got reimbursed from his insurance company. He had to pay up front; but they reimbursed him. I guess they want to make sure your serious about it before they pay for it. Can't say I blame them.
Hang in there.....it will make you feel so much better. (So I hear anyway;)
Excellent news!1 Congratulations on being a dad for the first time and the success of the remicade!! That is awesome!!!
There is a new pill out called umm urg I think Chartix. My insurance does not cover it and it is 6.00 at my Walgreens. My doc said there is an 80% quit success rate with it.
Hi Andy,
I'm really happy to hear that Remicade has worked for you. I get so excited when I hear that something has worked. I'll be getting my first infusion sometime in the next few weeks, so here's hoping!
That is wonderful news that you quit smoking also. What a feat! One of my son's has tried just about everything possible and is having a heck of a time, so I know how tremendously hard it is to quit.
I hope you continue to get stronger, you'll need every bit of energy you can muster chasing your new little one around!
grammaskittles,
My son tried that one, Chartix, or whatever it's called. He was so excited about it, but it made him so sick, he couldn't stop throwing up, that he had to stop taking it. The dr. gave him some free samples but my son was afraid to fill the prescription, because it's so expensive and he didn't know if this side effect would go away, and he couldn't afford to miss work everyday, just waiting to see.
Hi Andy, what great news! A baby on the way and a quick response to the infusion. Keep us updated.
Just because you smoked one Andy; doesn't mean all is lost. As long as you keep trying.....that's what matters most.
It's hard too if your wife's smoking. My husband and I have fought that battle. We have to stop together when we stop or it's just that much harder.
AWESOME ANDY!!
CONGRATS ON BOTH THE REMICADE & BABY!!!!!!
Best wishes to you and your new family.
CinDee
Hiya...thanx again