Wow, I just got diagnosed with another disease, now take 8 medications, and had to change my signature. I am beyond depressed.
So, what was the new diagnoses?
I am sorry... Do not be so depressed. I know it seems like a snowball, but snow does melt. I hope you do not get anymore DX to add to your list.
Huggs and feel better soon.
Osteoporosis - so starting Boniva. The part that REALLY POes me is that I had four lower back discs collapse suddenly for no reason 18 months ago, and one disc tore and the material (he said think of it as the inside part of crabmeat) travelled down the canal and dislodged my nerve root bundle. I was in full blown sciatica and the surgery was a God send. I told my primary that today when she called with the bad news and she got POed because the old primary nor the surgeon called for a bone density test then, because that's the first thing that usual goes - your vertebraes. So, once again, I am 18 months behind on preventative treatment because of MORONS.
I am also reading that RA and autoimmune can be signs of osteoporosis, and four rheumatologists who knew about the back problem never suggested it either. DOUBLE MORONS.
Joonie thanks, and say thanks to your invisible friend too LOL.
yeah... those seem like morons to me. I have had 2 bone density scans, one when I was 20 and the other one last month. Each done by my RD's.
You would think after someone hits menopause they would do a bone density scan or even try to prevent bone loss due to menopause.
Well, I hope the Boniva helps you. At least it is a once a month pill, just do not forget to take it.
I'm sorry about your new dx...I hope the boniva works 4 you.
Remember, we need to be proactive with our health. If you know something is going on and your doctor isn't addressing it, go to another one.
Phats
I didn't know you had scleroderma. That's a real bummer.This is my third bone density test. The first one was free at a Chiropractic convention with the ex about 20 years ago LOL. I was high green. I had another one in 2004 and was borderline low green just moving to yellow caution. Now I am in the red. I also just read a correlation between thyroid and osteo. How many parts do I have to have before anyone begins to put the puzzle together? Now I know why I broke these three toes this past year stubbing them on furniture. Oh joy.
Gimpy - the scleroderma? I kept trying to describe these "bands" I feel running through me (I read my ex-physician's notes and she put down she thought I was making up this symptom), so that answered that question. And I would look in the mirror and at times I could see this "band" start at my scalp, come down my forehead, over my nose, then travel down to my jaw and disappear. Then it would go away. So, now I know what that was because for awhile I thought I was possessed. LOL (She thought I was making up that symptom too)
This all goes back to my in-utero DES exposure. What POes me is how the government keeps covering this up when it was still on the market as a pre-natal vitamin until 1997, six full years after it was banned by the FDA. I swear our government is trying to kill us off.
Cathy,
How old are you?
I'm not following you on the Government connection. How does that relate to your situation?
51, its in my signature but I am running out of room LOL
Lovie, try this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diethylstilbestrol
A google search for diethylstilbestrol is very enlightening, my mother was given it for possible miscarriage, i managed to only go pre-cancerous three times with cryosurgery in my 20s, so missed the die off at age 30 from cervix cancer, and now there is a correlation to autoimmune disease. It's been kept very very very quiet as alot of pregnant mothers took it as a "prenatal vitamin", its the only proven drug that can change our DNA, and its being passed down to second and third generations. Sickening.
I asked about your age due to the menopause dx. At 33 I was dx'ed with osteopenia and it has progressed over the course of the last three years. I'm on a HRT due to early menopause but my doctors don't think it's nessesary to begin any other type of treatment for osteopenia/osteoporosis.
Mainly just curious. You still seem very young for those kinds of problems as well. Then again not much surprises me anymore.
I'm sure you've heard about or read this book, but just in case youSorry to hear about the new dx sweetie but glad to hear you've started Boniva and I hope it works well for you.
Peace & Love...Neasy
Lovie - are you POF?
Just - hugs, hugs, hugs!
Pip
what's that mean?
and in my previous post I meant to refer to your osteoporosis dx'ed not menopause. THat would be me....sorry bout that.
Premature Ovarian Failure. It's AI. My friend has it and was never able to have kids. She's going to try a modified form of AP (can't get pregnant on Minocin) to see if there can be a miracle.
Pip
Interesting! I've never really heard of that. I don't think that's the case though because what ever my hormone levels are makes it obvious I'm in menopause. Would it be the same? I'll have to research that and see what it's all about. No ones ever mentioned that. They just termed it "early menopause".
Luckily for me I had my children really young. My oldest is now 17. I would have been really upset had I waited until I was in my 30ties to have children.
Thanks for telling me about that Pip. I googled it and it sure sounds like me from the little I've read. I'm printing a bunch of stuff to take upstairs and read while I relax. It does say that RA is one of the AI disorders that can cause it and my doctors already told me that....but they never termed it POF. I'll be interested to see what else I've misunderstood about all this.
Thanks again.
Thanks everybody, and thanks Gimpy. I have to find the energy to do some research and I am going to see if I can get to AP somehow. What's weird is that before my diagnosis I was begging to be put on long term antibiotics because the only time I feel well is when I would get so bad with a sinus infection, somebody would give me antibiotics for two weeks say, and my symptoms and my health improved dramatically.
Thats okay, my mammogram results came in the mail today and they want to do more studies and an ultrasound, but I have known about these nodules for years - its just the first time for this primary - they freaked. I think they are rheumatoid nodules, but I do enjoy having a 5 times greater risk of developing breast cancer since I am an in-utero DES baby! Oh joy.
Lovie -
There is research that shows some women will go into a sort of spontaneous remission w/ POF and turn up pregnant. I'm hoping that will happen for my friend. She should be a mom; she's wonderful with my daughter. And my friend doesn't have RA - just the usual precurser thyroid stuff and I think POF is more linked to that.
Cathy -
Tell us what you need researched - most of us can man a computer and will send you info on whatever you want. If it's AP stuff - we APer's all have that too. And don't get freaked. I'm searching for some really cool 'Mino as anti-cancer weapon' articles I clipped so I can send them to Gale. I'll ping you with them as soon (ahem) as I find them. DO NOT GIVE UP! We can all beat this.
Pip