Home Community Newsletter Vol 5 Issue 165

Arthritis Insight Newsletter * Vol. 5 Issue 165 September 24, 2003

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Welcome to the 165th issue of the Arthritis Insight Newsletter. All back issues will be posted at community/newsletter
Feel free to pass this newsletter around to others who may be interested.

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The information in this newsletter should not take the place of advice and guidance from your own health-care providers. Material in this newsletter is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Be sure to check with your doctor before making any changes in your treatment plan. Information presented here is the opinion of the authors and has not necessarily been approved or endorsed by the medical advisors.

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N<strong>otes From Tina
(Tina@arthritisinsight.com)
Tina Underwood aka KrissyJo

The Second Annual Gimp Picnic was a success! I think everyone had a great time, I know I did. It is so nice to be able to sit around and chat with people who know exactly how you feel. You can whip an injection out of your purse and shoot up right there without a break in the conversation! No one says "ewww gross" or "What are you, some kind of addict?" They say, "Oh that reminds me, today is Enbrel day, I better go get it"

And the laughter, my jaws still hurt from laughing so much! I haven't figured out if gimps are funnier than the average person or if we just let it all hang out more when we are together, but whatever the reason, we sure do laugh! I encourage all of you to try to make it to the next gathering, which will be Boston next Spring. We'll have details on that soon.

On a sad note, the world of arthritis lost one of it's greatest advocates last week. Todd Mullins passed away. Todd was a very active juvenile arthritis advocate and had been for many years. I had the pleasure of meeting Todd last year and am so grateful that I was given that opportunity. He's not someone that I will ever forget. Quick with a smile and a laugh, he brightened a room just by being in it. Todd, we're going to miss you.


-Tina

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Ron's Ramblin's
(Ron@arthritisinsight.com)
Ron Griffin aka IndyRon

The Picnic in Akron is over and all the gimps have returned home (unless KJ found some still hiding in her garage). The picnic was a big success and it seemed that everyone had LOTS of fun. Thank you KJ and Kimmy, for all of your hard work in making the picnic possible. Also, thanks to KJs husband Bob for all his hard work in making sure that we had a great place for the picnic. His hard work was certainly evident.

This is going to be one of those weeks. I got back from the picnic just in time to take my clothes out of my bag, toss them in the washer and then repack them for a trip to Charleston, South Carolina for a family wedding. It has been a long time since I have been on the Carolina coast so I am really looking to both seeing the family and finally getting back to the coast.


(((HUGS))) to all

~Ron

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Your Weekly Giggle
Hour Lost Explaining Computer Terms to Mom

Austin, TX - Josh Granger lost an hour of his life yesterday as he tried to explain the difference between memory and hard drive space to his mother Cynthia Granger. The discussion started when Cynthia asked, "Will I have enough memory if I install this family tree maker software?"

"I should've just kept my mouth shut," a regretful Josh said, "but she says that all the time. It was driving me nuts. I thought this time is going to be different. This time she is going to understand." Alas, poor Josh was wrong.

What follows is the beginning of that "Lost Hour" as it has become known to Josh.

"Mom, it's not memory on a hard drive it's space, and loading a program on your hard drive doesn't have anything to do with your memory," said Josh.

"But I only have 64 Em-Bee of R-A-M," said Cynthia," and this program says it requires 85 Em-Bee. It says it requires a modem too. Do we have a modem?"

"Yes, we have a 56K modem. And no, 64 MB RAM and 85 MB space on your hard drive is different Mom. Just because they both are measured in megabytes doesn't mean they're the same thing. Is a gallon of milk the same thing as a gallon of blood?"

"It doesn't say anything here about 56K, is that all right. What's a mega-byte and why all this talk about blood. Have you been playing those games again. How many times have I told you...."

Josh's brother Trevor witnessed the scene and said, "It was pretty sad, really. When I heard him start to explain 56K, it was like watching someone try to explain quantum physics to a goat. At that point, though, he had no choice it was like the Titanic after the iceberg, just a matter of time until the people started screaming."

The situation ended with Josh screaming "Shut up, shut up, shut up" and then installing the "damn" family tree maker, while his mother cried in the family room.

Check out all the jokes at:
fun/jokes
Send yours in today!

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Tina's Tips
Tina@arthritisinsight.com

Arthritis can affect your ability to do even the simplest of tasks. I've heard some people say, "Accept your limitations." I'm not sure accepting them is the way to go. I prefer to challenge those limitations, work around them, finding alternate ways of achieving the same goal. Every week I'll share some tips I've found to work around those annoying limitations and I hope all of you will send in your tips too. We may not be the next Martha Stewart, but sometimes the simplest things can help so much.

I have RA which affects my wrists, hands and fingers. Often a compression bandage helps my wrists, and I've been looking for something similar to use on painful fingers. I just found something which seems to work for me - it's called a 'Finger Sleeve' and is designed for basketball players. The ones I found are made by Nike and come in several sizes and colors. I have them in small, medium and large so I can wear whichever one feels right for the particular finger and size it is that day. It's not as stiff as a splint, so I can still use write and use my computer (although a bit clumsily) They come in a pack of 2, and retail for $5.00, and should be available at large sporting goods stores.

Many thanks to Beth R. for sending in such a great tip!

Check out more tips at living/tips.html and send in yours today to Tina@arthritisinsight.com Keep those tips coming!

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Whats New

Photo Album
We have lots of pictures from Gimp Picnic 2003!
community/photo

Rosie's SOS
She's got the Weather Blues.
living/family/sos/

Arthritis & Employment
Another member tells us about her job. Tell us, What do you do?
living/employment/

Newsletter
It's up and ready for perusal.
community/newsletter

Warrior Angels
Sadly, we've added two angelsto the list. Todd Mullins, who many of you many know as a great JRA Advocate - died September 19, 2003, and Mary Lee, 38 year old wife and mother, passed away September 10, 2003. Our prayers and condolences go out to both families. They will both be missed by many.
angels.html

News
As usualy Karen has done and outstanding job finding all the news you need for your arthritis and general health.
new</font></a><font size="2" face="Verdana">s

Check out all the latest updates at
updates.html

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Arthritis Insight Chat
community/chat

Time to get the party started! Got some extra time? Can't sleep? Drop into the chatroom to talk to other members that know exactly what you're going through.

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Cooking with Char
Char LeFleur
char@arthritisinsight.com

Hello friends and welcome to autumn!! The calendar says it is autumn, the temperatures say it is autumn, and so do the turning leaves. So break out the crockpot and start making those wonderful cook all day meals, that you dump all at once into the crockpot just before you leave the house for the day.

Crockpot Autumn Pork Roast

3 to 4 lb. pork roast
Salt & pepper
1 c. cranberries, finely chopped
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp. grated orange peel
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper. Place in slow cooking crockpot. Combine remaining ingredients; spoon over roast.
Cover. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Makes 6 to 8 servings.


Cheesy Cauliflower and Broccoli in the Crockpot

1 (10 oz) pkg frozen cauliflower, thawed
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen broccoli, thawed
1 can Cheddar cheese soup
4 slices bacon
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, if desired Fry bacon until crisp; drain well on paper towels then crumble. Place broccoli and cauliflower in crockery pot. Top with soup, sprinkle with bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. About 20 minutes before done, top with cheddar cheese if used.
Serves 6 to 8.


Crockpot Baked Apples

5 to 6 med. apples, cored & peeled
about 1 inch down
1/2 c. sugar
2 tbsp. raisins
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. water

Mix sugar, raisins and cinnamon. Stuff apples with sugar mixture and dot them with butter. Pour water into cooker. Add apples. Cook on low 7 to 8 hours. Yields 5 to 6 servings.

If you have questions, comments or suggestions, or have recipes you would like to share, please send them to Char@arthritisinsight.com.

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You Say...
Adapting to Ra
Darlene Feener (Jackdaw)

Attitude is everything! I spent too much time being angry that I developed Ra. The energy I used up affected the way I was living my life. Sorrow of losing famly members only added to the anger I was feeling.

Suddenly, I realized the person I use to be was no more. The pain of living on a daily basis with ra, swallowed up the chance to enjoy life.

My focus was on myself. I had no vision for the future. I was weary of complaining. I began to understand that I might never get well.

I started to do some simple exercises in my home to get the juices going to my brain. After 4 months, Yoga, began to help my attitude. It did not take the pain away, but I began to believe that I could learn to live with this disease. I was limited in what I could do, so I adapted some of the exercises to meet my situation.

I was losing a lot of weight, so I started seeking out books on nutrition. For a year I worked on creating meals I could eat and enjoy. Because of swallowing problems I started eating every two hours. I tried to supply my body with the most healthy food I could find.

Today I am at 105 pounds, up from 97. It has taken 5 months to get to this place in my life. The Enbrel has made it possible for me to live without daily pain.

In the last three years of living with Ra, I have learned to move at a slower pace. My system will no longer tolerate abuse by not feeding it right or not exercising.

I am aware that each day I must pay attention to my attitude when I wake up. Just because it is raining or snowing, does not make it a "crappy day!"

I spend time in prayer each morning to get my day started. I eat a small breakfast and then go out for a morning walk. When I come back from the walk, I am prepared to deal with the day ahead.

I wake up stiff as most people do with Ra and lots of mornings, I don't feel well, but I give it a hour of quiet time and attitude adjustment and then move forward.

I could allow myself to do nothing all day. I no longer work outside the home. The years of going to school, working and taking care of a family are behind me. Now it is just my husband and I.

Recently, we took a three day camping trip together. Something we could not do for awhile because of Ra. We went out on a whale watch for five hours, and I did not get sick once. When we first started off, I was praying the day would not be ruined by Ra, and that prayer was answered.

We experienced the wind blowing in our faces, the beauty of the whales, the excitement of the people and the beautiful sea birds. I was fully alive in my husband's arms!

There are beginning to be days again of enjoyment. Fatigue still sneaks up on me. I refresh myself by sleeping nine hours a night, it use to be twelve, so I believe I am ahead of the game in the fatigue department.

I continue to seach for ways to help myself and to share with others what I have learned. Step by step, I know that I am moving in the right direction.

When a medication fails, I try not to let the frustration overwhelm me. Every day I get up and plan my day, moving my feet forward when I sometimes want to do nothing.

I have faith in the life that has been given to me, and I know that I am not alone. It may seem as though our prayers are not answered, but I believe that God has worked things out ahead of time and it is up to us to be as positive as we can be and move forward with our lives so that we can leave something of value behind.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is something new in the newsletter - a feature article written by one of our members. Got something to say? Type it up, send it off and we'll see if we just can't get your article in the newsletter too.

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Notes and Insights:

Birthday Board!
Happy Birthday to ChaCha aka Terrie, Adrinia aka Tracy, Lu, JRHITEACH aka Marsha, Donna aka FACES, Elaine in NJ aka Emirk1, Nightowl aka Diane2, Kathy Parsons and Darci!!!
Check out all the birthdays at
community/birthday
and make sure to send them an arthritis-friendly e-card:
cgi-bin/postcards/postcard.pl

Join the Arthritis Dieters!
This is a group of people with arthritis who want to lose weight with others who know of the challenges of living with is arthritis. All those medications that make living with arthritis tolerable, but pile on the pounds. This group has been set up to give us a protected group where we can talk to others who know what it is like.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arthritis-dieters/

Wanna help?
Having surgery? Starting a new drug or treatment? Filing for disability? Keep an Arthritis Insight journal so all of our members can share and learn from your experience. If you want to keep a journal just let us know.

Write an article!
We always need articles on all subjects relating to arthritis. C'mon folks, we can't do this without you.

Ken Akers Cheer Fund
Donations to the Ken Akers Cheer Fund will be used to send flowers and gifts to those community members who are hospitalized, flaring or just in need of some good cheer.
community/kenscheerfund

Thank You!
A great big thank you to NeedaBasket.com (http://needabasket.com). NeedaBasket is now Arthritis Insight's official gift basket company. They are giving us a great discount and are donating baskets for our Arthritis Warriors.

Special Offers for Arthritis Insight Members
Whenever possible we will try get to our sponsors to agree to discounts and the like for our members. Here are our current special offers:

Sore No More (http://sorenomore.com) gel will send a free sample of the pain relieving gel to any Arthritis Insight Community Member who emails them at dma@glogerm.com.

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AI Help Desk
Linda Peck

Computers 101

Q: HELP! I lost a file and now I can't find it!

A: So, you've misplaced a file. It's easier to find than you think. Click the Start button and select Find or Search. A screen will open up that allows you to search for files. To do a search, just type the name of the missing file in the "Named" box. If you're using XP, you'll need to click the "All files & folders item" and type what you're looking for into the "All or part of a file name" box.

If you're not sure what the name of the file is, you can use wildcards. For example, say you're looking for a text file, but you aren't 100% sure of the file name. Type *.txt in the "Named" or "All or part of a file name" box. The * is a wildcard, meaning that as long as a file has an extension of .txt, it will be displayed.

Don't worry. You don't have to know the file extension if you already know the name of the misplaced file. If you know the name of the file, just type it in the box and it will attempt locate it. In fact, even if you only have a partial file name, that will work.
Once the file is located, just double-click it to open it up.

Tip of the Week - Let's Make a New Folder!

Let's say you would like to have some sub-folders (a sub-folder is a folder within a folder) in your "My Documents" folder. You could set one up for each member of your family so everyone's stuff stays separate, or for specific jobs. Here's how:

Right-click the Start button, select Explore from the little menu that pops up. Windows Explorer will open. You'll see the "My Documents" folder on the list to the left. Double-click it. From the RIGHT hand pane, right-click your mouse and select, "New" and "Folder". A new folder will pop up. Type in a name for it and you're all set. If you happen to click your mouse before the folder is named, you can right-click it and select "Rename" from the little menu that pops up.

You can also right click while inside any folder (or even on the desktop) and select "New" and "Folder" to create one.
Of course, Windows XP had to be different. Any folder you open has a "Make new folder" link that you just click and the new folder appears, ready to be named. You also will not find the Explore link in the XP Start Menu. All you do is right click any folder and choose "Explore".

Source: Computer Tips & Techniques
http://www.worldstart.com
Copyright 2001, Worldstart - Reprinted with permission.

Cool Links of the Week

Iddy Bitty (http://www.squirtsplace.com/miscfun/LittleBittyCutePets.swf) - A word of warning.....you may find yourself singing this song after only one visit! Sit back, smile and enjoy!

All Experts (http://www.allexperts.com/index.htm) - Select a topic and then choose an expert to get your questions answered....lots of topics.

Puzzles to Print (http://www.kaidy.com/FreePuzzles.htm)

Household Express (http://www.householdexpress.com/) - Household resources.

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Weekly News Summary
Karen Sears
kaekae@arthritisinsight.com

GET YOUR FLU SHOT, AMERICANS URGED
Flu season is coming and while there is plenty of vaccine available this year, many Americans who should get the vaccine do not bother, top health experts said on Tuesday.
Yahoo News, Sep 23

NOVARTIS SAYS U.S. LAUNCH OF PAIN DRUG DELAYED
Swiss healthcare group Novartis AG on Tuesday said a U.S. launch of its arthritis and pain drug, Prexige, will be delayed until at least 2005 after regulators requested additional data.
Yahoo News, Sep 23

IRON USE DOES NOT IMPAIR ABSORPTION OF METHOTREXATE
Treatment with ferrous sulfate does not seem to reduce the absorption of oral methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a report published in the September issue of The Journal of Rheumatology.
Medscape, Sep 23 (free registration required)

MERCK, LILLY PRESENT RESULTS OF OSTEOPOROSIS TRIALS
Eli Lilly & Co. and Merck & Co. presented results from head-to-head trials of their osteoporosis drugs on Monday in a growing battle for dominance of the multi-billion dollar market.
Yahoo News, Sep 22

ICAAC: TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR ALFA BLOCKERS INCREASE RISK OF OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS
Use of tumor necrosis factor alfa (TNF-alfa) blockers to treat rheumatoid arthritis, spondylarthritis, or Crohn's disease is accompanied by an increased risk of tuberculosis and other opportunistic infections, according to a 32-month retrospective study.
Doctors Guide, Sep 22 (free registration required)

OSTEOPOROSIS DRUGS NO BETTER IN COMBINATION-STUDY
Combining an experimental calcium-controlling hormone that builds bone with a popular osteoporosis drug does not increase bone density any more than the hormone alone, researchers said on Saturday.
Yahoo News, Sep 20

LILLY DRUG FOR SEVERE OSTEOPOROSIS WINS RESPECT
Patients whose bones are literally crumbling from osteoporosis are turning to the first drug that has the potential of reversing a disorder that thins bone density and affects 10 million Americans.
Yahoo News, Sep 19

ANTIOXIDANTS PLAY KEY ROLE IN ESTROGEN-DEFICIENCY BONE LOSS
Although the link between estrogen deficiency and bone loss is well established, the mechanisms involved are unclear. Now, new study findings indicate that the association is mediated by thiol antioxidants in osteoclasts.
Medscape, Sep 19 (free registration required)

SMITH & NEPHEW PULLS KNEE IMPLANTS FROM U.S.
Medical devices firm Smith & Nephew Plc said on Wednesday it voluntarily withdrew certain knee implants from the United States due to a higher-than-expected need for follow-up operations.
Yahoo News, Sep 17

JOINT POSITION SENSE DEFICIT IN PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS MAY NOT BE ASSOCIATED WITH PAIN OR DISABILITY
Treatment strategies designed to address proprioceptive deficits in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) in the knee may not impact pain or disability, according to researchers.
Doctors Guide, Sep 19 (free registration required)

CHRONIC INFLAMMATION LINKED TO CHROMOSOMAL ABNORMALITIES IN SYNOVIAL CELLS
Long recognized for their contribution to malignant transformation, chromosomal aberrations may also have significance in rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.
Medscape, Sep 17 (free registration required)

More health news can be found on our site:
news/

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Contribute

Have you written something you think our subscribers would like to read? Send it to Tina@arthritisinsight.com and maybe we'll use it in our newsletter.

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A Closing Thought
Sand and Stone

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert.

During some point of the journey, they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, he wrote in the sand:

Today my best friend slapped me in the face.

They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but his friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

Today my best friend saved my life.

The friend, who had slapped and saved his best friend, asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand, and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand, where the winds of forgiveness can erase it away, but when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.

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Arthritis Insight Newsletter Copyright 2003

AI Staff
Page last updated on September 24, 2003