Arthritis Insight Newsletter * Vol. 5 Issue 173 November 19, 2003

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Welcome to the 173rd 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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Notes From Tina
(Tina@arthritisinsight.com)
Tina Underwood aka KrissyJo

Whew! What a week! Why is it that everything always happens at once? I want to thank everyone for their well wishes and prayers last week. The good news is that my daughter and nephew are both home from the hospital and are recovering at home.

In the midst of everything that was going on last week, I had an appointment with my rheumatologist. Since my last bone density scan was 3 years ago, we decided it was time for another. Three years ago I had normal bone density for my age, but this time the years of prednisone caught up to me. I lost 14% of my bone mass in that three year period. Ick! We're adding fosamax to my drug cocktail in hopes of rebuilding some of that. So let me take the time to remind all of you that are using steroids, get regular bone density scans! Don't wait three years like I did, be smart!!

In honor of Thanksgiving, we've declared next week an AI Holiday. There will be no updates, no newsletter, no nothing! We're gonna be busy resting and eating turkey! So have a great Holiday and we'll see you soon!

- Tina

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

Wow, I cant believe that it is almost Thanksgiving. The adage about time moving along more quickly the older you get seems to be true, because it seems only a few days ago that it was Labor Day. It looks like I am going to be lucky this year and not have to do much here. While I do enjoy having the family in, it is a whole lot easier on the hips and knees to be able to share Thanksgiving away.

I have finally given up on trying to do the painting around here that still needs to be finished and have hired someone to finish it up. One day of the ladder and painting over my head puts me down for several days and it just isnt worth that any more. And, besides, if I keep at it as I have been (a little at a time) it will be time to start over again by the time I finish.

-Ron

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Your Weekly Giggle
Time Off Work

Two factory workers were talking. "I know how to get some time off from work." said the man.

"How do you think you will do that?" said the other worker.

He proceeded to show her by climbing up to the rafters, and hanging upside down. The boss walked in, saw the worker hanging from the ceiling, and asked him what on earth he was doing? "I'm a light bulb" answered the guy.

"I think you need some time off," said the boss. So, the man jumped down and walked out of the factory.

The other worker began walking out too. The boss asked her where did she think she was going? "Home. I can't work in the dark".

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.

Here's a groovy tip from OldHippie ;)

I discovered this a little ways back I hope that it can help some others.My fridge is always so packed as I try to cook ahead. It can be a real pain trying to get something as simple as margarine out and the fact that the super sizes of a lot of things,(pickles,olives,whatever)are hard to manage so I purchased those small sized clear containers and I now put the foods in them and then I can bury the big awkward ones in the back.Another thing that I do is I keep chopped(by the food processer) onion and then store those in those handy little clear containers.Works for bacon too.


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

Our community has suffered a great loss. Those of you who spend time in the chatroom will surely recognize the nickname "Zipper". Sadly, Zipper has passed away due to complications following surgery. Prayers and good thoughts for his family would be greatly appreciated. If you wish to post rembrances or condolences - you can do so here:

Message Boards: Chat Room

Gimpfest 2004: Boston
The Boston Gimpfest's Website has been started. All I've got so far is the main page but it gives the basics. Keep checking it often - we'll have more info soon.
http://fadedjeans.com/boston

Photo Album
Another Message Board Poster! CarolLB adds her pic to the page.
community/photo/page71.html

Newsletter
Issue 172 is up and ready to be read.
community/newsletter

News
All the news you could possibly need for your arthritis and general health.
news

Member Directory
Added one and updated two. How long has it been since you updated yours?
community/directory

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

Well, Thanksgiving is only a little over a week away. And with the opening of the holiday season come treats that we don't get any other time of the year. Traditionally things like Pumpkin pie are served mostly during the holiday season. But it is one of my favorites. And I have found a way to make it feel like the holidays at any time of year. I have discovered Pumpkin Butter!! And here is an easy recipe to use to make some of your own.

Pumpkinbutter

1 can (15 ounce) pumpkin
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves or allspice

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Cool and pack into small airtight containers. Refrigerate or freeze. Yield 2 cups.

Or how about Gingerbread Men (or to be politically correct Gingerbread People) These could easily be made with a hole at the top to hang on your Christmas Tree.

1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 Tbsp. vinegar
5 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 to 3 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves

Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in egg, molasses, and vinegar. Sift
together dry ingredients and blend into creamed mixture.
Chill 3 hours.
Roll dough on lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Cut in shapes.
Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 375F for 5 to 6 minutes.
Cool slightly on cookie sheet and then remove to rack.

Makes about 5 dozen.

Or how about making a Gingerbread house with your kids? Or you can make something very similar using graham crackers. Use frosting for glue and bright colored candies as decorations on it. Let your imagination go. Have fun.

The holiday season is a great time to make memories with your kids or grandkids. Try stringing popcorn or cranberries for the tree. Or even crafting chains with the littlest ones for decorating doorways or mantles or your tree. You will never get back this time with your little ones. Don't let it go to waste. Make time to make memories!!

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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From the FDA:
FDA Tips to Prevent Foodborne Illness This Holiday Season
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2003/ANS01263.html

To avoid the risk of foodborne illnesses, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encourages consumers to pay special attention to the handling and preparation of foods during the upcoming holiday season. Although foodborne disease outbreaks are not common during this time of year, people at the highest risk of being affected by foodborne illness--the elderly, children, and individuals with weakened immune systems, including pregnant women--should be mindful of the potential risks.

Because holidays present a number of unique food safety challenges, consumers should take appropriate precautions in handling, preparing and cooking foods. To ensure that the holiday foods are not only delicious but also safe, FDA is providing several tips to reduce the risk of the most common foodborne illnesses.

Clean: Wash hands and food-contact surfaces often. Bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get onto cutting boards, knives, sponges, and counter tops.

Separate: Dont cross-contaminate - dont let bacteria spread from one food product to another. This is especially true for raw meat, poultry and seafood. Experts caution to keep these foods and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods.

Cook: Cook to proper temperatures. Foods are properly cooked when they are heated for a long enough time and at a high enough temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illness.

Chill: Refrigerate promptly. Public health officials advise consumers to refrigerate foods quickly because cold temperatures keep most harmful bacteria from growing and multiplying. Refrigerators should be set at 40 degrees F and the freezer at 0 degrees F, and the accuracy of the settings should be checked occasionally with a thermometer.

Baked goods: FDA advises consumers not to eat uncooked cookie dough, homemade or commercial, or batters made with raw fresh eggs because raw fresh eggs may contain bacteria that can cause an intestinal infection called salmonellosis. Thorough cooking kills the bacteria that cause the infection.

Egg Nog: Traditional eggnog made with raw eggs also presents the same risk to consumers -- salmonellosis. While cooking can destroy the disease-causing bacteria, consumers can still become ill when the eggnog is left at room temperature for several hours before being consumed. Safe alternatives are pasteurized eggnog beverages sold in grocery dairy cases; these products should be kept refrigerated.

Apple cider and other juices: Apple cider is often served during the holiday season. Apple cider and most juices are pasteurized or otherwise treated to destroy harmful bacteria. Pasteurized juice can be found in the refrigerated or frozen sections of stores. Treated juice is shelf-stable and is normally found in the non-refrigerated juice section of stores. It's packaged in boxes, bottles or cans. Unpasteurized or untreated juice is normally found in the refrigerated sections of grocery stores, health-food stores, cider mills or farm markets. Such juices must have this warning on the label:

WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and therefore, may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems.

If you can't tell whether a juice has been processed to destroy harmful bacteria, either don't use the product or boil it to kill any harmful bacteria.

Turkey: Thawing the turkey completely before cooking is important and necessary to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. If a turkey is not properly thawed, the outside of the turkey will be done before the inside, and the inside will not be hot enough to destroy disease-causing bacteria. Allow the correct amount of time to properly thaw and cook a whole turkey. For example, a 20-pound turkey needs two to three days to thaw completely when thawed in the refrigerator at a temperature of no more than 40 degrees F. A stuffed turkey needs 4 ¾ to 5 ¼ hours to cook completely.

To check a turkey for doneness, insert a food thermometer into the inner thigh area near the breast of the turkey but not touching bone. The turkey is done when the temperature reaches 180 degrees F. If the turkey is stuffed, the temperature of the stuffing should be 165 degrees F.

Oysters and Seafood: Be sure to cook oysters thoroughly at home or have them cooked thoroughly when eating out. Buy only fresh seafood that is refrigerated or properly iced. Always cook fish thoroughly. Cooking fish until it is opaque and flaky helps destroy any bacteria that may be present. All consumers should avoid eating raw oysters or shellfish. People with liver disorders or weakened immune systems are especially at risk for getting sick.

Mail order food gifts: Consumers should be careful with mail-order food gifts which can include meat, poultry, fish and other perishables like cheese, fruit, and cheesecake. The gift giver should alert the recipient to the pending arrival of the food gift; the recipient should open the package immediately to make sure that, if it is labeled "keep refrigerated," the food arrives in a chilled state.

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Member Stories
Brianna's Story

Brianna was diagnosed with Systemic JRA at the age of 2 1/2. She became very swollen and stiff throughout her entire body within 3 months. It took us about that long to get a diagnosis. Unfortunately, her treatment began very passively and throughout these past 7 years, her bones have been damaged significantly. I took her to Children's Hospital of Los Angeles when she was 4 years old and aggressive treatments began. She improved her condition overall but not before many visits to the ER for severe dehydration and flare ups. She has spent numerous weeks in the hospital at a time and has undergone quite a bit of treatments since this time. The progression of her disease then turned us to what was called a last resort treatment for Systemic JRA; IV chemotherapy was then administered to her at two week intervals. Even then Brianna did not fully respond to IV chemotherapy so we switched to oral daily chemotherapy pills (Cytoxan). This along with Enbrel and Prednisone has now stabilized her condition fairly well. We have tried many different types of medicines but she simply did not respond to any of them. She had such bone damage to her hips due to severe flare ups that she needed a bilateral hip replacement in September 2002. After one week in the hospital and 3 pints of blood transfused and red blood cell transfusion, she left Children's Hospital with the hopes of walking again. She began with a walker the first two weeks and then progressed to walking without any assistance. Brianna has fully recovered from this surgery and is mobile because of her hip replacements. Although her limitations are great, such as no jumping, climbing or contact sports ever, she is healthier than ever! She has also undergone cataract surgery in both eyes due to prolonged use of prednisone and has also recovered nicely so far. There are many more treatments, struggles, etc. in between all of these past 8 years that I couldn't possibly begin to write down. She is an awesome and courageous person and lives a full life to the best of her ability. Brianna was one of the youngest patients at age 9 to undergo total hip replacements in both hips at the same time at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. She was also one of the 69 clinical study patients for Enbrel. We are awaiting a decision from an endocrinologist to begin growth hormones as she is short in stature due to prednisone usage also. Brianna, myself and Tatiana, her oldest sister, live in Southern California.

To see the rest of stories go on over to:
community/stories

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Notes and Insights:

Birthday Board!
Happy Birthday to Rainy, Sarah aka luvs2chat, Lucy, Bini, Nancy Billmann, Christine aka TweetAngel, Lucy Summers, Kathy, OldHippie2001@aol.com, Lynn aka Gypsyrose, LouisianaGal AKA Fran, Goofy Debbie, Gloria, Cindy aka CindyLou and Maureen AKA moe!!!
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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Weekly News Summary
Karen Sears
kaekae@arthritisinsight.com

ABBOTT SUED IN BRITISH COURT OVER HUMIRA ROYALTIES
A dispute over royalties involving Abbott Laboratories' rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira has landed in a London court.United Kingdom-based Cambridge Antibody Technology Group said Monday it began legal proceedings seeking bigger royalty payments from Abbott for the drug, which is expected to one day surpass $1 billion in annual sales.
Chicago Sun Times Nov. 18

EXPERIMENTAL ARTHRITIS DRUG SHOWS PROMISE
An experimental new drug designed to shut down the body's misguided assault on its own joints is showing promise against rheumatoid arthritis, relieving its crippling effects with few if any side effects.
The drug, still in testing, neutralizes the immune system T cells that help direct the assault.
Newsday Nov. 18

PREVENTING THE ONSET OF ARTHRITIS
A new study could help lead doctors towards a drug to prevent the onset of arthritis. The research pinpoints the molecular pathway and an enzyme that play a pivotal role in the onset of the condition.
Ivanhoe Nov. 17

TESTING: GRADES FOR ARTHRITIS REMEDIES RISE
People who buy dietary supplements to ease the pain and stiffness of arthritis are generally getting what they pay for, an independent testing company has found. But some people - especially those who buy the supplements for their pets - may not be getting what they think they are, the company says.
New York Times Nov. 18

NEW COSTIMULATION BLOCKER IMPROVED SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Treatment with a new costimulation blocker, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4-IgG1 (CTLA4Ig), resulted in significantly improved signs and symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were also taking methotrexate, say researchers. CTLA4Ig directly inhibits T cell activation and secondarily inhibits activation of other cells such as B cells and macrophages
Doctor's Guide Nov. 16

TEST TO SPOT RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Scientists have developed a test to give early warning of the crippling disease rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers from Umea University in Sweden say the test should increase the chances that the condition can be treated successfully.
BBC News Nov. 15

APPLIED MOLECULAR TO TEST ITS VERSION OF REMICADE
Applied Molecular Evolution Inc. on Tuesday said it plans, assuming regulatory approval, to begin human tests before year-end of a more potent version of Johnson & Johnson's rheumatoid arthritis drug Remicade.
Reuter's Nov. 18

BIONIC BODY NOW A REALITY, JOINT REPLACEMENT NOT JUST FOR THE ELDERLY
In dozens of operating rooms where theyre installing new joints, the bionic body, once science fiction, is now routine. NEW YORKS HOSPITAL for Special Surgery replaces more than 4,000 joints every year. "Its not uncommon that we have patients who have multiple replacements. Theyll have both hips replaced both knees replaced and have a shoulder replaced," says Dr. Thomas Sculco, the hospitals surgeon-in-chief.
MSNBC Nov. 18

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

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The A.I. Help Desk
Linda Peck

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM THE HELP DESK!

"At this season every sense is keened and quickened. The sultry sameness of the dog days of August is over and done. November is all contrasts, sun and cloud shadows, the crackle of leaves in still forests, the sharp smell of smoke in the evening damp, black limbs on white Moons, the first icy touch of snow on unmittened hands. Certainly if we do nothing else we should see now that all is snug and ready for winter. The countryman will still bank his house well with leaves or boughs. Cellars and sheds will still be crammed with wood, nor will the wise farmer deny himself the promise of several well-filled cider barrels. If winter is just around the corner, let it come." -- Farmer's Almanac

Computers 101

Q: When friends forward email as an attachment, is there a way to save just the attached email in a folder?

A: Any time you get an attachment with the extension .eml, this means that it is just a regular email. Here is a way to save an attached email if you are using Outlook Express...

With the email containing the attachment open or in the preview pane, click on the paper clip icon and select the attached email. This should open it as an email in a new window. Now go to File and choose "Move to folder" (you could also "Copy to folder"). Another window pops up for you to select a folder to move/copy the email to. Click the folder you want, or create a new one by clicking the "New Folder" tab.

Click OK and the email is now in the selected folder.

This Week's Tip - Easy Email Attachments

Do you wish there was an easier way to place attachments in your e-mail messages? I mean, every time you go to put an attachment in, you have to wade through a slew of menus and files just to get the thing attached. Well, with both MS Outlook Express & Netscape Mail, there is an easier way. (You knew it, didn't you?) With MS Outlook & Netscape Mail, you can drag & drop files from Windows Explorer to the message you want them attached to. Here's how:

First, open Windows Explorer or My Computer and navigate to the file you want to send (note that you won't want the window maximized). Next open your e-mail program and start a new message. Then:

Outlook / Outlook Express:
This one is easy. Just drag the file to the body of the message and let go. You're all attached.

Netscape:
This one isn't too bad either. Drag the file to the address area of the e-mail (not the body). Let go and it's all attached for you For Netscape 6, you need to drag & drop to the Attachment area on the new message screen.

If you're using a different e-mail program, it *may* support this as well. You'll have to experiment to find out.

Final Trick - If you would rather not do the drag and drop thing, you could always right-click the file you want to send and select Send To, E-mail recipient. Of course, this works better if you haven't already started the e-mail.

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

This Week's Clicks

Free screensavers and wallpapers from Bluemountain - http://www.bluemountain.com/downloads.pd

Puzzle Inlay - Now I'm hooked on this one - download a free trial - http://www.gamehouse.com/

Thanksgiving Central - games and fun - http://rats2u.com/thanksgiving/thanksgiving_games.htm

Thanksgiving Freebies - http://www.killerfreebies.com/holiday_thanksgiving.html

Thanksgiving on the Net - http://www.holidays.net/thanksgiving/

Test your p.c. and identify problems - http://www.pcpitstop.com/pcpitstop/

Unlimited free downloads - http://www.thedownloadplace.com/

Until next time,

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." -- Marcus T. Cicero

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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
I Wish You Enough

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Good-bye."

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Arthritis Insight Newsletter Copyright 2003