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5/9/01
I saw a
brief clip on TV some months ago about the benefits of wrapping
arthritic joints in cabbage leaves to relieve the pain. I can't remember
any more than that, Has anyone tried this is there any info about it?
Cabbage leaves? Is this a
serious question? On the slim chance that it is,
let me offer you this advice---It probably isn't going to do you any
harm,
but the only benefit that I can think of that it might possibly have, is
that
it may hold the heat in any joint it is wrapped around. And heat often
helps.
But my advice to you, is-------make some rice socks instead!! -Char
5/9/01
Hi, my name is Evelyn
and I`ve been on predisone 7 1/2 mgs a day since Sept. 2000. This may
seem like a trivial question with all the serious ones on here..but I
was wondering about the moon face. I`m starting to notice it on
me and I wondered if anyone had any ideas about makeup or hair styles
that
would camouflage it. I know it sounds vain...but hey, I`d like to look
my
best. Thanks, evei
I too had the moonface being on 10 mg
of prednisone daily, per order of rheumatologist, my family Dr. saw me,
and said &quoT;too much prednisone! called me moon face, I felt
terrible! did he forget that it was he who sent me to see the
rheumatologist? -Linda K.
I found that by wearing a drop earring,
not necessarily a big one, that the resulting effect was a longer look
to my face.&nbsP; Even a hoop earring helps. -Linda
My dear-Don't sweat the small stuff.
There are so many other things that can go wrong with us, in association
with these diseases. Instead, concentrate on meaningful things. Like-am
I a good, honest and caring person? Am I setting a good example for the
children in my life? (And they dont have to be your own kids. Nieces,
nephews, the next door neighbors kids you run into almost everyday, are
kids in your life.) Have I made a difference in this world?
Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. -Char
No need to worry about people thinking
that you are vain asking this question! I had the moon face for a while
and I'm always amazed at what people will tell you! I had so many people
telling me how much weight I had gained, like they didn't think that I
knew that already!
I started wearing my hair down and had it cut so that it framed my face
instead of tucking it behind my ears. I also toned down my lipstick
shade, instead of wearing bright colors, I used more natural neutral
tones that didn't bring attention to the bottom part of my face and
played up my eyes so that people would look up!
Go to your favorite make-up counter at a department store or similar
store and have a make-up artist help you pick out colors and show you
techniques. I was surprised at the reaction I got when I went to my
local department store, the make-up artist was very understanding and
helped me feel better by looking better!
Talk to your doctor about lowering your pred. doses (slowly) if
possible. When I got down to 5 mgs a day, my face almost immediately got
skinny again!
Good luck :-)
-Lucian
I too experience the dreaded moonface
after taking 15mg of prendisone for the past 5 months.&nbsP; I have
found wearing my hair in a fuller style seems to help the full face.&nbsP;
My hair was in a straighter longer style and it seem the&nbsP; first
thing I saw was a full face. I got a wavy perm and it seemed to help.&nbsP;
I also try to wear more blush high cheekbones help also.&nbsP; I was
told if you can cut out carbohydrates and sweets from your diet this
also helps. I plan on going on a low carbo diet, I'll let you know if
this helps. -??
Any
advice for the dreaded moonface?
4/18/01
Hello,
my name is suzanne, i have ra. Iam 39 years old and was diagnosed when
i was 36. My pain is what i call tolerable. I have been on gold
injections for quite some time. And i feel that for the most part, there
working good. Ive had this problem though with inflammation in my hand.
All my pain seems to be on my right side. Being my wrist and my foot.
Recently my doctor suggested i try more drugs. Im not to keen on them
though, because of what they can do to your insides. I feel that as long
as im able to work, and function with the amount of pain that i have im
better off just staying with the gold.ive already had a liver biopsy
done because of the drugs, let me tell you, i dont want another one.
Thank god it came out alright, being nothing is wrong. The drugs he
wants me to try are methotrexate and remicade. He says my wrist is
already 2/3rds damaged and i cant get that back. I would like to try
surgery to remove the build up. Rather then the drugs. Metho scares the
hell out of me. And i dont know much about remicade. I have a great doc
though, he told me he will work with me...whatever i decide. Well thanks
for listening, and if you have any input to my dilemma please let me
know. Thankyou suzanne
And
your answers:
Hi I am 55 and have been on MTX for 5 months I had side affect in the
beginning so the dose was lowered.I still have the gold tabs as well I
was like you scared but its worth going down that path if it helps.
gives you a break of the merry-go-round of drugs I didn't have a liver
Biopsy before starting but I have blood and urine tests every month I
have a caring DR
good luck mate we are all thinking of you -RJ
Hello there! I have been on MTX for
about 6 months with minimal problems. I had a little stomach upset and
some mouth sores in the beginning, but with the help of leucovorin (a
folic acid, not another drug) the side effects are not even a problem
any more. Also, for mouth sores you can mix one part cherry benedryl and
one part cherry Maaloxx and rinse with it. It sure sounds yucky, but it
does the trick. It is extremely important for you to
get on some sort of med that will stop the destruction of your joints. I
also have deterioration in my wrist and my doctor and I felt that MTX
was my best option to stop the deterioration because there is more data
on long term side effects than many of the other drugs. Please don't let
your fear get in the way of your current and future health! Best of luck
to you! -Jeanie
Suzanne: I have been down your road and
I can tell you that I was on gold which did make me feel better. In fact
it is my contention now that it was holding my FMS in check [my opinion,
not my doctor's]. However, it did not keep the arthur from marching
through a second wrist, and three finger joints [I had lost one wrist
and one finger joint before gold].
So far I have refused to have a liver biopsy, which they seem to want to
do before I would begin MTX. I am one of those people, if it can go
wrong, it will. So I see no reason for an invasive procedure when there
is no reason to do so. Again, my opinion, not my doctor's. I would
recommend getting yourself on some more aggressive drug: have your done
research on Arava, Enbrel, Remicade, MTX, and many others. You have
already found this web site which is one of the best. I also like
http://www.arthritis.co.za/
It belongs to a doctor in South Africa and it is another very good site
for research that is reliable. And each of these drugs have their own
site.
The more research you do, the better will be your ability to help guide
your decision. Doing nothing and relying on surgery is one way to go,
but quality of life is the most important. Sitting in a cast for 6-10
weeks every other summer repairing one broken joint at a time basically
is for the birds. I have done it, I know. Original equipment is still
the best.
Try not to be afraid of these medicines. Having to have seven surgeries
you could avoid is more scary. And I have destruction of my jaw [both
sides], base of thumb and little finger which I am holding together with
bubble gum and pray but know that unless I get really lucky those too
will have to be operated on in the future. We won't even mention my
eyes.
Write down the like/pros and dislikes/cons of each drug as you research.
One of them should come out on top. Good luck to you. -Duckie
Suzanne: Yes, the medications have side
effects, but so does RA. Surgery is risky too. For me, I will take
whatever meds I can to prevent further joint damage. You say your wrist
is already damaged, and you have problems with your foot. I don't think
tolerating pain, which could mean your joints are being damaged further
each day is really a wise choice. Prevent what damage you can to your
foot right now. Believe me, being able to walk without pain is pretty
important and the future surgeries you may need to correct joint damage
in your feet if the meds are not stopping joint damage can really change
your life. Mtx and remicade do have side effects, but if monitored
carefully by your doctor, they are safe drugs. And, remember you may not
experience any side effects at all. I took MTX for 5 + years with no
serious side effects and some wonderful benefits as far as my RA went.
Why suffer or tolerate pain - you life can be so much better? I guess my
input is: take the meds, prevent what ever joint damage you can. You
will be dealing with RA for the rest of your life, and it needs to be
treated. -Sue
I am 35 and have RA. My doctor gave me
the choice of methotrexate and sulfasalazine. I did a little research
and the damage from sulfasalazine and the side effects seemed sooooo
much less scarey than the metho. Some people don't do well with sulfa
drugs but after about 5 weeks, I felt like a new person! You may want to
speak to your dr about sulfasalazine. It is the #1 drug of choice for RA
in Europe. By the way, I continue to take plaquenil and my nsaids, even
with the new drug. -Terri
Dear Suzanne, I am 32 years old and was
diagnosed with RA a little over a year ago. I have been on methotrexate
for 1 year, and remicade for approx 8 months. I was also scared of the
medications at first, but after much thought and talking with my doctor,
I decided that I am much more scared of not treating the arthritis. I
have had very good results with remicade, and I haven't had any
significant side effects. If you have already lost that much function of
your hands, I personally think you need to take action (meds). Surgery
is only a temporary fix, your not treating the cause. Ultimately you
have to do what is best for you, good luck. -Shari
Suzanne, I have been on methotrexate for two years now. The doctor
started me on it without doing the biopsy. Every two months I have blood
test done to see how the liver is handling the metho. I have been
diagnosed with RA for at least ten years. Much of this time I have been
on plaquenil. I can't understand why some doctors don't try plaquenil.
There are no side effects other than long term, possibly eye damage.
This is monitored by annual eye exams. I was doing fine until I decided
that the plaquenil wasn't doing well enough and took myself off of it
after advising the doctor. That was a big mistake as I had numerous
flares for several months. After about three or four months back on
plaquenil and metho my symptons became tolerable. I would like to echo
the other folks that have responded and tell you to not be afraid of the
drugs. Your body is made up many chemical and drugs. Methotrexate is not
as bad as its reputation. The arthritic patient is not given near the
doses a cancer patient is given. -Dan
Any
more advice for Susanne?
4/12/01
I have five children and
rheumatoid arthritis. Three of my children are
still in car seats. Often I have trouble getting the children unbuckled
from their car seats. Are there car seats made especially made for
persons
who have difficulty pushing the button to release the buckle?
I have been through many
different car seats! I ended up using an Evenflo model for the
infant carrier. My 19-month-old daughter is now using a
convertible car seat. It is also an Evenflo - Horizon model. Some
days are easier than others but these car seats have made my life much
easier.
Best wishes!
Margie
I have no advice regarding car seats. But I want to
commend you if you are
getting out with five children, 3 in car seats, on any kind of regular
basis. More power to you! ~Melanie
Anyone
else know of a gimp friendly car seat?
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