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July 18, 2001
I'm having big problems at the
moment, the last two periods i am having big flare ups. My knees are so
painful especially my left ,the weakest. Do you have many female members
experiencing this problem. Spoke to my consultant and was told it is
common to have these flare ups when you have periods. But the problem is
that i am unable to walk let alone work. Sunday was embarrassing , it
started at work and i had to be carried out by my husband. Hence now I'm
off work for at least a week. ANY SUGGESTIONS?. Keep up the good work!
I am also worse during my period (I have
RA). I have endometriosis also, but I have heard from a lot of
gals with RA complaining of the same thing. You are not alone. -TD
Have you
thought about getting on the depo shot? its birthcontrol shot...but it
stops your period from coming on every month. i also have endo. i know
how painful it is, as well as arthiritis. -zombi
Any
others with flares during their periods?
June
27, 2001
hi,
my name is dawn. i am 26, and i have had jra since i was 2. from the age
of 12 to the present, i have had 10 surgeries. the doctors started with
my toes and going all the way to my jaw. I've had 6 operations on my
hands, with the last one on June 8, 2001. the last surgery on my right
wrist, they fused my wrist and put a titanium plate in my wrist, i was
experiencing pain all the way back to December 2000. i have had a really
hard time conveying the intensity of my pain to my doctor. over the
course of the six months it has continually gotten worse, until the pain
became almost paralyzing. in January 2000 i was diagnosed with sever
clinical depression, and some doctors feel i am simply drug seeking.
that my depression was causing my hand to hurt. that could be farther
from the truth. through the course of my disease i have been on an
assortment of pain medication, and i get very eager to be rid of med
asap or when i can get to the point that will allowing me to only need
over the counter medication. this treatment i have been receiving from
my primary care physician, and surgeons has been extremely depressing. i
don't want to be dependant on pain meds for the rest of my life, but i
shouldn't be made to feel guilty for pain management. where can i find a
physician who will listen to me and treat me accordingly? thank you for
allowing me a chance to vent, and any help or ideas would definitely be
great.
Dawn-
I am 64 and got sudden onset RA in april 2000. I have lots of pain but
no swelling or joint disfigurement, however I have severe sleeplessness
and tremendous fatigue.
My advice is to search for an understanding, compassionate Family
Practice Doctor who will work with you as a partner in coping with the
RA. And you interview he/she-and don't be intimidated. I was very lucky
with my family doctor--she, not the rheumatologist, put me on
antidepressants immediately and a sequence of sleep meds which allows me
to sleep, she also did a much better job than my rheumatologist with the
pain meds.
Depression is a big part of having RA--the fustration of not being able
to do what you want when you want. Even though I'm on an antidefpressant,
I still have periods of depression, I use a daily mantra and go online
for assistance. Join a support group in your local area, and do a lot of
research--The best book I've found is "/living with Rheumatoid
Arthritis" a john hopkins university book authored by james mcguire
md & tammi shlotzhauer md. available from the arthritis foundation
or amazon.com
good luck
vince m
Dawn-You poor dear. The
amount of pain you are experiencing would make anyone depressed. The
best advice I can offer is, look for another doctor. At the very least
get a referral to a pain specialist or pain clinic. There are
folks out there who CAN help you. And I would also be looking for
another Rheumatolgist and Orthopedic Surgeon. Those you have now are
severely lacking in compassion. They are not all like that. If
I were you, I would shop around until I found one who understood. There
really are doctors who do.
Good luck and God bless. -Char
Dawn,
To me the whole question of depression vs pain is like the chicken and
the egg. Who cares which came first! When both are present, treat them
together. You don't mention if you are on antidepressants. If not, that
would be my first step. The second part of that is the tricyclic
antidepressants. They are specifically designed to not only treat
depression, but to effect the P factor or pain receptors. I would talk
to
someone about this type of medication - s mental health professional or
a pain specialist. Read Indy's story. Sometimes you need a pain
management specialist to bring all the pieces together. Hang in there.
We know the pain is real.
Melanie
Can
any one offer any advice to Dawn?
June 13, 2001
How does one deal with the issues
of dating and not letting the RA effect that in a negative way. I don't
know if you have done this question, but I have been wondering what
other's are doing with that. I am single and it ain't easy. It is
definitely different then before the illness.
Thanks
Well, I'm the 35 year old single Mom with RA (thanks for
the dieting tips!). Dating is really tough. I mean, do I offer my RA up
right away? Do I wait? I'm not sure because my RA is mild and under
control with meds...you really can't tell I have it unless it's a bad
day. As far as effecting dating in a negative way, 3 sons AND RA???? Is
that too much baggage for a single man to handle? Sometimes it's hard
NOT to feel negative about dating. -Terri
Dating has been one of the hardest things for me to deal
with. When I was younger and starting to date, I wasn't confident with
myself and my body and I wouldn't say no to going bowling or eating
foods that I shouldn't have. As I've gotten older I listen to my body so
much more and I follow what it says. Now when I'm on a date I do what my
body tells me to. It isn't always easy and I don't always do what I
would like to. Sometimes I get worried that I'll scare away guys because
I'm so 'hard to please,' but I'm learning that if a guy doesn't want to
date me because of my RA then I'd never want a relationship with him for
a long time. I've had many lonely evenings but I know that when I find
someone who can deal with my RA then I'll be much happier with him in a
long-term relationship. Just believe in yourself and don't
give up. You'll find a great person to date who will love you despite
the RA.
~Linda B.
June 6, 2001
I am a 35 year old single-Mom with
RA. I am a size 14 and need to lose probably 35 - 40 pounds. A few weeks
back, I started walking 1.5 miles a day. I usually have a lean cuisine
for lunch and a slimfast for dinner. I'm not losing any weight.
I know that higher-protein diets are best for arthritis sufferers.
Probably the Slimfast has more sugar than I need...maybe even the Lean
Cuisine too.
My question is this: Does anyone know a good Arthritis-friendly diet
(high proteins, low fat) for weight loss? I need to watch my cholesterol
and try to keep low carbs (they make me puffy!).
And our answers:
Weight Watchers worked very well for me before
prednisone. I reached goal weight and held it for three years [that was
miraculous]. WW has probably been a life saver as I have only gained 20
pounds in the 5 years I have been on the stuff [prednisone]. For most
people, that weight gain is much worse. WW is a well balanced life style
and can be tweaked to go with health problems such as diabetics, lactose
intolerant, .... Just ask your meeting leader for help. My husband
finally went on it himself 2 years ago as his cholesterol was beginning
to push 300 and he had to do something. Best thing is that he finally
learned that just because a vegetable is green doesn't make it a green
vegetable. :) Limas, peas are starches. I had been telling him that for
years. But then he was eating soup [creamed] and salads [egg, pasta, 1/4
cup salad dressing] for lunch between hamburger and french fry meals on
alternate days. I was in on the nutritionist meeting when I heard him
tell her that. It was all I could do to keep from opening my mouth. I
think I have scars left on the inside of both cheeks controlling the
impulse. LOL
Good luck-Duckie
There is a great, new product on the market called, 'Carb
Solutions.' It's available in convenient bars or
canned powder. Being carb sensitive, I have found this to be
my answer to losing some weight - it's low in fat and carbs and higher
in protein, with lots of vitamins and minerals as well. I use
the bars at work and the powder mix in my blender at home - it tastes
like a chocolate milk shake! (This product also comes in
vanilla.)If you decide to give this a try, I would also
suggest having it for lunch and then eating a normal, but moderate
dinner which will help curb evening hunger. When I get the
munchies, I try to make sure that my choice is high in protein - such as
hard boiled eggs or a piece of chicken. I have found the best
price for Carb Solutions at Walmart.-Linda aka Lin
I'll be honest with you..your'e not eating enough....you have to give
you body more fuel if you expect it to lose any weight.
If you are exercising you should be eating at least 1400 calories a
day...if your eating a Lean Cuisine (probably 400 calories at the most)
and a Slimfast Shake (probably 400 calories at the most) then you are
only consuming 800 calories a day. Your body thinks it's starving and is
going to continue to hold onto the fat.
I'm not a doctor but I have recently lost weight....here's how I did it.
I ate 1400 calories a day, I ate around the food pyramid. 2-3 helpings
of fruit, 5-6 helping of whole grains, 1-2 helpings of protein (remember
this can also be cheese...cottage cheese, cheddar cheese), and 2
helpings of dairy...you can actually eat all these things and still stay
under 1400 calories.
Now, you may ask...how do you know this? The first 3 weeks of my diet I
lost zip...I was riding my bike 10 miles a day...and I lost zip. When I
started to add calories I also started to lose weight. Give it a try, if
it doesn't work then drop your calories back to what you were eating
before.
Happy weight loss!!!
-melissa
I really don't know a diet that works except sensible eating. Lots of
veggies and fruits in particular. The one thing that has always made a
big difference with me is drinking lots and lots of water. It really
moves the weight around and helps you feel fuller in between meals. I
don't understand how it works exactly as fat is not water soluble, but
it seems to make it easier to lose somehow. Good luck (and I'm waiting
to hear other suggestions too).
-Melanie
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