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4/10/00
Dear Webrarian:

I am looking for treatment for Costochondritis. Vioxx and Elavil have not 
helped and it is very difficult to sleep at night because of chest pain. Any 
suggestions? I have already been worked up for cardiac problems, and they 
were ruled out. Thanks.

Greetings from the Webrary! 

Costochondritis (sometimes also referred to as Fibrositis or Tietze's Syndrome) is an inflammation of the ribs causing pain very similar to cardiac pain. 

I've found some links for you on the subject of Costochondritis and hopefully you'll be able to find the information you're looking for right here on the web. You may also want to discuss this with your doctor, maybe Vioxx isn't the right NSAID for you and relief could be just a prescription change away!

That said - here are your links:

Costochondritis @ emedicine.com

The Costochondritis Website

ThriveOnline's "Ask Dr. Bill"

Soft Tissue Diseases @ The Arthritis Foundation

Hope this helps and I'll see you around the webrary!

4/3/00
Dear Webarian,

My brother has recently been diagnosed with FMS. Can you tell me what this is? Are there any cures or treatments that I could tell him about?

Greetings from the Webrary!

I think it's wonderful that you want to help your brother. The best way to help him would be to learn as much as you can about his disease so you can be more understanding about what's he's dealing with.

FMS or Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome that is diagnosed by the presence of tender points in all four quadrants of the body. It will bring flu-like symptoms, fatigue, and multiple tender points. As this is a disease not fully understood by healthcare professionals, no cures as yet, but there are treatments available.

Try these for more information:

Fibroworld

Fibromyalgia Website

The Fibromyalgia Page for Men

The Arthritis Foundation - FMS Fact Sheet

FMS Web Links from About.com

3/27/00
Dear Webrarian:

I want to know some more information about RA effecting some parts of the organs like the heart, lungs and the eyes. I need to know the symptoms and what other parts of the organs it effects. I have RA and I've been getting some heart palptations lately, I was also feeling sick from my arthritis.
Thanks Sue.

Dear Sue,

I've done a lot of digging for information regarding how RA can affect the organs. The information I'm finding though is very vague. Here are some of the links I've found, but you may want to ask this question of our experts - they would have first hand knowledge and be able to go into more detail than I can find on the web.

Duquesne University
Study of Rheumatoid Arthritis
http://www.duq.edu/PT/RA/BackgroundOfTheDisease.html

"...For example, neuropathy, scleritis, lymphadenopathy, pericarditis, splenomegaly, arteritis, and rheumatoid nodules are frequent components of the disease. In addition, the potential for involvement of the renal, pulmonary, and cardiovascular systems exist."

"...It is very important to remember that Rheumatoid Arthritis is a systemic disease, capable of attacking other parts of the body besides the joints. Because of this systemic involvement, patients may experience fatigue even though there are no specific joint complaints. A very brief discussion of some of the systemic involvement follows.

Some patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis may experience pathology of the nervous system. In some cases, expanding pannus can compress peripheral nerves resulting in sensory changes or sensory loss. Further, pannus compression of a peripheral nerve may cause a motor loss of function, resulting in a "dropped" hand or foot. In cases where there is subluxation of the cervical vertebrae, C1 anteriorly on C2, spinal cord compression can occur.

Various lesions of the eye may occur, including some that are painful. Some patients may develop "dry eyes".

Rheumatoid nodules and other skin problems may develop in certain patients with the disease. The nodules develop in approximately 25 percent of the patients, usually those with the most rapidly progressive form of the disease. Those with nodules are likely to develop them in areas of the body where pressure is applied, like the sacrum and elbows. The patient's skin can also become fragile (easily torn) and bruise easily.

Some patients may develop obstructive type lung disease as a result of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Other patients may develop Pericarditis (inflammation of the pericardium) as a result. Other disorders of the cardiopulmonary system can occur, but are not as common as those noted above.

Involvement of major body organs can also occur. Splenomegaly (enlargement of the spleen), anemia, and lymphadenopathy may result from the disease. These pathological changes in conjunction with fever, fatique, anorexia and weight loss, may be referred to as Felty's Syndrome. "

Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health
http://www.vedic-health.com/arthritis/arthritisinfo.html

"...Rheumatoid arthritis can cause inflammation of other organs of the body as well, including the glands of the eyes and mouth, the blood vessels, and the outer lining of the heart and lungs."

Pharmaceutical Information Associates, Ltd.
http://pharminfo.com/pialtd/piahp2.html
Focus on...Rheumatoid Arthritis
http://pharminfo.com/pubs/msb/rheumart.html

"...Weight loss and fatigue are common. Other tissues may be involved, usually during late-stage disease, including the skin and blood vessels (distal vasculitis with leg ulcers, Raynaud's phenomenon), lymph tissues (lymphadenopathy), eyes (episcleritis, conjunctivitis), chest cavity (pleural or pericardial inflammation and effusion). lungs (diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis), nerves (compression neuropathy, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, and other peripheral neuropathies), and blood (leukocytosis, anemia). Anemia is a particularly common manifestation of a distinct type of RA -- systemic onset juvenile chronic arthritis -- which is associated with high-spiking fever, rash, and other extra-articular features. The anemia is usually related to the extent of disease activity and responds to parenteral (but not oral) iron therapy."

3/20/00
Dear Webrarian:

Im finding that the arthritis in my hands is making it difficult to function in the kitchen. It seems every time I turn around theres a can I cant open, or a spatula that I just cant hold on to. Are there any websites where I find a few gadgets to make cooking a little easier?

Dear Chef:

Here are a few places I found that offer arthritis friendly kitchen utensils:

Dynamic Living
Offers products to make living a little easier for almost every room of the house.

OXO The makers of Good Grips
Gobs of products with big, comfy hand grips to make life a little easier.

Village Kitchen
Ergonomic soft-handled kitchen tools.

Curvware
Easy to grip flatware.

Ergonomic Nail Clippers
This one I stumbled upon and added just because I thought it looked like a nifty little gadget.

Dont forget to check the Get Cookin section right here at Arthritis Insight for tips and recipes to make working in the kitchen easier.

Send in your question today!

Kim McCarthy
Page last updated on April 10, 2000