Rheumatoid Arthritis

 Me and my husband  I went to the Podiatrist on Friday. No surprise, he said I complicated. He sure got that 100% right. Good news there is no erosion signs from my RA. Then he used several larger words that I didn’t quiet catch or understand. He explained that when I walk on my right foot I’m actually walking on the right side of my foot. (I’ve been paying more attention and he is right) I have an appointment on December 6 to have a brace made for my right foot and ankle. They are also making new insert for my shoes. I have insert already but this insert will go almost the whole foot where the ones I have now only do half. Hopefully this will help reduce the foot pain I go through. Right now I can stand twenty minutes before my feet really start to hurt and soon after that I just have to get off of them. Not a person to allow my issues to stop me, I use my wheelchair at that point to continue on. The Podiatrist surprised me a little when he asked me if I had handicap tag,...

by meerlap I'm reading RA article today as I pass some time and see what is new on the market. One article on Web MD talking about if a biologic pill is possible stuck me funny as I read about what Rheumatoid Arthritis does. "RA, an autoimmune disease affecting 2 million people, happens when the body engages in friendly fire against its own joints and tissues, causing inflammation, pain, and joint damage" Friendly Fire now that is a very nicely way to put it. The article is very encouraging though. I take Orencia. Even with my insurance it would cost me $300 a month. I have 90/10 insurance as well, so I only pay 10 percent after deductible is met. Thankfully Orencia has a program for co-pay helping taking the amount paid down to only $5 a month. Loss of my job would me loss of medical care for myself. Depending on how long you have followed this blog, I have already done several years without medical. A wonderful toll on my body, but it is what it is. The a...

Thankfully we have moved on from the wonderful stomach bug. That was no fun. I also got a letter in the mail from the old Rheumatologist who informed me I was very anemic and my vitamin D is low. No wonder I was feel so horrid. He wanted to come in for an appointment right away, but he doesn’t know I’m waiting for the new doctor appointment in February. So I started to take Iron, Vitamin D3, and Vitamin C. I feel better so I think things are getting better. So far the colder weather hasn’t bothered me too much. However I’m finding shopping to be increasingly painful as my feet hurt after about 20 minutes of walking. I also had fun with my muscles in my legs just aching. That’s something new I haven’t had before. I’ve been trying to stretch and rub my legs at night. Sort of hoping whatever the issue is it will fix itself. All of these wonder issues with many hiding from view. You can’t see when my feet hurt or the pain in legs unless I hobble a little. I’ve gotten pretty at corre...

Going around work is the wonderful stomach bug, it may be the stomach flu but no one has seen the doctor to confirm. My co-workers are so nice and wonderful that I have also picked up this illness. It started on Friday the 25th. I woke up sore and just felt off but I pushed to head towards a podiatrist appointment. I never made it. I pulled over once to be sick and then again a 2nd time. Thankfully my husband was with me and drove us home. I’ll now have to wait a month to get another appointment. My podiatrist appointment is for issues with my feel. I can stand about 45 minutes before my feet start to hurt a lot. Like standing on pins and I have to get off. Since I love to walk, hike, and go to amusement parks this is another obstacle standing in my way. Thankfully I do have a manual wheelchair but my husband health no longer allows him to push me and my arms are unable to do it myself for long. If I try to wheel myself my shoulder will go out. I’m not sure what the doctor’s would ...

I’ve decided to find a new rheumatologist. I just can’t go back to the last one I tried. I feel I need my focus on my RA first. Kind of hard to lose weight when they just want to push more prednisone burst on me. So I’m not taking any prednisone and I’m refusing to ever use it again. So now I just have to wait until February for a doctor’s appointment. I only have Friday and Saturday off with my job so I found a doctor who is open on Friday. The last Rheumatologist wasn’t. I’m just hoping if I keep doing the blood work I can keep getting my meds refilled until then. I also have a dental appointment that had to be rescheduled, now 1st week in November. I found out that I had to have doctor permission just to get my teeth clean. Worse part is if I need any more dental work like a filling or anything more extensive I have to be off my Orencia for three to four weeks. I don’t think they understand what kind of pain they are asking me to go through especially through the winter months...

by jconejo Natural remedies seem to work for some and then not for others. I have often wondered why. Was it their state of mind? I don’t think so. Personally I have tried many of them. As with the prescribe meds natural remedies can also have side effects. Check out this article on WebMD for more info. Now I’m not saying natural remedies don’t work. I personally think that is how the doctors got started. There are some things to consider. If you are already take medicine from the doctors then you really do need to check with the doctor. The natural remedy and the prescribe medicine could interact with each other. Especially with biological meds that are being used for RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis). Another thing to consider is the severity of the disease. There is light, mild, and severe. I have severe RA. According to WebMD article , men tend to get more severe symptoms. Since everyone can have different ways that RA affects them, there are many ways for treatment. Some many di...

Although my 1st visit with the new Rheumatologist didn't go well, I'm going to stick with him for a little bit. One main reason is that Rheumatologist are so hard to find and this one is less than a mile from my home. So as long as he is good I'm going to put up with a little rude bedside manor. However I am going to tell him to back off on my weight and there is no way I'm consider lapband surgery for a mere 70 pounds. I have took myself off the prednisone (was 5mgs a day) since the appointment and have already lose some weight. I'm not going back on the prednisone unless I have to.