You make my world seem so much bigger than just me

Dear Friends, Thanks for thinking about me, it means alot. First of all Flopsie , I will be praying for your daughter too. My daughter had twins at 32 weeks. Two boys who weighed 4 pounds, and four pounds three ounces. Good size for 32 weeks. They were air-lifted from our small hospital to a larger one about 100 miles from here. ( State Capital of Illinois). They stayed up there about eight weeks and I won't make it sound like a picnic because it wasn't. It was two steps forward and one step back. However, everything came out fine and today they are big strapling teenagers who eat Mom and everyone out of the house.lol. My daughter had placenta previa so they had to be taken C-section. Like I say, today everyone is fine, and I know your daughter and baby will be fine too.
I'm still fighting the sciatica . It has been over a month now. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow. I'm also having trouble with my shoulder down to my fingers. LOts of pain and hand is either weak or full of pins and needles. I believe this is all related. I can't walk without a walker as foot has become numb also. Does anyone have any ideas?? My Mom is in the hospital with cellulitis and probable blood clot. She is 82, please say a prayer for her. I will write again soon. I miss all of you guys for sure. Annie will be back in her own apartment on the 25th of May. She is not typing yet, but knowing her she will master that too. Luv and Hugs, Nic

much luck and good blessings flopsie. hope all continues to go well!
{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}
erin

Hi girls! Nic -- too good to hear from you. I hope your mri goes well and you get good results. I know how scary that is. I go back in July for my repeat regarding the ms scare. Still having some symptoms, but they can't pinpoint yet. I hope you have good news and that the patch is offering you some relief. I am so happy to hear about Annie!! Do you have any more news on her condition? I am sure she will recover quickly with that mindset of hers :)

Flopsie, glad to hear that the baby will be ok. I will be thinking of you all. I had preterm labor with my first daughter, but I was able to carry her to term with bedrest and meds. She is nine and just fine. I know that it's more serious with your daughter and I hope things do turn out like we all wish for.

Congrats to you Erin!!! what a big accomplishment.

Oreo, what is new with you? Hope all is well.

Diana

Dear Erin, Thanks so much for the good info. It's so nice to have a nurse in the house, isn't it girls? So Erin, just one more question, do you think it is safe? I am on so many meds already , with some being specifically named to not take Duragesic if you take these meds. My doctor went over all of the meds with me though, so I'm probably just being paranoid about the whole thing. You know what they say about people who know just a little bit about medicine. Anyway, thanks again.
Flopsie whats the latest on the daughter and baby? I am saying prayers for them. Erin, I don't know if I told you but my Grandaughter in Florida just graduated from a junior college and starts nursing school in January. WE are so proud of her. Her plans at this time are to get her Nursing Degree and then go on to be a PA. She's young and a lot can happen between now and then but we are really hoping for her. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Hope to hear from you soon. Luv and Hugs, Nic

hi Nic! or shall i say "Patches". i'm all patched up too, with lidodoerm! many meds will say do not take with this medication cause duragesic can cause a slower heart beat...so if you're on BP meds just be careful and monitor your pulse...you want it to be at 60 beats or above per minute. antidepressants like MAOI's you really don't want to take with duragesic...bad reaction. basically anything having a sedative effect you want to look out for because you don't want to , how do i say...overdose! if your doc looked them over and said ok and your still leary, you know who to go to? the pharmacist at the drug store! they are great and they know their meds! i find i get better info from them than i do an MD sometimes! but it's a good idea to monitor your pulse and get a little bloodpressure cuff at home. you should be fine....but an uneasy head needs a clearing, you pay good money for your doctor, if you want him to double check, i say call em and have em check them again....nobody's perfect. hope the patch sooths you! let me know what you find out! i think it will be fine....but your peace of mind is what matters the most.
hugs
erin

morning flopsie! yea, i answered the patch problem to be up to your standards! hee hee. knew you'de be reading. A+?
oh, we were looking over your post about the nerve conduction studies...it's a repetitive stim conduction. it's quite uncomfortable...but you can say stop anytime if it's too much. i had it done last may. believe me, if i can do it..anyone can do it

the good thing about it is that it's not a long procedure. if you have balance problems, i'de say bring someone with you...you might be a bit shaky afterwards! i actually walked home at one time after it. you'll be fine flopsie!

have a beautiful saturday
erin

goodmorning all. hope everyone had a decent weekend. i would love for it to reach at least 70 degrees sometime soon!was so miserable yesterday and wet for the rest of the week. no wonder i can't lift my knees to walk...hips feel like they're stuck

got a lovely pair of sneakers yesterday! for free yeah a radio station sent a certificate to me for a sporting store. saved a lot of $$$.

yeah honey won the exacta on the Preakness saturday nite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!was a very good race. and i'm so glad Alex came 1st place!

going down to the barn next weekend....hope i can sit for the ride. not doing well in cars with sitting.

Boo, it was good to hear from you! i know it's hard trying to sell a business....mental torture as well. in the end, hopefully it will be better for your body and mind and well being. much good luck!

have a nice monday everyone

erin

Hi Ducky! ooh, sorry bout your knees and bladder!
you may still take enbrel on antibiotics. if you tell your rheumy about the bladder thing, and you get medicine for it, it'll probably be fine to take the enbrel. did he say otherwise? i had swollen glands and was sick a few times and never had to stop taking it even on antibiotics. they may say it's fine to keep on it. hope it clears up very soon!
my hips are having sympathy pains for your knees
got 5 patches of lidoderm all over my hips and thighs! hurts bad to walk....yuck yuck yuck
feels like winter here!talk to you soon, let me know how you make out with the medicine!
erin

wow, it sounds like an infection. i'm sure the CT will show something, maybe an inflammatory process of some sort. getting some pictures is the best way to pinpoint abdominl pain. does he have an appendix? you know, if the pain is so bad, the ER is always there and they would run a scan stat. watch out if there's a fever. awh Boo, just keep an eye on em...use your instinct and wednesday will bring some answers. when you spoke of genes, does he have a history of crohn's, colitis or colon CA? in any case, the sooner you act the better....no one wants to be in pain. is he eating? vomitting? diarrhea? hang in there Boo, i'll be praying for you. oh, what antibiotics was he on, because as strange as it sounds...some can cause bad stomach pain like Erythromycin and Biaxin, Ceftin. have a good rest tonite the two of you! {{{{{hugs}}}}}}
erin

Hello all.
Boo, so glad to see you back. Wish you had better news though. You have been through so much and now this too. I feel for you. Not pity just hurt for you. Wish we could make it all better. I will be praying for you and your hubby. Hope the scan goes well and this is just a really bad infection and not anything worse.
Nic, how are you doing?
Diana, nice to hear that the family is doing well. I hope a few temp spots come up for you before the summer break. I will pray that there would be steady work for you come fall.
Flopsie, so sorry to hear about your son. So much pain in your life. I've never had to use a PI. Talk to your Better Business Bureau and see who is reputable. If they have a good rating with the BBB then you are probably safe to use them. How is your daughter doing? Still okay on bedrest?
Erin, how goes the quest for SSI? I saw a commercial on TV yesterday about a website where you can apply for medications to be supplied free or at a reduced cost for those that meet their criteria. Do not remember the name but I do remember that they are linked with the pharmaceutical companies. Something like pharmaceutical assistance program. Has anyone else heard of this? Was watching a show on KCTS I think.
Ducky, was it fun with the kids? If it was then the knees are probably worth it. You do not need to go off the Enbrel but I did with my sinus infection since they are so hard to get rid of anyway. Since the Enbrel supresses your immune system and the antibiotics kill off the infection as well as some of the "good" bacteria I figured that if I was on the med while on antibiotics I could end up with a worse infection if my body couldn't fight back well enough. Also you need your immune system to help fight the infection so I guess in my mind why supress it while trying to fight something. Personal choice. I will take the Enbrel atleast a week to fully get out of your system and by then you would be almost finished the antibiotics so for you maybe not worth it. I was on antibiotics for a grand total of 30 days so for me it was worth going off the Enbrel.
Yesterday hubby and I worked together and we put a deck in the back yard. My body is telling me I did too much but it (the deck, not my body) looks great.
Babysitting 3 days this week in exchange for my friend babysitting for me next week. I was offered a vacation relief spot so I am working full time next week. I haven't done a day shift in almost a year so it will be an interesting week. By the end I'm sure I'll be wondering why I agreed to this but when the paycheck arrives with 56 hours on it I will know why.
Gentle hugs to all. Hope all is well with everyone.
Oreo

oh what a day! monsoon outside. not a nice day to trek out to work. been sick all week and had to call out. am bummed but am going to put a happy face on today. everything would be easier if i had a different body! not liking it very much this week.

i'm soooooo not ready for SSI tomorrow! have to find everything! my doc is screwing everything up....i have no letter or office notes to show yet, i hope they have them by this afternoon for me to pick up. or perhaps the ssi will take them next week.

hoping today goes by quickly...really want to stay home...still not up to par but having no choice but to push myself hard today. hopefully will be in a better dispositon later on!

it's fleet week here...so at least i'll have some very beautiful boats to look at on my commute past nyc!

take care

have a nice day all

erin

Erin, hoping your day goes well. Hate the rain. Supossed to be nice here today. (25C, whatever that is in F)Think I will finish up here and go work in the garden.
Good luck with SSI. I hope you can get coverage. Congrats on finding a "keeper". It is great when we can find a man in our lives that accepts us for what we are and supports us through everything. I wish everyone could have someone like that in their lives.
Boo, wish you luck with selling the business. Will you go and work for someone else then?
Effie, welcome to the arthritis forum. I too have psoriatic arthritis. Flares have a double time with us. Joints and skin. How is your skin these days? Don't worry too much about the new med. Always nervous about something new but hopefully will go well for you. I will be praying for you.
Nic, how are you? Have you gotten any relief from the sciatica yet. Am still praying for you.
Flopsie, will pray that this week goes by really fast for you and your daughter. Can't be easy watching her get restless, and worried that the baby will be okay. Will keep all of you in my prayers.
Hope all is well with everyone. Think I will go and garden now while the sun is bright.
Oreo

thanks flopsie, you're the best! just had to take another darvocet and back on the heat. oh, let me tell you about the new place where i've been the past month. they do all of these wonderful outreach programs for arthritis and related diseases. a wonderful mix of women...and i think one guy. poor sucker! LOL! he sticks out like a sore thumb. but everyone there has such enthusiasm for the public. they do really special programs for juvenile arthritis patients. i'm glad to be a small part of it. plenty of room to grow....wish i could be there everyday, but i think i have to ask for just once per week...the twive a week was really tolling on me. also thinking on jumping ahead with my graduate studies. perhaps read all of the requirements before the start of the semster. clinical will be harder...like 12 hour shifts. look at me, already freaking out for september! i haven't even been down to the school to find out my final GPA yet!
this week was rough i think for everyone
here's to warm days , sunshine and a good weekend.
happy memorial day weekend!
maybe the baby will come this weekend! or is it still too early yet?
erin