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New To This Board and I Have Some Q's...

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Rheumatoid Arthritis
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Posted 10/16/2006 4:50 AM (GMT 0)
Hi!  I was diagnosed with AS arthritis and Crohns Disease at 13 and am now 23. When my flare ups come they are not shy and generally cause intense pain! My Crohns has been the priority because of all the problems. I am fortunate because a lot of the medication can sometimes work both illnesses. I was hoping to get a little advice on some of the Meds that have been successful for treating AS including over the counter. Also vitamins and supp's. I have to find a new doc-it's that time. I just like to be prepared and now what I am talking about when I do see him. Also what kind of exercising do you find works best? Well thanks for the input.
Posted 10/16/2006 6:12 AM (GMT 0)
Hi there, glad you found us... welcome to Healing Well... What do you take now for your AS and Crohns? Have you tried Remicade or Enbrel? As for the exercising... swimming is wonderful or water aerobics... Or if you have access to a gym, the elliptical machine is pretty good too... Keep us posted on how you are doing...

Duck
Posted 10/16/2006 11:44 PM (GMT 0)
hi and welcome blairstl, i dont know alot about alternative drugs but others take them with good results. good luck with the new doctor. ducky is right the water stuff is great if you can get to it. some insurances around here pay for membership to arthritis approved pools. they have to maintain a certain water temp and provide aquatic exercises. i know our local Y does this. check into yours? unfortunately i have RA so i am not versed in your area of AS, but welcome anyway.
Posted 10/17/2006 2:20 PM (GMT 0)

Hi and welcome, I am new also, I have both AS and crohns sad   I am 33 and have had problems for about 10 yrs or so and I have been thru several docs and many more meds to finally be on Humira and hydrocodone after being on Enbrel for 6 months only to have it stop working. My newest problem is my shoulders joy joy joy eyes . It just keeps getting beter dont it? Now on top of my usual AS prob's my tummy is now acting up, I am reasonably new to this stupid Crohns stuff. My rhuemy took several tests and asked if I knew I had Crohns, up until then I had never heard about it. Well now it has kicked up with a vengence I have lost about 25 lbs in 3 months and it doesnt seem to be letting up. I know I should go to the doc but I am so sick of going to the doc I have been putting it off.

Anyway nice to meet ya...

Posted 10/17/2006 4:08 PM (GMT 0)
Ducky- Remicade is kind of the next step. I am currently on Steroids and Colazal. I cant take Sulfa Drugs, Imuran, and many Anit-Biotics. I am on a sulfa drug now as my last ditch effort (it is supposed to be absorbed in the intestines-90%). If this does not work I start Remicade-which scares me a lot!

Yalinda- I never knew that with the insurance I will def. check that out. Thanks for the advice

Angie-  I know! It sucks in so many ways. It is easy to push one disease aside when it is more active and causing more pain. It is then that I forget that the other one is hurting a little. IT IS SO IMPORTANT to treat both diseases- and you may find that the meds they give you can sometimes help both. I ignored my disease from about age 16 to 20. At 22 I got sick and for a year now (I am 23) have been dealing with all the neglect, plus some! It is not worth it at all. It is hard a 13, and at any age, to face an illness. I struggle with it often because it affects so many aspects of my life. Actually all of them. I just try to keep my focus on the fact that I will go into remission. I just remember that I KNOW what the flip side of fun is. So when I have fun I really try and have fun. Just visit the Doctor because the sooner you seem him the sooner you give your illness a chance to go into remission. Good Luck I will be sure to check posts and if you ever have questions maybe I can help.


Have a good day!

Posted 10/18/2006 1:09 PM (GMT 0)

Thanks Blairstl, yep it does suck but we have to keep keepin on anyway....Lately I've been between my AS hurting ( new pain in my shoulders) and all my old pains still hurting and my tummy feeling very acidy sad ..YUCK!! I havent found anything so far to sooth that feeling yet... ANYWHO talk to ya later..

cool  

Ang

Posted 10/18/2006 4:55 PM (GMT 0)
I have had alot of arthritis pains, and I am wondering what AS is? Anyone have time to explain it to a newbie?
Posted 10/18/2006 11:01 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,
Welcome to both new people. I have psoriatic arithirits and am on Humira for it. It has been 3 and a half months now. I am seeing improvement with my skin, finally. It helped the arhtritis from the beginning. I am weaning off of prednisone and the joint pain was miserable at first. The Humira is really helping me it.

PiaSava,
Have you been diagnosed with RA or OA? I believe AS is an arthritic illness, but could be wrong. I am new to these diagnoises too. What are you doing for the arthritic pain?

I don't know much about Crohns except that a lot of people on Healing Well have it and it is very painful disease that requires constant treatement . My GI doctor that I go to for the autoimmune disease has Crohns disease. Someone mentioned medications working for more than one disease.
While I was on prednisone, it took care of the liver enzymes, getting them down, and worked well on the Psoriatic Arthritis. But, prednisone is not a medication that can be used for a prolonged period of time. There are too many side effects.

Angien,
I have my Humira pen sitting right here in front of me, about to take the injection. When I take it out of the frig. I let it sit out fof an hour or so. I have heard that it hurts less that way. I have to have blood work every 2 weeks, and I will see the Dermatologist in another 2 weeks to decide whether to stay on it or not. It has taken so long for me to see any results with the psoriasis. I have heard that Enbrel works best for Psoriasis and Humira for Arthritis, but both are prescribed for PA.
I will just have to see. Like I said I am finally seeing some pretty dramatic results with my skin which has been very difficult to manage.

Just rambling here.. lol.. God Bless everyone!!

Be Well,

Judy
Posted 10/19/2006 12:12 AM (GMT 0)
PiaSava - AS is Ankylosing Spondylitis :)  It's a type of arthritis that affects your spine.. it can actually cause your vertebrae to fuse together.

This may explain it a little better..

What is ankylosing spondylitis?

Ankylosing spondylitis is a form of chronic inflammation of the spine and the sacroiliac joints. The sacroiliac joints are located in the low back where the sacrum (the bone directly above the tailbone) meets the iliac bones (bones on either side of the upper buttocks). Chronic inflammation in these areas causes pain and stiffness in and around the spine. Over time, chronic spinal inflammation (spondylitis) can lead to a complete cementing together (fusion) of the vertebrae, a process referred to as ankylosis. Ankylosis leads to loss of mobility of the spine.

Ankylosing spondylitis is also a systemic rheumatic disease, meaning it can affect other tissues throughout the body. Accordingly, it can cause inflammation in or injury to other joints away from the spine, as well as other organs, such as the eyes, heart, lungs, and kidneys. Ankylosing spondylitis shares many features with several other arthritis conditions, such as psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, and arthritis associated with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Each of these arthritic conditions can cause disease and inflammation in the spine, other joints, eyes, skin, mouth, and various organs. In view of their similarities and tendency to cause inflammation of the spine, these conditions are collectively referred to as "spondyloarthropathies."

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