Ankylosing Spondalitis

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First, welcome to HW. Never glad you need to be here, but since you do I'm glad you found us. Maybe we can be mutually beneficial, either soon or late.
To the reason for your post:
Chemically induced Diabetes? Never heard of that one, but it wouldn't be the first thing.
What other drugs? What do they say you have, exactly?
What are your questions, exactly?
Hopefully you can help us get to the bottom of this. My curiosity is certainly high at this point, since I have Diabetes as well as neuropathic pain from diabetes.

Gaday TonyMcGuire, I have ankylosing spondalitis, it is a severe form of arthritis which involves alot of conditions rolled into one, from sacriolic joint erosion to lower back and sacriolic fusion , back bone fusion in the mid region and also the neck and shoulder regoin. It can cause curvature of the spine into a forward motion or bending of the head towards the chest. All of my joints swell with fluid and I have pain in almost every part of my body all the time. My doctor says that the disease is very aggressive and I am in stage 4 of which there is only one to four stages. Had I have been diagnosed earlier I would of had a better chance of medications working for me. I can not run any more sometimes on a good day I can manage a slow jog but only for about 100 metres. I have had to change my whole life but am thankful I have a loving wife and son with me. I should explain what happens to start off this disease your brain makes a fluid when you are sick which flows down you back bone which turns into antibodies when that proccess starts in me there is no way to stop it but to introduce a blocker to chemically induce this switch to turn it off.



Now as for my Questions. I would be very interested in finding out whether anyone else after taking TNF blockers (which are the chemically induced switches or auto immune drugs) have found that they have diabeties?

Do you know of any knew pain medications or herbal remadies which may help?

I know it must be rare because I can not find information about this yet my doctor has said this is what has caused it for I did not have a problem before taking the TNF blockers.

Do you know of any knew pain medications or herbal remadies which may help?

The doctor also thinks there may be another disease underlying that he has not found yet in my system causing certain medication not to working any advice would be appreciated.

My medications are Salazopyrin 3000mg, plaquinal 100mg, morphine 40mg,coversyl 10mg,diaformin sr 3000mg, actrapid injection sliding scale, lantos solostar 16 units,epalim 400mg, omeprazol 20mg, amlodipine 5mg and panadien forte when needed. I have a few other issues as well but will discuss them all in time thanks. Its good to be able to talk about these issues with others when I talk to most doctors I end up educating them about my problem. thanks for listening look forward to gaining some answers in time.

Thanks everyone the doctor also thinks i may have chohn's as well because of other symptoms I have had latley but he has not done any tests for this so far and after reading I found that severe AS patients can also get Crohn's. I pray not!!!

Yuppers gotta watch my back...just saw a Rheumy for the first time. It looks mostly like Rheumatoid like inflammation, but they are seriously watching for the AS.

How long have you been on the immunomodulators? I have been on them for about 2 years...no issues. However, just a little increase on the prednisone, and the sugars go up.

I was really active as well (I've run marathons...completed 4 and too many other 1/2 and under to count). I've found that the elliptical machine (when I can unfurl myself from the bed) to be a nice work out and not so hard on the joints or bum...I even used this 4 days post op from my bum surgery. I could do this even when I could not walk on a treadmill or sit(that bum thing) on a bicycle.

As for the pain thing...I've found that the patch thing works the best...other people with digestive issues have found this works as well...and it works for all the different types of pain. I see a Pain Specialist.
I do take many vitamins...especially calcium...oh and now that I'm on sulfasalazine, I make sure and get my folate.

Pamela, you need to get voice activated typing on ur computer...then you only have to talk and it does the rest...I think we all need it...Hope you feel better friend..
Me.

Sorry, I thought you meant that the Diabetes was induced by drugs ON PURPOSE. I couldn't think of ANY reason to do that. Thank you for the in-depth info.

Becoming Undone or anyone ...

All my life, I've been extremely active. No marathons BUT I could almost run two miles. I did a lot of
aerobic dance (2 hours almost daily) I lifted a lot of babies.

I admired a Tee shirt that read "MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE."

I religiously studied health books and followed them - whatever was the fad at the time. I thought I'd go
to my older age in wonderful shape.

Well, it didn't work.

What do you think of lots of exercise?

Pamela

I would make this a thread, Tony, but I'm not sure it's accurate. I can't find
Angel8's post regarding this information. Gotta get that printer going.

Angel said be sure and have a card in your wallet or on you that says you are taking
Methadone and also the amount. Call Medi-alert tomorrow and tell them.

Also you should have information that reads "No Namorphone, No Stadol, No
Sub X, No Narcan. If you should pass out from one reason or another medics
will read this and not give it to you. Apparently it's routine to give these meds
because they think it's an overdose. If they give you a shot of say, Narcan, in
about 2 minutes it will flood your system and take out ALL the Methadone and
put you into withdrawels. You could die if they don't figure out that you're not
an OD. You could die quick.

I could not find Angel's post and I'm kinda guessing at these medications. I
don't want anyone to take what I say seriously. Just have an awareness and
do your own research. I have no training in medicine or medical procedures.

I have gone so far as to write my medications on my stomach with a sharpie
permanent market.

We gotta know what's going on with us. Medical people can miss stuff. They
surrrrrrrrre have on me. The printing looks weird when I wear a bare midriff top -
verrrrrry strange tatoo.

Pamela

Welcome to you Reverend you have came to a great place here.

I also have AS but not into a full stage 2 as of yet. It is a hideous disease in itself and many times it goes untreated,undiagnosed,and even misdiagnosed until we are much farther gone then should be.

I also have found there is NOT alot of info out there and far too many Docs recognize the term but also dont have alot of info for you.

I do have the lung and breathing thing associated with AS but since I am a smoker for years most Docs just blew that off and yes it was one of the first indications for me that something was wrong other then the low back pain and sciatica in my left leg.

I cannot answer your questions regarding the auto-immune drugs as I have choosen not to go that route just yet due to the mass amount of complicating factors involved in maintainig on those drugs as well as I would have to change alot of my meds that are working for me.

I do know that there is many drugs that can lead to diabetes though.

Glad to see you found a place to come to and you sure wont lack folks who understand pain here.

Pamela I will try to find the post I made but you have pretty much got them down,any of the opiate antagonists such as NArcan,stadol.numorphone,talwin and yes now sub-x, my medicalert simply say says no NARCAN and they know from there what is happening. I hope anyway!LOl

Hi everyone, having a slow cold stiff night with lots of cramps, just the usual really. I like your ideas on the medi alert thing for meds you should not be given and I am going to ask my doctor for more info about the meds that i take and what should not be taken with them and keep a record on me, well maybe not writen on me though. thanks.

I have found that I can not use the skin patches for medication as I get skin irratations from the sticky stuff, so I guess I have to stay with the pills for now. rolleyes

Question, does anyone do tai chi exercises for help with AS or Ruematoid? and can you still stretch enough to do it? The more exersice I do I get Sorer.

What TNF are you on? (me: Remicade for 1.5 yrs...Humira for 2 months...now on Cimzia...) These have helped my seemingly Non crohn's problems such as migraine (remicade worked better for this), and joint issues...As to the cancer issues...I worry more about what the disease is doing to my liver and stomach cancer (my grandmother passed from that and Oh I have quite a few polyps in the stomach and esophagus)...I want my disease under control first...

Again, if you can...see a Pain Specialist...he/she might have therapies that work well for you. You may even even be worthwhile to try different brands of patches (each has it's own "special formula" for adhesive) and you may react less to one than another.

I do try and stay flexible. I stretch often but in short burst...like just getting up and stretching the arms or legs...not as part of a huge exercise routine . I feel my joints stiffen...I've read and my docs have said, that you do need to move them...within reason of course. Don't do anything that hurts too much...I do some yoga...when I can...but gentle stretching (ala Whinney the Pooh: up down touch the ground...) works very well for me...

Pam: I love what working out does to clear my head and gives me all those feel good things(gotta love that runner's high)...just hate that it can make so much of me feel horrid(joints and tummy pain and GI issues)...