The only way you could really have solid evidence of what your heart is doing would be to wear a monitor for a couple of days. My elderly mother had to do that after she was hospitalized. She takes...
Hi you guessed it MDD is major depressive disorder. Last counselor I saw thought I probably had that. I think dogs are good for motivating you to go for a walk. I mean, it's their idea and they will...
Hope -- I couldn't really tell you the timeline. I think I did keep a diary of my ailments for a while, but not sure where it went to. It all started with my ankle, and the big blowup, which I really...
Cup of Tea, just chiming in, though rather late. You mentioned getting a dog. Are you serious? I think pets can do wonders. Don't give up on things before you've tried them. And anyway, even if you...
When I first started taking zoloft, and the times when my dose got adjusted upwards, I would have trouble going to sleep or staying asleep, but the side effect only lasted several days or maybe it...
Ides' answer reminds me that the rheumy did give a shot of steroids to help the swelling go down -- don't remember what it was -- I had had some other steroid shots by a podiatrist previous to all...
Hello Hope -- Probably took at least a few months to get things under control. Found out I was allergic to Sulfa and Etodolac, so there were some setbacks. Yes, I have been able to do some hiking and...
Hope, I was diagnosed with reactive arthritis in 2010. Rheumy believes it may have started at least a year or two before that. And the infection that caused it could have been several years before...
Jano, I am on 20 mg and usually I skip it if I have a moderate or severe cold or am developing one. I even skip it for a couple of weeks. As for after-hours concerns, the answering service can reach...
Hi Karen, Yes, you're right. I am trying to pace myself a little. Took the bike out Friday and Saturday, but even though I really wanted to go today, decided I'd better rest a little. My foot is...
Hi, I haven't posted in Healing Well in a very long time, but this week have read a few posts on Depression and RA. I was for several months hanging out on another group's mental illness website, but...
Hi gypsy, I have been taking the methotrexate for a year and a half and haven't had any bad side effects. I've actually been surprised. I haven't gotten any bad infections or a lot of colds, which...
Hi Weary, that just fascinates me that you mention "internal swelling." I have been thinking about it for a couple of days. It is one of the many things that you just can't find information about,...
I'm not super thrilled with the setup at my rheumatologist's office, you feel like cattle going through a chute at a meat packing plant, but now I'm feeling better and not so sure i should go...
I have had problems with the doctor's staff at other places in the past, like the doctor's office where they would never answer the phone. I guess you could complain to the doctor, but it seems like...
I have gotten tired of the "arthritis, so what"-type responses, and I am a very private person anyway, so I just mumble something about my condition, my disease, my ailment, my health problem,...
Nice to meet you also, Joan. I think I'm actually looking forward to winter!...
Vannie, I'm not sure if MTX causes excessive sweat, hadn't heard that exactly. My office is always ice cold and my significant other also likes it cold, so I guess I haven't really had to stay out in...
Vannie, I know what you mean about paying for membership. I used to belong to the Y, but felt like I was wasting my money if I only went once a week or so. I don't really even worry about boiling to...
Vannie, Where I live, I have taken aqua aerobics classes at the Y, I think it was like $30 for six weeks or something, is much less for senior citizens. I usually go to a community fitness center...
couch tater, yeah, this probably isn't the place to complain!!! I'm sure I'm not as bad off as many people. I really noticed the pain on my vacation, a couple days when I went out. I did break walks...
Hi Joan, Just visiting over here in OA-land and liked your post. I went to the rheumy today and just felt like bawling before I even left the office, but i held it in. I was complaining about how I...
Cranky, I've had some of the same thoughts. I've never had kids and I wonder who would take care of me if my partner wasn't around and I got really sick. And my health isn't what it used to be, so I...
The only reason I really asked about the child's father, grandparents is because such people have a habit of coming out of the woodwork to demand their rights if you were to try to take custody. Ugh....
going off the ADs can do strange things to you so it's hard to say. I used to take Paxil, and then I switched to something else. It seems to me Paxil turned me into a super-nice person, and it...
Do you have any legal rights to take custody of the baby -- in writing? You might be in way over your head if you are trying to help the baby but don't have custody. Where's the father? Where's her...
Joy, ugh! feel better!...
Just my 2 cents on the bumps and zitty things. Are those from sun exposure? I try to cover up and/or wear sunblock to avoid blistering while taking MTX. Would that help you? I am not at all one to...
hi couch tater, the doctor first started me on sulfazine for my reactive arthritis, but i was allergic to it. so we went to mtx. my checkup with her is in about a month, i wonder what she'll say...
the thing I am really learning about the health care biz is that your questions have to be VERY specific and you have to make sure they absolutely understand your question. Good idea to write down...
hi Mom to 3, of course no one mentioned anything like that to me. I have a real bad penicillin allergy. So I am taking Vibramycin (doxycycline hyclate), which is usually for malaria, of all things. i...
Hello everyone, yes, you have to wonder what those health professionals are thinking. When I came back home and went for my 2nd shot, I was so pleased by how professional and kind they were at the ER...
Hello everyone, I had worked up to 20 mg of methotrexate (8 pills), with no side effects. One week recently I had a cold, did not take it. Then last week, I got bit by a possibly rabid wild animal......
tessifer, yes this is abuse. Being punched in the face is completely unacceptable. Your stepmom doesn't know what she's talking about. Don't worry about them, worry about YOU....
I have been in contact via e-mail with a self-help group that specializes in the type of family problem that started this whole thing. It is helping me to put things in perspective and feel better...
Hi Weary, my pain levels have gone way down. The Mobic is really for my plantar fasciitis which is somehow tied to this arthritis. It's very stubborn. It's hard to walk right if that bugger gets...
thanks Karen....
It's Genetic, that might be worth thinking about more -- why do i have the strong reactions to stress...
hello It's Genetic, Actually I do have a blood pressure monitor. I hardly ever use it now because almost always my numbers are pretty good. I used to use it a lot when i was on a different medication...
Hi Mom to 3, the issue with Mobic is that I have high blood pressure (though my numbers are good while I take Norvasc), and can be linked to increased risk of heart problems. Very bad history in my...
Hi Karen, yeah, deep breathing and even laugh therapy has worked for me in other situations. It's harder if you're just at work and you feel like, oh, should I be dropping everything now, and you...
It was absolutely gorgeous here on Thursday and being St. Pat's there were a bunch of silly people running around in green shorts. Good for them. As for me I am going away for the weekend and I am...
hello, I got some really bad news while I was at work, which caused me to have to leave my area and go talk on the phone for like 45 minutes. But it wasn't the type of thing where I felt that I...
I know that some of the SSRI's can cause constipation. I forget which one I was taking, but I ended up buying some sort of fiber supplement at the drugstore and that worked fine for me. When I...
Hello, I am going to start taking a higher dose of methotrexate with the goal of taking less Mobic or going off of it altogether. I have reactive arthritis. The doctor has proclaimed the swelling to...
oh, i've done that too -- throwing up before an interview! Not always like that fortunately. The last time I did a job interview (four years ago), it was over the phone, and it was pretty horrible,...
I don't work on my feet but most of my symptoms are in my feet and ankles. The only brand of shoes I like right now are Keen, a chiropractor recommended them to me. They are hiking trail shoes. I...
i have been described by people in school and work as one of the shyest, quietest people they've ever met, but i have never had a counselor who only wanted to treat me for social anxiety, they always...
except for the part about wanting to get into confrontations, it kind of sounds like me, or me at my worst, i should say. At any rate, not fun. Get help...
well, that's encouraging if they have such a thing at therapy...