No, my rheumatologist said I have two options: biologics and NSAIDS. They are the recommended treatments for spondylarthropathy. I am going to have to keep working on getting the infections under...
I hate to disagree with your rheumatologist but prednisone is not a front line treatment. In fact, my problem got much worse after I took it for three weeks and I never recovered. Prednisone is a...
Hi, all, As you know from previous posts, I have inflammatory spondylarthropathy (reactive arthritis or maybe AS). I have been in physical therapy for a month. I take Enbrel when I can, but I get a...
Hi, October Sun, I cannot believe your doctor gave you those drugs. I have exactly the same symptoms you do, and I have reactive arthritis. It is a spondyloarthropathy. The three treatments are 1)...
One of the main reasons that the doc doesn't think I have AS is my age. I am 52. Onset of AS is usually at a young age. Onset of this reactive arthritis was at the age of 49. Eve...
No, I tested negative for HLA-B127. My doctor made the determination based on a clinical examination. I have read a great deal about arthritis including the site that you provided. I have a Harvard...
Hi, Keah, I have had two doctors give me a clinical examination. I meet the diagnostic criteria for reactive arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis (I don't have AS). My arthritis is in the spine and...
Hi, there. Maybe you will feel really good after they clear up the infection. I know these nagging infections can really drag a person down. I'm crossing my fingers....
Hey, does everybody on this board drink COFFEE? Maybe coffee causes arthritis. Just kidding. Some studies of managers show that coffee increases the ability to concentrate....
Burrascano is the top clinician in the field of lyme treatment. He has treated approximately 4000 lyme patients. Recently, he stopped medical care to focus on research. His guidelines are featured on...
Hi, erin K, thank you for the information about the doctor. I have been treated with antibiotics for nearly a year. In addition, I had a long course of high doses of antibiotics that are appropriate...
Thanks, Ducky. All of you are very, very kind. It's great to have a place where it is possible to be honest. In the real world, nobody wants to hear about this kind of soul searching. On the other...
Don't get me wrong. Enbrel is an amazing drug. I will probably continue to take it, perhaps once a week while I get some additional medical counsel. I just hate taking it and am afraid of it. I...
Erin and elcamino, thank you for your comments. You both make valid and helpful points. Sinequan is a tricyclic antidepressant that has been around for 50 years. It is extremely safe, especially at...
No, I haven't done a spinal tap. I think that thinking has changed about spinal taps and lyme. It seems to me that they are rarely done, because it s possible to have lyme without showing up on the...
I know what you are saying. I am not totally convinced that I have a progressive form of arthritis. My pain and discomfort may come from a central nervous system disorder. That is at the crux of all...
I have been taking a fairly low dose of Sinequan (40 to 60 mg) since this past Monday. While I am not pain free, the awful pain that has plagued me in my neck, my lower back, and my hips has abated...
Okay, don't laugh, but have you changed your laundry detergent? Is someone else washing your clothes in perhaps a different manner? My mother had this terrible itching all over. We were taking the...
I didn't read every word in this thread, but it is my understanding that AS doesn't always show up on an MRI and that it can take years. I have a clinical diagnosis of AS because I meet all of the...
Hi, guys - On my LAST visit to my previous doctor, I noticed the notation FM (fibromyalgia) on the notes that the doc handed to me. I have since changed docs for various reasons. I thought at first...
Hi, Erin, I think you are very much younger than I am. I am young looking and at heart, but actually turned 52 this year. I can't believe it. I never expected this to happen. No indeed. It didn't hit...
Hi, Erin, You are so very kind. I ran into an incredibly difficult situation with a previous doctor, and I just changed rheumatolgists. Wish I could tell the story here - it was a weird and maybe...
I haven't seen my white counts recently. My white counts were very high a year ago, so I had a long way to fall. Doctors are carefully monitoring them. That's all I know. I recently had a blood test...
Hi, just saw your post. Antibiotics are used to treat an active infection that has triggered reactive arthritis. Most people find that antibiotics don't help cure the underlying disease. Enbrel does...
Oh, my goodness, Some of the symptoms in these last two posts sound like fibromyalgia. I am not a doctor but do a great deal of reading in the health area. I don't know much about remission of...
Hi, everybody, I started Enbrel sometime around August of last year. However, I seem to spend most of my time not being able to take it...yet. A couple of months ago, my doctor called me to her...
[color=#008000> Sorry] Was there anything they had you do (like any CT scans and such) after the bleeding ceased to rule out internal bleeding? [b][color=#008000>When] Thanks. Erin Erin, the uterine...
elcamino - Sorry if I miscommunicated. I totally AGREE with you that it is critical to find out why you have the low grade fever. My point was that some doctors do dismiss it, but I don't think we...
I talked to my GP. My rheumatologist said no Enbrel right before procedure and no Enbrel for three or four days after. Yuk. I have four separate procedures, so I am going to be aching and hurting...
elcamino - Many doctors blow off having a low grade fever of unknown origin. However, if you have this on a chronic basis it means something is going on somewhere in your body. I have heard that...
I had a low grade fever for years. Nobody knew where it came from. It went away after I had the wisdom tooth pulled a month ago. I think a chronic low grade fever needs to be investigated....
The new rheumatologist didn't know about the dental work. We had so much to discuss that I forgot to ask him about it. So confusing....
I know what you mean about Arthrotec. It is a very good drug if you can tolerate it. I am still depressed about not being able to take it. This is a wild card, but how old are you? Sometimes hormones...
My new rheumatologist told me to stop taking antibiotics. I have been on them for nine months. It just occurred to me that I have dental work this week of an invasive nature (deep planing and...
Wow, this is a great thread. I need to read each and every word. elcamino, yikes, I am so glad you asked about this stuff. Why did my doc let me take Enbrel when I had a low grade fever. I was on...
Hi, Erin, I took Arthrotec for a number of months. It really helped me. It is a good drug, BUT, as others have pointed out, it can exacerbate GI problems. I had abdominal cramping. I finally had to...
I definitely understand your concerns. I'm not recommending it just providing information....
I have terrible pain in my neck and back. It feels like somebody put barbed wire inside my skin. I tried all sorts of NSAIDS but they weren't strong enough. The Enbrel is very good. It is a risky...
istone, I have seen two rheumatologists. They both diagnosed me with reactive arthritis. My pain is in my neck, lower back, and hip area. It is severe. Erin, the pain that I had on 1000 mg of biaxin...
Thank you, Marius - That was a good summary. I actually have severe spinal involvement to meet the diagnostic criteria of AS, but doc says I don't have AS. It is helpful in that it allows the doc to...
Reactive arthritis is triggered by an infection. If you have an active infection, you have to get rid of it, but most reseachers don't believe that you can benefit from antibiotics after the...
I have discovered a great resource for checking to see if your doctor has been in trouble or disciplined by his or her state medical board. Below is a list of the boards where you can go and conduct...
El, your rheumatologist has an impeccable record with hospital privileges. You can check by going to the Web site of the state medical board. I would imagine that the information is available in all...
Is it difficult to find a reputable rheumatologist? I know it can be hard to find good doctors in general, but I just wondered. I am genuinely curious as to whether you guys have horror stories...or...
Hi, everybody. Thanks for the information. Someone sent me an email with the name of a doctor that treats reactive arthritis. He is apparently supportive of the biologics (Enbrel) and will prescribe....
bump...
Hi, everybody - I am looking for a rheumatologist for a friend of mine who lives in the National Capital Region (Washington, DC, Suburban Maryland, Northern Virginia). Like me, she has reactive...
Hi, Erin - I don't know if you ever check the lyme board, but I hope you visit us. There are a lot of new developments in treatment of chronic lyme and you might benefit greatly. Thanks for your...
Hi, everybody - I usually post on the lyme board. I have lyme disease and reactive arthritis. I am being treated for the ReA with long-term antibiotics and Arava. My rheumatologist started Arava...
Hi, I usually post on the lyme board, but I also have reactive arthritis. Tingling and achiness in the feet can be a sign of neuropathy with many causes. My feet tingle because I have neuropathy from...