Hi, Your TPO antibodies are very high and your other symptoms make me think of something called Hashimoto's Encephalopathy or SREAT. Same condition, both names are used, the first one is sometimes...
Hi, I was diagnosed with HE, SREAT or as it is also sometimes called now autoimmune encephalopathy in 2006. My symptoms started in 2003 or '04, I think. My body does not tolerate high doses of...
Hi Sweetie, Remember me--emmie? So sorry you're suffering z from all this...But there is good news: when we crawl in "the hole", the only constructive thing to do is to look up and climb out. And you...
Hi Lynnwood, I have no personal experience and very few brain cells that fire coherently. What thought does occur to me is that if you have an accountant who does your taxes or friend who might be...
Carol, I'm glad to see you back, I just wish you felt better. I will put that in an official prayer! I don't post much at all anymore, but I do check in every couple of weeks or so. I wonder about...
Lynnwood, What great news! Please give Donna my best wishes for a continued good recovery. All things considered, her progress is nothing short of amazing! Hope you are doing well yourself. emmie...
Thanks, Lynnwood. What an uphill battle she has in front of her. My prayers and good thoughts are with her as well. Hope you are doing well. I'm just waiting for this cr*ppy winter weather to turn...
Hi Babs, So sorry for your health problems this past winter. I am so happy to see Spring coming around the corner. I'm sure that will help your recovery tremendously! Hope you get a good report at...
Mary Ann, Your post really touches me...I'm sure she found much comfort and peace in the shawl your made for her. I, too, was so shocked about her death. I wonder about a couple of the other "old...
Amen. emmie...
Thank you for the news, Lynn. So very sorry about Redrose... And guarded hope that Butterflake is turning a corner. emmie...
Great idea, Lynn. I continue to ride the roller coaster...I've been coasting down for several weeks lately, but saw my rheumy today and hopefully we're on the right path to getting it under control....
lynnwood, Next time you're in touch with Butterflake, let her know that I've been keeping her close in my thoughts and in my heart. I just happened to pop in and see this post tonight...so glad you...
Hi girls, I also have scleroderma. A great site is sclero.org. But don't the people here really can't be beat! emmie...
Hi Carol, It's emmie...'member me? anyhoo, I have scleroderma ya know and I'm wondering if your rheumie said anything about what to do with the swallowing problem. I sometimes have the problem where...
Carol, It's me, emmie, coming out of my lurker's cave to tell you that I'm thinking sweet thoughts of you and saying prayers that you feel better soon, soon, soon! Love you, honey! emmie...
Hi Bekkah, Wow! You are awesome! You are 15 years old and you have lived a lot of life in those 15 years...really great, fun stuff like travel soccer team at the national level to a diagnosis at age...
Hi Flake, It's emmie, remember me? I've been gone for a loooong time, too. I'm sorry to know that you've been suffering BUT, I'm glad you've been able to take this step. I know it's huge. You're...
Hi Carol, Remember me? Emmie? Every now and then I check in here to be sure folks are hangin' in there. When I saw your post, I just had to respond. I also have scleroderma. Knowing that you are in...
hi rere and suep, gosh, what a surprise to see this old post turn up. But hey, thanks! It's always good to hear more input on a topic. You are absolutely right that all of us are different and...
Hi Flake, Sorry to read you've been so sick....glad to hear you're doing a bit better. I think it could be the thought of fireworks that helped you perk up. Maybe those antibiotics will help, but...
Marji, there are lots of doctors who say that HE is not even a disease. This does not surprise me. I think the other name they are referring to is SREAT another acronym. It stands for steroid...
Hi Donna, Ooooooh, ouch! I feel so, so bad for you. This is one uncomfortable, painful infection. I had the exact same thing this past February--candida coating every available surface in my mouth...
I guess there are lots of us who deal with the fact that we cannot find the sleep we so desperately need. How crazy is that??? I was so tired today, I was like a sleep walker. I always think of that...
Hi Marji, emmie here, remember me? :-) Actually, I'm pretty sure that what usually provokes a Raynauds attack is either cold or emotional stress. Most of the time it is the cold. Rosie is right that...
Hippi, This does stink. I'm really sorry. I guess the good thing is that you have been feeling better lately (as far as increased energy etc. goes) and I hope that continues. Did the dr. say what...
Insomnia is the pits isn't it, but not the end of the world. We just think so at the time, right? Thanks Hippi, Rosie, Mary Ann and Frank. I think I'll go do the alphabet game after I take a pretend...
Congratulations, Audrey Ann! This may be a "lateral move", but it certainly is a step up. I'm very happy for you. I can't believe all of the hats you wore at your soon to be old district. I know how...
Good extremely early morning, how many suffer from insomnia either occasionally or chronically? What do you do about it? How do you cope with it? What do you think is the cause of yours? thanks! not...
Good topic! Sun=itchy, bumpy rash on chest; itchy, mottley, uneven type sunburn on other exposed areas; now use 50 sunscreen. I feel unwell, sluggish, get a headache, and sometimes achey and sick to...
Carol, I know how frail you are right now simply because your COPD is so severe. Now add in all of the autoimmune problems and there is no way you haave any business lifting even one finger before,...
The tummy twister--oops I mean spiral (I just went back to see if I got it right and I didn't), is something I'm going to try to remember. In fact, I'm going to write it down. I've got slow motility...
Hi all, It's been quite some time since I've posted. I've just needed to go into lurker mode for a while. Two really great thing have happened since the first of the year: our insurance now includes...
Actually, I would prefer a diet of chocolate and lime doritos with a margarita and guacamole to accomplish everything Judy wants! emmie PS I almost forgot the chocolate chip cookies with milk....
Hi Victoria, I feel for you. You have so many responsibilities and to not have good rest has to be totally unbearable. I go through periods of insomnia usually from stress/anxiety/worry. Something I...
Welcome ATM, It is definitely not a place you want to be in, but you are. It's ok to grieve. I think we all do. I can't think of the stages of grief right now, but someone said this diagnosis is...
Rosie, I am so happy for you guys. You have waited a long time for this. Glad it was so special. You deserve it! xoxo emmie...
Carol--I'm just sending you lots of hugs. If it gets too hard to breathe, you HAVE to call 911 or your brother if it's just getting mildly harder. Keep doing that pursed lipped breathing; it does...
Effexor works great for me as well and I had tried a couple of others before effexor came alonng. But as Carol said, everyone is different. What works for one may not work for another. Good Look!...
Hi Guys, Thanks for getting back to me and sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I ended up getting progressively sicker over the weekend. By last night, I had a fever of 103. Off to my PCP today....
Hi all, Sorry I'm just showing up with a question when I haven't been around much. I've been having a time with my digestive system from the scleroderma. Pity party time. Just don't be a party...
Hey, Nanda! Just want to say welcome from one 53 y.o. to another. Wow, you have had some very interesting things going on your life. Aren't you ready to be done with that??? I"d much rather be...
Barb, Do take care of yourself! Be sure to get the rest you need. Hopefully, you will find this time with your dad one that you get food memories from. xoxo emmie...
Hi, I post on the lupus forum which is considered an overlap to scleroderma which I have. Most people are not familiar with sclero, so for starters it can affect any part of the digestive system. In...
Carol and Redrose, I just double checked because I don't want to give you misinformation. Cymbalta and Effexor are both SNRIs. Your doctor is just switching you from one to the other within the same...
Carol, What good news about your back. I really hope that the shot gives you relief for several months. When it wears off, ask your doctor if you can have another one. A lot of people have shots a...
Ann, Losing a pet is like losing one of the family and that's because they are one of the family. Let yourself be sad. Give your little doggie lots of love and attention now because your little...
Frank, I hope the supplemental Vitamin D does the trick for you. You've got a lot on your plate and you need a vitamin deficiency like a hole in the head. Keep us posted. emmie...
Welcome Lucylynn, I'm glad you felt ready to post. I was a lurker before I posted for the first time also. I wish none of us even needed a place to post, but since we do I'm glad I found this forum....
Hi Carol, First, big hugs to you. So many changes for you in such a short length of time. Cymbalta and Effexor are both in the same class of antidepressants. They are NOT SSRI's. They are classed as...