Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Rheumatoid Arthritis and your…teeth?

by 4 Comments
Nov
26
2010
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I’ve mentioned before that Rheumatoid Arthritis is a systemic disease. This means that it affects much more than just the joints. It affects major organ systems as well. Nowhere is this more clear than in the correlation between RA and incidences of heart disease. Scientists are still unsure about why heart attacks occur more often in RA patients than in the general population. Some theorize that the use of steroids and NSAIDs in RA treatment plans are to blame, while others believe that the inflammation that is the hallmark of RA causes blood clots to form in the arteries. But no matter the cause, we all need to be aware of this very real risk and do whatever we can to minimize it. We all know what a heart-healthy lifestyle consists of: a healthy diet high in fiber and protein and low in saturated fat and sodium; no smoking; regular exercise; maintaining a healthy weight. Some of these things are easier than others, especially when dealing with a disease like RA. Regular … [Read more...]

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Let’s Get Real

by 7 Comments
Nov
14
2010
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Lately, I’ve been trying to figure out ways to bring about more awareness about Rheumatoid Arthritis. By awareness, I mean making people aware of the facts surrounding this disease and erasing some misconceptions. So today I want to present a little list of Myths vs. Facts. Myth: RA is what my grandmother has. Her knees really bother her when it rains. Fact: This misconception is one of the many reasons those of us fighting for awareness want the A-word taken out of the name. I’m sure her knees do bother her when it rains. Almost everyone is affected by arthritis as they get older. The difference is that osteoarthritis, which is what most of our grandparents deal with, only affects that joint. It comes with age as the cartilage in the joint wears thin. Rheumatoid Arthritis, however, is a systemic disease. It causes extreme fatigue, painful swelling of the synovial lining in joints throughout the body, and significantly raises the risk of heart disease in patients. Myth: If … [Read more...]

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The Methotrexate War

by 15 Comments
Oct
06
2010
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You know how your cell phone buzzes and you get that little excited feeling? You know it’s buzzing because someone is thinking about you. They mentioned you in a tweet or sent you a text. Or maybe it’s an email or comment on your Facebook status. This evening my phone buzzed while I was talking to my mom. I ignored it since I didn’t want to be rude and promptly forgot about it until I got upstairs to my bedroom. Then I saw that magical red light blinking, reminding me of that little feeling. Who was it? So I unlocked the keypad and saw the message: “MTX shot” Are you kidding me??? What a let down! And how sad is it that I need my BlackBerry to remind me of that every single week? For those of you who don’t know, “mtx” is short-hand for methotrexate. It's the "gold standard" drug given to almost every RA patient, as well as those folks living with Lupus. Every Wednesday night I give myself an injection of .6mL (15mg) of the stuff in my stomach. The shot … [Read more...]

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The End of the Beginning

by 3 Comments
Sep
30
2010
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So here’s the rest of my story. Or at least the rest of the beginning of my story. The Monday following Thanksgiving in 2008 I called my doctor for the referral to a rheumatologist. When they called me back they said they had made me an appointment. In January. I knew there was no way I could wait that long. At that point I could barely walk. It was all I could do to pick Avery up out of his crib. So I called every rheumatologist in the area until I found one that could see me the very next week. At my first appointment with the rheumatologist, she took note of my symptoms - morning stiffness that lasted for hours, pain and swelling in almost every joint, fatigue, etc. She ordered blood work and X-rays of my hands, feet, knees, and hips. I went back a week later, on December 18, 2008, and heard those dreaded words. Rheumatoid Arthritis. Sero-negative RA, to be exact, which simply means that my blood does not show a rheumatoid factor. Turns out a lot of RA patients don’t have … [Read more...]

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Introducing Me…and my RA

by 7 Comments
Sep
29
2010
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Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aubrey and I’ve been living (quite begrudgingly) with Rheumatoid Arthritis for more than two years now. That’s not a lot of time to become an “expert” about any subject (with the possible exception of “types of celery”) and I hope I never become so presumptuous as to consider myself one. What I am, though, is a woman determined to fight this disease and to help others do the same. My story begins February 15, 2008. That’s the day my son, Avery, was born. My twin daughters, Alana and Alexis, were two and a half. Just as I did with the girls, I started breastfeeding Avery from day one. He took right to it and we had no problems whatsoever. He was an almost perfect baby! It broke my heart to put him in daycare when he was eight weeks old, but I was needed at my job. In June of that year, I took one of my thrice daily breaks at work to pump in the supply closet. I sat on the floor “criss-cross applesauce” style like I always … [Read more...]

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