Friday, November 11, 2005

 
Looking Back

When I look at the way my RA started I can't help but wonder about what triggered it. From the things I have learned something starts the body immune system, then the system gets confused and attacks itself. Looking at the fact my body was fighting something in the late summer and by January I had RA -- what made it start? I suspect it was a virus of some sort.

There is some research that supports my thought. The question is what virus -- no idea -- I don't remember being sick with anything.

It is really frustrating not knowing what started all of this.

ElaineH.

 
The Begining Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

I was diagnosed with RA in late January 2005. It has been recommended that I start this blog about my life with RA. One of the side effects of RA is depression. I find writing to be good therapy for dealing with depression. It is always best to start at the beginning so here it goes.

In July 2004 I went in for yearly check up. The blood work came back with a very high white blood cell count. My doctor wasn’t overly worried and told me it meant my body was fighting an infection and we should run the test again in 30 days. Back in 30 days and sure enough the white blood count was back in the normal range.

In October I began noticing a hard hot place was just under the skin on my lower leg. I expected I was about to have a boil form, but it never formed and a couple of smaller places appeared. So I went back to my doctor. She looked at it and said it might be erythema nodsum but started a round of antibiotics in case it was some kind of insect bite and I was to come back in 10 days. I return after taking the antibiotics with more places now on both legs. My doctor was sure it was erythema nodosum but sent me to a dermatologist for a second opinion. The diagnosis was confirmed by the dermatologist.

Now erythema nodosum is a fairly common problem – nothing I had every heard of before but the dermatologist took one look at my legs and confirmed it. The treatment is bed rest until it clears up, which may take months. This condition is a side effect to something else – the "something else" list is very long but includes things like viruses, pregnancy, TB, etc. The dermatologist sent me back to my doctor. My doctor started me on a round of steroids. She didn’t know what could be causing the problem but said it could be a forerunner to the onset of RA. She wanted to see me back in a couple of weeks.

I tried to work but my legs kept on getting worse; the erythema nodosum was spreading. My feet were swollen really badly so I started a diuretic. Finally the week before Thanksgiving I took sick leave. I work at a University and we would be closed for the last 2 weeks of December which meant I had about 6 weeks of bed rest. My legs and feet got so bad I couldn’t wear shoes. I spent the holidays sitting or lying.

The university computer people hooked up my laptop so I could work from home. I was able to work 4-6 hours a day with my feet up. I worked on a couple of projects that I didn’t have time to do at the office, so the 6 weeks weren’t a total waste of time.

In early December my hands started hurting. On one of my visits to my doctor I told her about my hands. She had asked earlier if RA was in my family and I told her I didn’t know. Over Thanksgiving one of my cousins was in visiting and I learned she had been diagnosed with RA a few years earlier. I shared this new found information with my doctor and she referred me to a rheumatologist. I went to the rheumatologist in January.

In the meantime, my legs were red, hot, and very painful - walking was almost unbearable. It was like electrical charges were shooting off in my legs. My hands were getting worse. Main thing I remember about that time was pain – it seemed almost everything about me was hurting.

During my first visit to the rheumatologist I was asked a long list of questions, gave lots of blood for blood work, and went through a series of x-rays. Back the following week. The blood work revealed I carry the gene for Ankylosing Spondylitis, but did not show the blood markers of RA. The x-rays revealed no joint damage. But my hands were getting worse. The erythema nodsum was starting to go away. The physical exam revealed swelling in almost every small joint of my hands, elbows, knees, ankles, and toes. It was taking about 30 minutes in the morning before all my joints loosened up. So by this evidence I was diagnosed with RA with the caveat that the diagnosis might change to Ankylosing Spondylitis since I carry the gene.

So began my life with RA – early February 2005.

The medications I now take – methrotrexate and sulfasandine. I also take a big dose of folic acid, Osto-Bi-Flex, flax seed oil and fish oil. My rheumatologist is in favor using supplements to help boost my systems. I have had some side effects from the methrotrexate – easier to get sick and harder to get well and now the blood work shows there is some problems trying to develop with my liver (this bit of news was the reason I have started writing about this situation). I will be going back for more blood work to see if the reduced intake of methrotrexate helps with the problem.

That is a synopsis of learning about RA and where I am today. I will be posting more as I go along. This is to be therapeutic so sometimes the postings may be less than happy. So if you read something that seems extremely down, don’t fret too much about me because I am basically a very happy person who is living with RA.

ElaineH.

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