Rheumatoid Arthritis

Jean 2014 USA

RA struck me the Saturday after Thanksgiving 2013. I suddenly had horrible pains and could barely lift my left arm. I felt like I was giving birth to a baby out of parts of my hand- the pain excruciating and I later read that you can actually have tendons explode and lose use of fingers.This pain lasted for 2 days and to me was a 12 out of a 10 in pain level. Then the same pains jumped to my right arm. I couldn’t drive and use the shifter nor pick up a piece of paper, as I couldn’t close my fingers for a fist. I sat around the next 4 months while pains were either in my arms hands feet toes legs and I never knew where and it could race around in minutes or sit and be totally debilitating in one area. This was very hard as I have been a hyperactive person- doing strenuous projects and mostly very healthy. It became hard to walk as the balls of my feet gave the feeling of trying to walk on broken bones.

I will skip the horrible RA Dr my family practice Dr. C.M. found for me; who would take someone within a week and a half- the only good thing was now I had blood tests and numbers showing RA affecting my tendons severely.I did a lot of internet research and knew what I wanted to do and that was follow the Roadback’s plan. It was a 4 month wait for the good RA Dr. M.G.

Luckily my Family Practice Dr C.M. agreed to look up the fact Minocycline was now an approved drug for RA and gave me a prescription- as he said to himself aloud- why am I fighting her over a drug I hand out like candy to every pimply faced kid that walks through the door. He told me he was proud that I had been my own patient advocate on this issue. The horrible RA Dr A.J. did give me Prednisone to calm the inflammation which I took for 2 months but I refused his push for the normal RA drugs.

It was worth the wait for the lady RA Dr.M.G. and she allowed me to continue my 100 mg minocycline 2x’s a day generic brand Actav as this seems to be the best one spoken of. RA Dr. M.G. has given me a prescription for Prednisone if I need it, but have not used it in 6 months as I have not had a significant flare since then. I also have given up eating members of the nightshade family…Tomatoes, Potatoes, Egg Plant and Peppers as I did find symptoms would flair slightly with even minute amounts even potato chips or a tomato based soup got some twinges in my tendons within 3 hours of eating these nightshade family foods.

I also still have Sjogrens issues, but have found some ways to help those tremendously.
I did have the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction but had read enough to know NOT to stop treatment or back down as it was RIGHT on time…about 3 months out. I knew I had turned a corner when my need for numerous daily naps was less, I still get tired feeling once in a while, but its not a daily occurrence; that I have more stamina, and my happy hobby of dancing was allowing me to dance nearly every dance at the recent Halloween bash instead of either forgoing it, or dancing 4 dances the whole night as recent past only allowed but caused painful foot pain for days after. I asked RA Dr. M.G. if I could have blood tests done again, and she said the numbers on RA NEVER go down but agreed to the testing.

Now 10 months out as of November 2014 from start of the minocycline….these are my stats.

My RA Quantitative was 79 and is now 49
My CCP was 523.8 and is now 250.0

I’m hoping to just have them keep going down.
I feel I am back to about 80 percent of who I was before the first attack.
Thank you SO SO SO SO SO VERY VERY VERY VERY much for your site and all the information of people who blogged of what helped and what didn’t.
I pray that they have found health in their search too.

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