Rheumatoid Arthritis

Danell 2006 USA

It started four and a half years ago. I was working at my cubical. My fingers were stiff, and when I looked down they were swollen. They looked like little sausages. I left work and went to my doctor who sent me to a hand specialist. Of course, this “specialist” diagnosed me as having Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. I spent two months doing phyiscal therapy. When I returned for my follow-up appointment, he said, “Well, you’re doing better. You won’t really get any better than this unless you have surgery.” I left his office very angry. I wasn’t any better. I still could not close my hand into a fist, and now I was having trouble walking. My whole body hurt, and I was tired. I went back to my family doctor, and she ran a lot of tests. She called me. “It’s rheumatoid. It’s not anything you will die from. That’s the good news, but there is no cure.” I cried and cried. She sent me to a Rheumatologist, and I started taking all kinds of medications. For two years I tried his way. I gained about 35 pounds because of the prednisone. My hair came out in handfuls because of the methotrexate, and that one made me feel like I had the flu constantly. Remicade was a joke since I built a tolerance to it within four treatments. Enbrel helped, but not enough to decrease the dose of prednisone. Enbrel was tough because it is very expensive, and I had to give myself injections twice a week. Not fun to say the least. Finally, someone mentioned to my mother-in-law that I should see Dr. Sinnott in Ida Grove, IA (close to where she lives). I read Dr.Brown’s book. WOW! From then on I knew there was hope. Not only did I have the treatment. I also began studying about nutrition and health. Since my first IV in 2004, I have been able to decrease my prednisone in-take from 15mg a day to 2mg a day. The only other medication I take for my RA is the antibiotic. I tell everyone that my bad days now are like my good days used to be. Best of all there are periods of no pain. I had thought I would not ever be able to play with my daughter again. This summer I helped her practice for softball. I wrote my rheumatologist a letter, and his response was that he did not use antibiotic treatment because “there is not a predictable response rate.” I just laughed. Sadly, in my studies I have learned that RA is not the only area the medical association has with held information about effective treatments. If you are diagnosed with any disease, it really pays to research all your options. I plan to keep going with my treatment. My goal is to reach total remission. (From my lips to God’s ears.) I will keep working toward wellness.

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