Rheumatoid Arthritis

John 2002 USA

Five years ago I thought I was indestructible. Really, I thought that I would live forever and that given any situation I could overcome anything. Boy, has this been a learning lesson. Five years ago I came down with horrible migratory joint pain that started in my legs and Spread to every major joint in my body. I remember being 25 years old and owning my own successful landscaping business. I was stronger than I had ever been and here I was laying in my van on July 4th crying my eyes out in agonizing pain while my wife, kids, mother and friends were on the river watching the fireworks, with the other 100,000 people in my town. My doctor tested me for everything but the only thing that stood out was the Sedimentation Rate. We thought it might be Lyme disease but tested negative. Even still I asked to be treated. He prescribed Tetracycline and I was cured in less than three weeks. A month later I started getting some pains back and asked for more Tetracycline, and I was better in 3 days. To my limited knowledge of medicine I was treated for Lyme disease and got better. I was completely cured of whatever got me until October of 2000. I had the exact same symptoms this time except for the rash that bothered the doctors more than me. It was the pain I was concerned with, and I wanted some Tetracycline. But, the doctor Told me he wouldn?t prescribe it unless I tested positive for Lyme. Instead he Told me it was my nerves and gave me Attarax. Believing this new doctor I went against my better judgment and gave up temporarily on the drug that had cured me once before (Tetracycline) I continued to get worse and worse, and went from doctor to doctor with no diagnosis. Finally after it went into my hands I begged a doctor who is a neighbor of mine to give me Tetracycline. I again got better in less than three weeks. But this time I had Permanent pain in my wrists. I used to be unbeatable at arm wrestling and now I had to ask my 8 year old son to open the front door to my own house, because I was unable to do so myself. I should have gotten more Tetracycline, but instead another doctor believed I might have Rheumatic Fever, and put me on Amoxicillin. I steadily got worse again. He had also given me Prednisone that worked instantly, but as soon as I got off it, the pain and rashes came back. I Finally was able to get some more Tetracycline and began taking it for three weeks With no improvement. Actually I was getting worse. Which I read is normal Before you get better, on this kind of Antibiotic treatment. Then I was diagnosed, with Still?s (Adult onset Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis) and was taken off it once again. I was the placed on Prednisone and MTX, by my Rhuematologist. It was helping, but I knew I was not being cured like I was before. I could feel the pain coming on like I had just been beaten right before it was time to take my next dose of Steroids. I hated being on Steroids. It made me irritable and caused me to grow hair in places I never had before. I had a few big black hairs actually growing out of the end of my nose. These I could have lived with, but I was seriously troubled by the idea of being on Prednisone for a long time. I had heard of all the problems it can cause and was terrified. I had also lost a lot of muscle and went from a healthy 215lbs. To 175lbs. I had heard most people gain weight while on Prednisone but I had no appetite and most foods caused me to break out in rashes and pain within minutes of eating them. In my experience when you are ill with this disease, certain foods do exacerbate this disease. I didn?t want to believe so at first. All my doctors told me this just certainly was not possible. I felt stupid for not believing them but would break out in horrible pain just minutes after eating ice cream or drinking a Big Red soda. I had to finally give up on my doctors and start listening to my own body. I figured out that anything with preservatives caused me pain, including dairy products, soda, and anything with sugar in it, including simple carbohydrates. The Prednisone will counteract some of these inflammations, but only to a point. Then your body will let you know something is wrong no matter how much steroids you give it. I was able to get back to a somewhat livable life by staying away from most any kind of food and taking this drug cocktail. But I could barely walk, couldn?t start my car because the limited motion of my wrists and was becoming severely hopeless. I felt so weak, frail, covered in hives looking rash, that I was demoralized. I was no longer able to wrestle or play with my kids, and my wife had to do everything for me including run my business. . This was my lowest hour, but I was not able to forget how I had been so dramatically helped by Tetracycline before. I asked my Rheumy about it and he said it was just coincidental. I?M SO SORRY I BELIEVED HIM. Then one day when I was able to get out of bed, my wife?s best friend came over and prayed with my with such fervent belief, asking God to heal me. I had prayed many times myself but was so weak that I couldn?t muster the belief that God would really help me. Her belief gave mine the strength it needed to believe. I was inundated the following week with thoughts popping into my head to get back on the Tetracycline, and this time take the Prednisone at the same time. It went against everything I had learned about Rheumatoid arthritis at the time but I didn?t care something was putting these thoughts in my head and I was determined. Within one week I could feel a difference. Two weeks and I was walking, driving, starting to live my life somewhat normal again. 3 weeks and I was out landscaping with my crews again, and they couldn?t believe it. All this time my workers had seen me deteriorate to a shell of what I was before. None of them understood what was happening to me or probably really cared as long as I continued to make out there checks. But seeing me get better just all of a sudden seemed to dismay them even more than me getting sick. Here it is 5 months later and I am starting to forget the whole ordeal. I?m within the last 2 weeks able to anything I want without rashes or pain and arm wresting again. I just beat my 18-year-old brother in law who works out. I never thought I would be able to shake his hand again, let alone beat him in arm wrestling. God is goood! If I learned anything from this it is that I am certainly not indestructible but I can get through anything with Gods help. I believe that this disease and many others are caused by bacteria, Maybe Mycoplasm maybe others but definitely some type of foreign invader. I believe it is attacked by your immune system which then turns on your own body, it has learned how to do this over a long period of time and takes equal amount of time unlearn. You have to give the Antibiotics time to kill the bacteria, and enough time for your body to learn how to quit attacking itself. During this time you need to take Acidophilus, in order to put back the good bacteria in your stomach and eat less sugars. B12 shots did miracles for me and most of all get on massive doses of vitamins A, C, and E. This with time and prayer will cure you; take it from me a true.

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