Home Forums Personal History and Progress Threads Chronic hives/arthritis sufferer

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  • #301217
    tainabell
    Participant

    Hi all,

    Just finished The New Arthritis Breakthrough this weekend and I am very interested in how this treatment can be applied to my condition.  I'm a little concerned that the AP won't be applicable to my condition, because its not straightforward rheumatoid arthritis – I'm fairly certain I tested negative on the rheumatoid factor.

    Quick summary of my condition (if that's possible!).  In September 2006, I came down with severe knee pain, a high fever, sore throat, and hives all over my body.  The fever lasted about ten days,  but the hives and joint pains (which had by then wandered into other places, ankles, fingers, shoulders, etc.) remained.  After about six weeks of suffering, I went on a six week course of prednisone which sent me into remission until July 2007. 

    In July 2007, I had the exact same occurrence.  Fever, sore throat, debilitating joint pains and hives.  Fever and sore throat lasted two weeks, then evaporated, leaving just the hives and joint pains.  Repeated prednisone course for six weeks, but once it was over, hives and joint pains bounced back with a fury.  Despite being treatment with every histamine known to man, I have suffered from hives and joint pains every day since July 2007. 

    My x-rays show joint deterioration in several of my fingers on both hands.  I have had persistent swelling for more than six months on at least two fingers.  Currently, I'm being treated with plaquenil and methotrexate.  I would desperately like to get off these drugs.  I'm on rheumatologist #3 now, and this latest one said flatly “I don't do that” when I suggested antibiotic therapy. 

    My question is….do the people on this board think this treatment will work for me (despite that fact that I don't have classic RA, just a non specific “inflammatory arthritis”)? 

    Also, I e-mailed the roadback foundation and asked for doctors in my area (New York City).  They e-mailed me back right away (thanks!), but I've called all of the doctors on the list and none of them take health insurance.  Is there any reason why doctors who do AP don't take insurance? 

    Also, the biggest question that I have about this whole thing is…if AP is so effective, why isn't everyone doing it?  This is hard for me to understand, especially since the proof of effectiveness (according to The New Arthritis Breakthrough) seemed to have come way back in the 90s?!?

    Sorry for the long post…hope to join the discussion soon about my potential treatment.

    Thanks!

    Jen

    #319876
    tainabell
    Participant

    Update 11/19/08

    AP doctor sent me for an IGENIX Lyme panel, Arthritis panel and started me on Minocin MWF 100mg.  That only lasted three weeks, however as….

    I was diagnosed as Lyme positive by a LLMD on 11/15/08 and started on a treatment of doxycycline on 11/17. 

    No change yet!  Will report back when I start to see some progress…

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