Former AP Therapy for about 8 years

[carebear]

Hello,

Have not been on this site for a few years.

Trying to sum up my story as well as I can. I had began on a Merry Go Round of doctors trying to figure out what was going on inside my body. It’s scary to think back on how many I traveled to only to say there was nothing wrong with me. The depression and feeling of being so alone even though I was married with a Loving Husband was overwhelming. I am sure many here experienced “Well, there can’t be anything wrong with you, it’s in your head, you look fine to me” and the doctors could not pinpoint my problems either other than I needed to lose weight.

A trip to the library one day where God pointed me to the book The New Arthritis Breakthrough 😉 sitting on a shelf by itself with no other books on either side of it. To me, that was a definite sign and message. When I picked that book up and seen the front cover and checked it out and took it home and began reading, I knew deep in my heart that I would not stop until I found a doctor who would treat me. Not wanting to be given so many pain meds and pills for what I was going through I knew I would seek a doctor who would treat me. In those years, I was not completely given in to eating a more healthy way. Over the years now, I see and have changed many things in my eating. My breakfast always consist of organic greens, flax seed, chia seeds and incorporating some fruits in. I carry raw pumpkin and sunflower seeds in my purse for being out and getting hungry. I buy very little canned or boxed foods and buy fresh or frozen and try to stay away from processed foods. I take Zyflamend as does my husband who suffers himself with back problems, inflammation and Arthritis of the Jaw.

I had went through alot and my husband and I decided to move to be closer to our only daughter. Rough enough just finding new regular doctors. I had quit taking Minocin early 2012. The doctor had always told me that it was something you could not be on for the rest of your life and that changing the way I eat and staying away from Wheat, Sugar, Flour and we all know what we are supposed to stay away from. I had in the beginning did the baths of Epsom Salt and Peroxide and went though some rough spells but then, just as the doctor said, it hit me one day like a ton of bricks that Hey! I am not hurting!!!! I remember that day oh so well.

About a couple of months ago, I began to have knee pain mostly in my right knee. I was walking every day and started going up and down some steps to get extra workout. From there, heat and humidity came and my entire body starting hurting and I remember the feeling all too well. I was hoping maybe this would pass and as time passed, more pain came. My legs have always been very sensitive and always hurt to touch even soft sheets or pillows. In reclining, have to have pillows underneath to help, but they still hurt. Now, my legs are “Bubbling” achy is the only way I can describe what I am going through. Being up on my feet for long period of time my bad feet and legs would hurt but upon good rest and elevation, I was good to go. Going to regular dr. tom. but I also have bad veins which started out of the blue bothering me worse but the Bubbling and ache is crazy and wonder if anyone here with Fibromyalgia has the Achy Bubbling pains in their legs?

My initial thinking is I am still young, 59 and not ready to be stricken with pain and limitations or a ton of pills. Remembering AP therapy and thinking I would be ready again to fight for it if I can because it was a long hard road to get there before. Also, wondering if anyone quit the therapy as I did and started again later or if they quit, had some rough spots that they pulled through. I am sorry so long and tried to post just a bit of what I am going through. I appreciate any replies because once again, feeling alone here. I wish to you all the best of health and happiness. 😉 Sincerely, Carebear

[bsnyder]

Carebear,

I too was totally in remission for five years. Started to get black/blue splotches on face so gave up AP. After all, I was cured, right?

WRONG! It turns out everyone here was right and I was only in remission. Over the last three years I started with just a few aches and pains and gradually got worse. I am NOT as bad as I was years ago during my first round of RA. This is a good thing. About two years ago I started back on AP but TOO aggressively. Where before I had done 100 mg Mino MWF, this time I did the study protocol of 100 mg 2X day. I went into a tremendous herx which just made me miserable as I did not take anything for pain other than ibuprofin.

About three months ago I had a broken crown over an old stinky root canal replaced. This prompted my knees to swell like baseballs which had not happened since my first round with RA years ago. This prompted me to go to Ida Grove to have the IV AP. After the IV AP I also started on the less agressive MWF Mino dosing. I felt much better after the IV AP – I could get out of bed in the morning with MUCH less stiffness.

I am avoiding gluten and trying to eat way more fruits and veggies. I have added fish oil, cherries and yoga. This time I will NEVER go off AP. Carebear, I recommend you return to it too. I believe the doctors who say we must go off AP don’t know what they are talking about. Dr. S. says he wished I had called him when I first got the brown spots. He said I could have switched to Doxy. In fact, when I initially called him I got his wife. When I told her that I had been cured for five years but the RA had come back she said “you stopped taking the antibiotics didn’t you?”

Carebear, in your post you mentioned “the other things we all know about.” I am not sure exactly what you mean. I am a newbie again. Can you tell me the other things you did? Also, how much flax seed oil do you take?

**RBFV edit to remove AP doctor’s full name as per forum guidelines.

[carebear]

bsnyder,

Hello and Thank You for responding. Dr. appt. today and have some vein problems but explained to the doctor who listens to me what I had been through in the past with the Merry Go Round of Doctors in trying to figure out what was wrong with me. In the past when I was on Minocin, my insurance would not cover it and I ended up at the time back then paying for the drug myself and getting from Canada. Back then I think the most I paid at one time was $230 in which they would last me for about nine months as I would treat them like gold and once I had the Minocin good in my system had gotten down to maintaining my pain with about 3 pills per week. The doctor said that there were people who took the generic but she preferred the brand Minocin which is time released and not released into the system all at once like generics.

Once I got the prescription filled and think that Canada could not get it and it actually came from Sweden. Well, at that time I received the pills which looked just EXACTLY like the brand Minocin. Cannot remember how many pills I had taken and began to feel really bad. I would take them early in the morning before my other meds and knew could not be around other meds. I began to feel so bad and on the way to the bathroom one morning I opened up the capsule to find not the little light green tiny beads of timed brand Minocin, but powder and it was generic which put me in a Herx. I called the Canadian Pharmacy and said that you sent me Generic after my doctor specifically wrote DAW (Dipense as Written). From then on, I knew when I received my Minocin to open up the capsule to make sure it was indeed the right stuff.

Now, here I explained this to my dr. today who said she had no problem in helping me if it worked for me in the past. I knew insurance would fight it and when I went to the pharmacy they said we have to have prior authorization from the doctor and she said it was $2,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, I don’t know a whole lot but I know that people who have been through RA, Lupus and many other autoimmune diseases who have fought for their health and the right to help yourself with something known to work which will take away from all the other drugs they want to push on people because the drug industry to me is all about the money they can make with all the dangerous drugs that in order to help one problem are tearing down other things in our bodies. I don’t know what to do now and if to try generic something and not sure Minocycline is still around but know that I had heard some used doxycycline.

When I read the book and seen the people who had been through so many surgeries and horrible experiences and were helped with Minocin I knew that even though with any medication you have to be monitored with blood work, I was much more comfortable being on those little pills vs. a host of pains meds and feeling like a zombie covering up the pain and not getting to the root of the problem. True, now I know yes was in remission and how something can trigger and the ugly pain and depression of being in pain are back.

Now, I have to call my dr. and know that insurance will not cover it for me so not sure what to do other than to try the generic but afraid of introducing which would be slow and afraid of big herx but willing to try something as I know my own body and remember the feelings all too well.

When I was talking about the other things we all know I was just merely talking about the foods we eat. I am not perfect in my eating but have a total different attitude when I go to the grocery store. I despise going and realize that 80 percent of what’s in there no one should really be eating. Now, when I was younger and before went through health issues, I was raised “old school” on white bread, sugar, mashed taters and gravy and beef, chicken, pork, corn, peas and greenbeans. The way our food is raised now we know not so great. I absolutely love my Nutri Bullet and on my second one. I wore the first one out and should have probably invested in an even better one but it serves my purpose of grinding raw seeds and nuts and flaxseed which I even give my dog a mixture of flaxseed and raw pumpkin and sunflower ground and sprinkled on her food. The nutribullet grinds up stems of greens and the core of pineapple and so many things you can make into a drink that you can get down you so easy with the nutribullet. Incorporating fresh ginger, tumeric, red pepper just so many things good to combat inflammation.
Ok, thanks for responding, I get to writing and could write a book. I am glad to see you got back to AP therapy and please keep me in prayer for the same. Hugs of Good Health, Carebear

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