MIL update and SD advice

[nspiker]

Hi Parisa,

I really appreciate your guidance. This would be so much easier if we lived close by, but unfortunately do not. As of yesterday, she was taking all of her medication, with no side effects. My preference for her, and she feels the same, would be to take supplements instead of some of the prescription meds. It’s just too difficult to manage at a distance, without face-time with the doctor. So for now, I guess she’ll try the calcium channel blockers and blood thinner instead of systemic enzymes and naicin or grapeseed extract, and we’ll see how effective they are.

Raynauds and neuropathy in her feet are her biggest issues. I sent her some slippers and gloves to keep her warm. My husband was thinking of ordering heated motorcycle gloves for her. The “big doctor” in the Houston medical center smirked, when she said her not-so-famous rheumatologist recommended wearing gloves for Raynauds. She basically wears them all the time, and they help a lot.

I think one of the problems with the nausea was that she was not eating a full meal with her medications, and from all that you’ve said, Plaquenil could cause stomach upset. She has agreed to start taking the probiotics, but she did say she has been taking Activia at night, so that should help. Eventually we’ll get the treatment in place, and a schedule for what to take when. I think a pill organizer is a good idea, and also a list of medications and timing.

Thanks again for input. I don’t know what I’d do without you guys…
nancy

[Parisa]

Hi Nancy,

My husband used the silk liner gloves for a couple of years and he eventually switched to Isotoner therapeutic gloves that were recommended by the Wound Care nurses. They seem to exert a gentle pressure which also helps with swelling. Here’s a link:

http://isotonertherapy.com/product_info/index.php

The amazing thing is that my husband had such bad hands from the very beginning and none of his doctors mentioned using gloves until a year or so into his illness. It makes such a difference and is so basic and it blew me away later on to think that something so important could be neglected.

[nspiker]

Thanks Parisa for your link on Isotoner gloves. I’m assuming we should order the closed finger gloves, and not open finger, right? I’m thinking the open finger would give more mobility, but wouldn’t help with keeping the extremities warm.

nancy

[Parisa]

Yes, definitely the closed finger gloves.

[sadie]

Nancy,
When my Raynauds was at it’s worst, I read a tip by a dr to let centrifical force help. This works for fingers, I’m not sure if you could figure something out for the feet. Anyway, all you do is stand up and swing your arm around in a full circle, literally forcing the blood into your fingers. Usually for me, one time would do it. Sometimes I had to do it a second or third time but not often. That technique, along with warmth as Parisa suggests, really helped me a lot. Good luck.
Sadie

[nspiker]

Thanks Sadie, I’ll pass that along to my MIL. That’s something that is easy to do, doesn’t cost anything, and is not another medication!!!

nancy

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