New here and considering AP

[jlynne]

Hi my name is Jodie and I am 45 years old.

I’ve been having symptoms of RA so my dr ordered a series of blood tests. I received the results yesterday.

SED RATE 19 Reference (0-20)

URIC ACID 5.2 Reference (3.5-7.2)

ANTI CITRULLINE >250.0 (A) H

Interpretation: Strong Positive

RHEUMATOID FACTOR 121 H Reference (0-13)

ASO 92 Reference (0-530)

D-nase B TITER 179 Reference (0-300)

ANA SCREEN Negative

My primary doctor has referred me to a rheumatologist. I have since emailed and received a list of doctors in my area who do AP.

So I guess I am at a crossroads. I want to try the AP therapy first since it makes more sense to me but am a little apprehensive about talking to a rheumatologist about this and finding that he is not willing to do it. I guess I need advice and I am really wanting to understand my lab results a little better. Please respond. I want to be proactive in my care but I really want to try other procedures first to see if they work before going on chemo drugs and immune suppressing drugs.

Is there degrees of RA and can you tell it from these blood tests?

Any and all comments are welcome. I am frightened by what I have read of this disease….I feel so alone.

[marg]

HI Jody,
My daughter was a litle younger than you when she developed very sudden, severe RA. Her rheumy put her on methotrexate and painkillers, which she took for 3 months. The meds certainly did reduce the inflammation and pain, also her hair started to fall out. At her check-up she and I were prepared with reading material for the rheumy ( from the Raodback) about AP. However the Dr. said she could try AP – and was clearly believing it would not be effective. She required my daughter to come off the MTX immediately, no gradual reduction while she started Minocin.

Quite amazingly, once the dosage issue was resolved, my daughter responded quickly. In another 3 months all she had was one purple swollen knuckle and that was gone in another month or two. She had been so bad that even her jaws were swollen and she couldn’t chew. Now, close to 6 years later, my daughter remains on a maintenance dose and has been in remission for more than 5 years.

It seemed to us that starting AP close to the onset of RA really helped. We also think that the MTX could have played a part in reducing the inflammation and therefore making it easier for the Minocin to access the cells.

Hope this helps as you decide what’s right for you. I would encourage you not to waste too much time…
Good Luck.

[kater]

Hi Jody
I am very new to this and I also was apprehensive about asking for ap. Of the 4 doctors I have seen –1 rheumy, 1 gp and 2 naturopaths, they were all open to the ap but not one of them would suggest it! They only prescribed it because I asked. It is not standard care and so in my opinion if you don’t ask for it you won’t get it unless you are seeing an ap doc. I have been on Minocin and Clindamycin for 7 weeks for Scleroderma and it is helping. I can’t help specifically with your labs but you can google all those tests individually to decipher what they MAY mean.
take care
kate

Systemic Scleroderma since 2010. Lyme and Myco P. AP and many other antibiotics and treatments since Nov. 2011. Presently mostly in remission other than fatigue.
Teva Minocycline 100mg a day. Dessicated tyroid, LDN 4.5, LDI, hawthorne, curcurmin, berberine,, caprylex, reishi mushroom, liver protect, zinc,, fish oils, magnesium, vit K2, d3, bcomp, E, C

[crowchez]

Hi Jodie,

I well remember the fear you’re talking about. But you’re not alone – you have us!

My symptoms came to a head BECAUSE of being on doxycycline. I had my proof before even realizing I was looking for it. 😆 But my gp & I didn’t know we were on AP so he referred me to a rheumy. By that time I had done some reading & found this forum. I asked about minocycline & was told the party line: mild anti-inflammatory, no proof, yadda yadda. So I just had to wait for my AP doc appointment, all the while already improving.

I can’t help you with your test results (I’m completely sero-negative) but if your doc thinks you have a rheumatic disease, make an appointment for an AP doc (or talk to your gp if the wait is long – they might be willing to get you started on minocycline). And keep reading here & following the links that people post. And reading The New Arthritis Breakthrough by Henry Scammell. There is so much good stuff out there for us. I don’t want to call it hope because it’s better than hope: there are many very sick people who have used AP to get well again. I call that proof.

Wishing you better health in the new year.

Deirdre

[Author]

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