Rheumatoid Arthritis

Chris 2014 Canada

I have probably had Rheumatoid Arthritis for more than a decade but was formally diagnosed in April, 2012. My symptoms in the early years were swollen ankles and knees. I saw a rheumatologist occasionally but to me he was the Doc who would drain my knees. I’d limp in to see him and dance out after having a knee drained. During these years I also semi successfully managed inflammation with anti-inflammatory medicines, originally Naprosyn and then Arthrotec. My condition was frequently disappointing but never debilitating.

In April, 2012 my annual physical showed a positive RA Factor, a first. In July, after playing hockey one night the next day I couldn’t bend one of my fingers. My hands and wrists started to get weaker and weaker. I had to lever myself off the floor by placing an elbow on a couch. I had a one year old and a three year old at home and I was the primary care giver – so I was on the floor a lot.

By that winter my hands and wrists were in extreme pain and were completely weak without dexterity. I couldn’t mash a banana with a fork. I timed myself one morning and it took me six minutes to pull on a pair of pants and a pullover shirt. I had many nights when I simply couldn’t sleep because of the pain. It was often in my legs as well as my hands. I had been taking Arthrotec for a couple of years. I started taking four tablets daily instead of two and added painkillers, up to four a day most days. I’ve always played hockey but now I could barely pick up a stick let alone squeeze it. Life as a new parent was not the fun it should have been.

By January 1, 2013 I had starting seeing a new rheumatologist who confirmed with a physical exam, x-rays and mri’s that I indeed had RA. She told me there was no cure and it was important to begin RA medicine starting with the ‘gold standard’ methotrexate. If it didn’t work there were others to try. I took it for three months but felt unwell with it, experiencing tightness in my core, head tension and some nausea. I returned to her to talk about alternatives having now read “The Road Back” by Thomas McPherson Brown. I took the book with me. She had not heard of it nor of an antibiotic protocol to treat RA and it was all moot as no one she knew of had ever been able to overcome RA. You could only try to manage pain and inflammation – for life.

Against her advice I took a break from medication to try some natural things like krill oil, turmeric tablets, juice detoxing and things of this ilk. Maybe they helped me a little but I was still in poor health. She went on maternity leave and I had a new rheumatologist by the summer. Both these women were just in their 30’s, new school I had hoped but I don’t believe there is such a thing in traditional rheumatology methodologies. In September, 2013 I went back on methotrexate and ended up combining Leflunomide with it after I didn’t show much improvement and I was still on anti-inflams and painkillers. It made no difference and I was prescribed Enbrel to go with the methotrexate.

Luckily that autumn I had read a testimony on this website. a site for RA and other disease sufferers that believe there illnesses might be successfully eradicated or at least help them to a much better quality of life. She, like me, was a Torontonian and six years ago had been fairly badly crippled with RA. Eventually she found out about an integrative doctor and with his help beat her RA and totally got her health back. She immediately became a wonderful support for me.

In late November I booked an appointment with the same doctor and once again stopped methotrexate, and the leflunomide. I got my appointments on November 19th and December 19th and spent over three hours in total over these visits before I received the recommendation to try hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) therapy which I began on December 23rd. At the same time I picked up my Enbrel from the drug store. Because of my not initially having my coverage in place I learned that it costs $5000 for a three month supply. I put it in the fridge. After less than a month of H2O2 (six treatments) I stopped taking my anti-inflammatory medicine and pain killers. Since then I have taken maybe ten anti-inflammatory pills in total and now (May, 2014) it’s been at least two months since I’ve taken one and I simply never feel the need. Lucky me.

The other thing my new doctor recommended was doing a DNA blood test to see if I had any of the infection markers related to RA. I got my results in mid January and I did test positive for chlamydia pneumoniae. I was prescribed 100 mg of Minocycline daily. After one month my prescription was refilled for three months. I have one week left to go and I honestly feel that this combination of antibiotics and H2O2 have perhaps removed the cause of RA from my body and so much of the pain and suffering that comes with it.

Not only am I playing hockey with my four year old in the back yard I returned to the ice myself ten days ago for the first time in almost two years. And I wrestle daily with my two year old. He no longer needs his bananas mashed but I always offer.

My Enbrel sits in the fridge – forever to be untouched as far as I’m concerned.

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