All posts tagged: postaday

RA nodules

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Rheumatoid nodules are commonly talked about when rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is discussed. It might surprise you to know that only 7% of those newly diagnosed with RA have rheumatoid nodules. So they are not characteristic symptoms of newly diagnosed RA. Overtime, about 25% of those with positive Rheumatoid Factor (RF) develop nodules. Nodules are frequently present in the more severe cases of RA, those more likely to have rapid progression of joint destruction and to develop vasculitis.  75% of those with Felty’s syndrome, more common in white males, have rheumatoid nodules. Current smokers with RA plus nodules usually have more severe disease. In those with seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, about 6% develop rheumatoid nodules. The condition of having rheumatoid nodules is called rheumatoid nodulosis. The nodules form below the skin near joints. They are firm and frequently moveable. They are not tender and are not usually harmful. They are 2 mm (.008 inch) to 5 cm (2 inch) and may occur singly or in clusters. They are formed in three, under the microscope, stages: acute inflammation …

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Oral bacteria, rheumatoid arthritis and the TSA

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There is a growing link between oral bacteria and rheumatoid arthritis. I keep this in mind as I pack my suitcase for my visit to my favorite people, my grandchildren, Madison and Nate. I packed my fancy toothbrush, my Tom’s toothpaste, floss and pics. I had a small container of Biotene mouth rinse. However, I only had a big jug of Crest Pro Health Multi-protection mouth rinse. I could not find a travel container among my travel gear. I improvised. I had a snap-it plastic container, guaranteed never to leak. Perfect, I thought. I am set to go. Traveled. Arrived. Couldn’t find my mouth wash. Managed with what I had. Enjoyed a wonderful visit. Traveled home. As I was cleaning out my suitcase I noticed two pieces of paper. The first said my luggage had been chosen to be inspected. The second was as follows I found out what happened to my mouthwash. The TSA has saved the country again by confiscating the very mouthwash that helps protect my mouth from disease and consequently worsening …

A celebration of Recovery 10,000Waves

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About as high as you can go up into the mountains in Santa Fe on the road to the Ski Basin is tucked a high-class Japanese Spa specializing in bodywork and skin care. Ten Thousand Waves.  My destination. Just what I need. I desperately need. My treatment choice is NOSE TO TOES. A Mother’s Day gift certificate from Chris and Katie. I live in Albuquerque and this would be my first road trip in three years. I gassed my Tin Lizzy, my 5-year-old Mini Cooper Clubman. Pepper white. Turbo. Added bottled water, spa directions.  Put on my winter jacket. Ready to go. Finally!  This is November. I headed toward I-25. Sunny day. Cool. I am on the road.  I am also on the recovering end of a devastating year. The year was 2013. Almost three years ago. I had been diagnosed with a severe rheumatoid arthritis followed by two different diagnoses of cancer. Surgery. Radiation for each. Pills forever. No relief for the RA until this year with the start of Orencia. It is a …

Test Week

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Since my Rheumatoid Arthritis and my two cancers were diagnosed in the same year, it is logical that  milestones occur the same way.  In one week I had  tests for my two cancers. On Monday I had a Thyrogen shot in the butt. The medication  acts like TSH, a hormone  that  normally stimulates your thyroid. ( $1400 each without insurance, $135 each with). Tuesday I repeated Monday with another shot. On Wednesday I went to nuclear med for a radioactive pill.  I am not radioactive. I feel like I am. I am also given two containers of MOM. The tech said it was a mild laxative. One tonight. One Thursday night. it wasn’t mild. I was also instructed to eat lightly. On Thursday I went to Radiology Associates of NM for a diagnostic mammogram. I do love this place. Friendly people. Coffee. Special cute patient gowns.  I felt that I would be fine, but I had the vivid memories of when I was not. So I still worried. Lucky me!  There was no sign of cancer. A …

Walking with Wisdom Woman

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RA Attitude After an MRI of my lumbar spine. Seeing the bad news. Being sent to yet another specialist. Spine and Pain Clinic. I was totally discouraged. In the same small office complex, I visit my rheumatologist, my neurologist, my oncologist, my palliative care nurse and now a pain doc. And this is just one of the office buildings I visit. I was discouraged because I could see it as another proof that my body was falling apart. Am I on a steep slippery slope looking downwards? Scary. I was scared. Then, as if by magic, my Irish-French Canadian genes kick in. What to do? A long time ago I had come to the conclusion that I needed to keep my primary focus on the activities of my life.  My writing. My family. My friends. My Hobbit House Projects. I would not ignore my medical issues. I would care for them well. And then I would bring my focus back to the activities of my life. Sometimes I could do more and sometimes less. It …

Ruth explains RESET

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The delicacy of the mahogany writing desk. Petite. Leather inlay surface. Slender wood turned legs. Just right for Ruth.  She sat back straight in her neat smoothed dress. Her eyes twinkled in greeting. “I need help,” I said. She glanced toward the strait backed chair next to the desk. I sat. “I am discouraged. Exhausted. Defeated. Weak. Worried.  In pain. All of it in a jumbled pile in my mind. Too much.” She smiled her little smile as she looked into my eyes. “It does sound like too much,” she agreed.  “It weighs like an anchor on your soul leaving you feeling stuck. You need relief.”  She understood as always.  “Maybe it is time to RESET yourself. You are overloaded with tough stuff.” “Let’s have tea and sit in the big cozy chairs, “she suggested. As we sipped our tea and munched on lemon cookies with buttercream frosting, she explained the process. The first and most important RESET step is the Purge. The purpose is to empty the mind of all concern. Meditation can be too …

Ruth has RA, too

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  I love Ruth. I smile when I see her and Ruth always smiles back at me.   Her blue eyes twinkle with a happy secret. I would like to know what Ruth knows. She always looks the same. She wears a blue dress that looks just right. Her hair is neatly parted to the side. Her hands are folded on the front of her dress. Polite. Neat. Helpful. Ruth works in a  bookstore that has many books both new and old. There is every book you could ever want to read in Ruth’s store. The bookstore also has excellent coffee.  There are  big cozy chairs for reading.  It is a good place to spend lots of time. Ruth works in the best bookstore. I met Ruth at her bookstore. I was looking for a hard cover copy of Preston and Child’s Relic. Great book. It is everywhere, paperback, kindle, nook. The hard cover copy is not.  It is hard to find. I have read it but I wanted a hardcover for my library. Of course, I knew …

RA Tool Hand Exercises

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Another asset in our RA tool box is hand exercises. We need to maintain our flexibility and our strength. Deciding that I needed to be able to do more for myself, I asked my Doc to send me to the Albuquerque Health Plex Physical Therapy Hand Clinic. Wow!  is all I can say. My hands were thrilled with the weekly professional paraffin wax treatment. I learned a set of exercises that will help me maintain my hand function. I do them daily. They can be done anywhere.  Below are instructions for a few. I was fitted for hand orthotics custom made for me. I have them for night use when I am in a flare. My hands are protected while I sleep. I asked and I received. I am also fortunate to have a physical therapy department that is expert in the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Finger Walking Place fingers and wrist on the table palm down. Hold thumb in hitchhiking position. Walk each finger one at a time toward thumb. Return to original position …

My RA 10 minute exercise plan

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  Repeat after me Move! Historically, I have always been a mover: swimming laps, walking a big dog, yoga classes, physically active job, cancer rehab, silver sneakers core, tai chi, gardening, etc.  RA changed a lot of that. I reached a point where I was so sick I could hardly move. I moved only because it hurt more when I didn’t move. I don’t think anyone understands how hard it can be just to get dressed. Running errands is exhausting. Going to the gym, just a dream for the moment. I cannot walk far  as I have bad ankle and foot damage. Going to the gym, for now, feels like planning a trip to the moon. However, I know that muscle strength, flexibility, aerobic conditioning are vital to RA stability. And it needs to happen every day. When I feel better, I swim laps. In June it was a quarter mile free style. Felt good.  Presently, that seems overwhelming. Not the swimming but the dynamics around it. I have devised a ten minute exercise set …

Renoir and RA

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Bal du Moulin de la Galette sold in 1990 at Sotheby’s for $79 million. Renoir painted this scene of popular Parisian life in 1876.   It was a typical Sunday afternoon at Moulin de la Galette in the district of Montmartre in Paris.  An impressionistic image. Vivacious and joyful in nature.   In fact, he painted not one but two of the same scene. One large and one small. Almost identical with minor differences in style. The larger of the two paintings hangs in Musee d’Orsay, which houses the largest collection of impressionist masterpieces in the world. The smaller of the two, the one sold for $79 million, is in a private collection. Pierre-Auguste Renoir loved painting. He started his career at the young age of 13 working in a porcelain factory. He frequently visited the Louvre to study the French masters.  He spent his lifetime studying and admiring the paintings of  the master painters. With his factory earnings, he joined Alfred Sisley, Frederic Bazille and Claude Monet for classes at Charles Gleyre’s studio.     Renoir along with Pissarro, Monet, …