All posts tagged: RA attitude

RA and Heart Disease

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The number one cause of death for those with rheumatoid arthritis is cardiovascular in origin.The mortality rate for those with RA is 2.5 times what is normal for everyone else. The increased rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in those with RA is caused in part by accelerated atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) due to the chronic inflammation of RA. Atherosclerosis is the most common cardiovascular manifestation in RA. Inflammation is bad for the body. It causes damage. Early aggressive treatment for RA may reduce the inflammatory process and reduce the number of deaths due to atherosclerosis. Paradoxically in RA, a low BMI (less than 18.5) has been associated with a high CVD risk. RA doubles the risks of most heart related disorders including Those with RA have twice the risk of heart failure. The risk is higher in those with seropositive RA than  it is with those who are seronegative RA. RA patients do not have the typical signs of heart failure so they might be treated less aggressively than they need to be. Rheumatoid …

Cannabis at Eleven

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For about half of us the biologic medication of the last twenty-five years has been helpful in reducing symptoms and lessening disability. Methotrexate has been a big help. It is especially helpful when given in combination with the biologics. The JAK inhibitors can cause cancer. Since I have had five cancers, they are not advisable. It has been eleven years since my diagnosis. I have learned to live with my symptoms. I do know that it is important to keep moving. Sitting in your favorite chair reading a good romance novel or instead catching up with your broadcasts, or podcasts, is inviting. But it is still important to alternate physical motion with sitting in the easy chair. We all know how stiff we feel after sitting for a while. It is called gelling. I still have a bad flare that lasts a week once a month. There is not much I can do when my pain level is between a five and a seven. The inflammation level is high and makes me feel sick. I …

RA, a Progressive Disease

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I have seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. That means I have more issues with inflammation and less joint damage that a person with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. My rheumatologist sometimes thinks they must be two different diseases. Once diagnosed both are given the same treatment. I was on methotrexate for seven years. It helped about fifty percent. Biologics helped anywhere from twenty to fifty percent. The combination made life bearable. Methotrexate had been a difficult drug with the side effects of nausea and diarrhea. They passed. With the injectable version of methotrexate, the side effects disappeared. I have a history of breast cancer that required surgery and radiation. It left my breast tissue with poor circulation. I developed methotrexate black box complication number thirteen, soft tissue necrosis. It took ten months to heal and included surgery. Absolutely no more methotrexate, or it would happen again. So I lost my fifty percent relief. I was lucky to get twenty percent relief with the biologics. I have been through most of them. The TNF inhibitors can cause cancer and the …

Diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis

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Once a person has at least one joint that is painful and inflamed, a rheumatologist can use a ten point check to help diagnose rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The assessment covers four areas: joint involvement, serology, acute phase reactants plus duration of symptoms. There is a total of ten points. A score of six confirms a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Here is how it breaks down. Choose one from each group and total.. A. Joint involvementOne large joint 0 points2-10 large joints 1 point1-3 small joints 2 points4-10 small joints 3 pointsGreater than 10 joints including at least one small joint 5 points B. Serology (blood tests)Negative RF and negative ACPA 0Low positive RF or low positive ACPA 2High positive RF or high positive ACPA 3 C. Acute phase reactants(inflammation blood tests)Normal CRP and normal ESR 0Abnormal CRP or abnormal ERS 1 D. Duration of symptoms< 6 weeks 0 6 weeks 1 My choices are a total of 7. Note I am seronegative, and it took a lot of joint involvement to get a positive diagnosis. …

The Cruel side effect of Flares

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A side effect of having flares is their random quality. One day a person with RA may be out dancing with the girls. The next week she may not able to join them because she is not well. Repeat. And then repeat. Is she neurotic? Her friends may be thinking. They stop asking her to go with them. Another young mother with RA  may ask her husband or her mother to help more with the children when she is having a flare that puts her flat. She was able to explain the severe and random nature of rheumatoid arthritis flares. Her husband and her mother had come to understand the severe and random nature of RA and were happy to help her more when she needed it. So, this is what a person with RA has to deal with.  You may be spending a large share of your time in severe pain. You may have serious doubts about your future. People will still look at you and say you look healthy to them.  And although …

August Journal

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I watched the last night of the Democratic convention. Vice-President Harris is a surprise.  For the last three years she has been the quiet figure standing near President Biden when he speaks. No more. She is a breath of fresh air. She is strong. There is no doubt what her agenda will be. This is my summer of learning about baseball. They do have a lot of little rules and it is about the numbers. We are Phillies fans. Through thick and thin. My favorites are Straum, a toe tapping relief pitcher, Castellanos, right fielder and dependable hitter, and Stubbs, relief catcher, energized team player. I like them because they all are characters and all are solid team players. My rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is about the same. The medical establishment offers me little at this point. I am still on Kevzara which helps up to twenty percent. I am on a low dose steroid, Medrol. My pain levels range from four to seven on a scale of one to ten. I supplement my medical treatment with …

Writing and RA

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About six months ago I fell into a writer’s block. I could not read another article on rheumatoid arthritis or write another article about living with it  I continued to read my Danial Silva novels, and as time passed I let Bob, my sourdough starter, pass into sourdough heaven. Who knows why what did happen. But I changed. Yes, I did. I watched the world series with my son. I was totally amazed at how unpredictable a game of baseball played out. It was fun. I love the Phillies. I joined my son and became a Phillies fan. We watch all the Phillies games that we can. I know all the players. Bryce Harper, first base, JT catcher, Bohm and home runs. All the players are great. Last night’s game was exciting. The Phillies were behind. Bohm finally  tied the game and Castellanos made the winning play in the tenth inning. Wow! Seven years ago I wrote a  10,000 word start to a novel. I put it away. I decided to take another look at …