Itching and RA
When a person has rheumatoid arthritis, intense itching may be caused by inflammatory cytokines.
All posts tagged: zerotohero
Rheumatoid Arthritis, living close to the edge
Understanding that rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease is the first step in learning to live with this tough disease.
RA Biologics affecting your interleukin-6
RA biologics affecting your interleukin 6: Actemra and Kevzara.
RA, Nighttime and Cortisol
We all agree that mornings with RA is not easy. Stiffness, pain, and suffering that feels like it lasts forever. I have learned to manage morning pain well. I usually wake up about five or six to use the rest room. At that time, I take pain medication and I go back to sleep. When I wake up around eight, the edge has been taken off my discomfort. I have coffee and read the New York Times for an hour. And then I am good to go. Some of us with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience increased pain at night. When I am in a flare, I have a hard time sleeping. My body feels worn and ragged. Knuckles, wrists, shoulders, feet, ankles, pelvic girdle, spine. And even my elbows. Nighttime pain is different. It feels heavy. It feels overbearing. It feels endless. It just seems too much. Research has shown that people who experience nocturnal pain have an increased number of swollen, painful joints. They are sicker. For normal bodies the inflammatory system works to …
Targeted biologics for RA Part One Rituxan and Orencia
The following are targeted biologics approved for rheumatoid arthritis. Targeted means these drugs dampen a particular part of the body’s overactive inflammatory process. Rituxan Orencia Actemra Kevzara Kineret Some of the biologics will not work for you although they work for some other people. Some biologics work for a short time then stop working. Some biologics work for years then seem to stop working suddenly. Sometimes an insurance company will stop covering certain biologics and insist a patient use a limited selection from their formulary. Some people are affected by the possible, serious side effects of these drugs. These complications happen to somebody so pay attention when your doctor briefly mentions them. Doctors do not know which drugs will work for you. Docs give it their best shot. It is trial and error. There is no system to finding the biologic that will work for you. This is the current medical scenario. In this article we will discuss Rituxan and Orencia. Rituxan (Rituximab) In 1982, Rituxan was created by Ronald Levy for the express purpose …
Surviving Covid-19 with RA
Those with rheumatoid arthritis are more likely to become ill with covid-19 and they are more likely to be hospitalized or die. In addition, if you are on an immune suppressing biologic your covid-19 vaccine will only be about 65% effective as opposed to the 95% coverage most people enjoy. The reason that a third vaccine will soon be available to those who are immune compromised is because those hospitalized with breakthrough infections are from the immune compromised group. This is not a booster shot. It is a third vaccine. Those with RA who are on an immune suppressing biologic will be eligible. Although those who had RA were included in the vaccine studies, those with RA who were on biologics were disqualified from participating. So, there was no data on the effect of immune suppressing drugs such as the biologics on the effect of the vaccine. The vaccine is safe for those with RA. Protection from the virus is limited for those on the biologics. It has been found that those with RA who …
RA at eight years
My eight years with RA has been a rocky road. I am now on Orencia and it again is helpful. Orencia suppresses the T cells in the immune system.00
The Four Non-biologic DMARDs
This article is second in the series on rheumatoid arthritis drugs. The four common DMARDs: methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, sulfasalazine, leflunomide.
As RA progresses add tools to help.
As RA progresses, adding tools to help ourselves get around will make our lives so much easier.
Lockdown Update
We are still locked down. We go to Costco and to Smiths. We travel out with our masks and our hand sanitizers. Those we meet are friendly and have smiling eyes behind their masks. If a person depended on reading lips to understand another, they are currently out of luck. Who would have guessed? Certainly not last September. Life changes so quickly. My garden is winding down. The squirrels are fat and happy after eating my tomatoes. The roadrunner couple I saw having sex in my back yard now have healthy teenagers who are as aggressive about eating birds as their parents. Our quail population is booming. They love quail blocks and nest along side the squirrels on a little used side of my property. I make bread every couple of days. I have many recipes for rye bread, but rye flour is now unattainable. Not enough planted by the farmers for the current demand. I also make a lot of oatmeal bread. Lucky for me. I make my own buns for bratwurst. I also …
