Ive had ra for 5 yrs..is anybody using remicade..i dont see anyone here taking it..how are you doing and do you also..take pednizone too...

antiobiotic therapy (low dose, long course). The Road Back Foundation board is dedicated to this type of therapy for RA. A lot over there also take MSM (high doses) for joint pain too, I take MSM now since last Dec. It gives me relief. I deal with FM and OA.

Hi Wuvers!

I've recently been diagnosed but wanted to reply to your post. I'm currently using 5 mgs of prednisone a day and 6 MTX once a week. (On MTX for 4 months now.) The MTX is not working for me and I plan on changing tactics when I see my doctor on Oct 13. MTX does seem to help many here though.

I'm sorry you're frustrated with this disease. I hope you find some answers soon.

Wendysj

Your post sounds so much like myself. I too take 5 mg of Prednisone daily and I take -8 of methotrexate by shot once a week and it isn't helping either. I wonder some weeks why I even bother taking the shot.
I have taken methotrexate for years off and on and the rheumy keeps insisting I take it. I stopped the pills because of stomach problems.
I have also tried Enbrel and Humira with no luck with them either.
Hope you have better luck than me.
Stinker

hey there! I am newly diagnosed so I am only on methotrexate right now. I was on prednisone daily for many months and hate the side effects. I have done well with mtx but I may have a foot erosion (ugh) so my doc may change or add a med. I go back in Dec for an MRI

Have you tried the other meds like Enbrel, etc before Remicade? I would think Remicade would be one of the last things to try since it is through IV. best of luck to you :) Blue

When this gets bad, I know it is time to go into remission. I do this and am free of pain for several months, and start to notice the pain creeping back.

It does take longer to go into remission than when I was younger. I recommend going into remission as soon as you first feel pain. It sure helps

It also saves on Meds. I would try this

Are you saying it's possible to have remission on demand?

No, that can't be what you're saying or we'd all be doing it.

I would think you were joking except that RA causes such devastation, nobody would joke about it.

Please ... somebody ... what does this mean?

Polly

I'm very confused also! also....if we could go into remission whenever we wanted why would we even have this to begin with? maybe chemish needs to explain the post better?

Hi Polly McAnna!

When I first read the post by Chemish, I was mad. I tried to just pretend it wasn't there. If there is some hidden meaning, he would have explained it by now. I just think it was unnecessary and hurtful.

Wishing you a pain-free and energetic day.
wendysj

Chemish- weren't you banned a few years back??

No one can "put themselves' into remission. Please do not believe this is true. If it were--we ALL would be doing it. Don't give him a minute of attention after this.

Nice to see you Polly.

Glad to see your familiar name again. How're you doing? It's been a long time.

Listen ... about this Chemish person ... I went back and read his/her earlier posts, and I think it's possible he doesn't mean any harm. I think he's maybe just not quite capable of thinking in a rational way. So, let's not waste any more precious energy being upset.

I WAS upset when I saw his message. I was BAD upset. Mostly because he made me doubt my sanity. (I hate having to doubt something I'm never too sure of in the first place!) (smile) I sat here in front of my computer, and kept shaking my head hard, trying to clear away the cob webs, reading the same lines over and over, thinking, "WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? WHY CAN't I GET IT? IS IT REAL?"

Okay. So, all it meant was that he was/is functioning on a little different plane from the rest of us. Now that we know, we can continue on with our normal daily suffering and our normal daily searching for some easier way - ANY easier way - to deal with this monster we can't get rid of. Ten years from now we'll still be creeping along thinking there MUST be an easier way if only we could FIND it.

Gentle hugs to all of you who are reading this.

Stay strong!

Polly

Hey Polly! :-)

I've learned (the hard way of course) not to waste any time or energy feeling upset. I just didn't want anyone, especially 'newbies' thinking remission was something we could self-induce.

I'm hanging in there. Currently (sigh...) on Humira (Enbrel was better but quit working after 7 months) Prednisone, MTX, (injections--work better for me than the pills), and the usual--Folic Acid, pain killers and so on. Got dx with AS too and OA is hitting me almost as hard as the RA is. Oh- and severe enough Carpal Tunnel in both hands that they say surgery isn't even an option AND diabetes! <---but that might be med induced. A girl can hope, right? :-)

MRI shows both my knees need replacing so the hardest thing is walking.

But we perservere, right? And life is still wonderful in so many ways. I'd much rather count my blessings that my sorrows.

It's SO good to see you! How is Phillip?

Lulu

searching on LDN and it's use on autoimmune conditions; FM, AS, RA, OA, MS, cancers and more. Interesting stuff. I've emailed my doc about it for me. I've thought about this for over a year.

Phillip is doing pretty well. (You and I should get our own post going here. Please forgive us, Wuvers, this one time, for taking up space on yours.) Thank you for asking, Lulu. He had a close call last Christmas with congestive heart failure. I'm lucky to still have him with me. We have so much to be thankful for.

LuLu, if I remember correctly, you live on rather an isolated island. Is that true? And do you still have a problem getting in to see doctors? And are your choices of doctors still limited by insurance regulations? How is it your condition has worsened to such a degree? I don't remember that your knees were in this much trouble just a few years back.

I've chosen to believe I'll make it to the end of life before RA puts me in a wheel chair. I STILL cling to that belief. But, I'm seventy three now and doubts try to creep in. Fatigue and weakness bother me more than actual pain. I still take only Plaquenil and fish oil and bayer aspirin. I did try methotrexate a few years back. Remember? It didn't work well for me.

My worst problem: When rising to my feet from a sitting position, I have to stand still for a couple of minutes before my legs are willing to carry me anywhere. I HATE that!

I read on this message board where someone's chiropractor had reccommended v-8 juice, so I stocked up on the stuff and drink it daily. I believe it does help me. Anything that can't hurt and might help, I'm more than willing to give it a try.

I've experimented with everything our local health food store puts on its shelf. I've wasted tons of money on home remedies, but I don't care. Some work for awhile (for which I am humbly grateful). Others work not at all. But that's the way of this disease. What works for one of us may not work worth a hoot for another and what works for any of us today may very well not work next week. (long deep sigh here)

We must keep inching along, LuLu. It's all we can do.

Love,

Polly

I have had it for years and for years did't realize it affects you inside also like lungs and heart. Because of certain drugs for ra I almost died last Nov. they have taken me off most of my ra drugs and I have had to go on oxygen fell time. I also have to take prednisone and viagra. heavy doeses of both. Lois

I did not wish to offend anyone here. In China we believe that any illness is a result of certain centers or meridians within the body that become unbalanced. It is called yin and yang. We try to balance yin and yang and have more freedom of sickness and pain when we do this.

When a flair up in any disease occurs, the first principle is to try and balance yin and yang. I assumed many of you thought like this also. This is something I was raised with. Good nursing is geared towards this. We all do this differently in an attempt to feel better.

When we have a flair-up a cascade of chemical events occur that result in pain. I try to reduce events that trigger the original chemical reactions. This could be stress, certain times of the month, weather changes. Some of our body mechanisms that control homeostasis also function on regular cycles. This can serve as a catalyst in speeding up a chemical reaction. Our bodies are subject to weakness and disease as we age, and so this process that keep internal environment the same is altered. This can be seen in our blood panels or lab tests.

The question asked is howdo you go into remission when chemical changes take place... The first thing in restoring balance is through being at peace. Proper breathing is important. Next you do as many opposites’ as possible. I change many things such as when I sleep and when I eat and what I eat. If I was exercising in the morning I do this in the evening. If I exercised with much effort, I do so with little effort. If I was not exercising I begin. If I sleep long hours, I sleep less hours.

You do not do opposites’ of virtue or good nutrition. You increase these and also increased circulation. I can not stress the importance of being calm. You try to do good and think good thoughts. This is my belief system and this works for me.

My key foods durring a flair are salmon, squash, and blueberries. I increase my fluid intake through herbal teas and do as many opposites as I can with my ADL'S.

One last thought here. The cartilage has the lowest blood supply of any tissue in the body. Anything that reduces blood flow or reduces O2 sats should be avoided. Worry, anger, and stress will do this. When cartilage is impaired, a chemical response takes place, that includes swelling and pain. White blood cells further breakdown the diseased cartilage until it is gone. We should counter act this.

Wanting good health for all

I have never been banned.

In response to your opinion on not being able to go into remission, I give you my opinion. I see this as no more confusing to a new person as to any other topic.

I do not wish to offend anyone here, but if you believe self induced remission is impossible, then you will not try. Fearing and doing nothing actually increases the suffering more. We can observe this in many disease processes. The disease is made worse or improved by our own actions.

I'm sure you mean well, and you may be right about many of your suggestions. Chinese are thought to be smart people who enjoy good health and live long lives.

The thing is ... most of us are proud Americans and we tend to cling to our own belief systems. We understand the American way of life ... for better or worse ... and we're comfortable with it and have no desire to make any life-altering changes. Most of us who post on this message board believe in two things: Traditional medicine and home remedies. We try formulas handed down from great grandparents and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. We try whatever modern medicine has to offer. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. We have days when we feel great and days when we suffer. This is life as we know it.

I believe I speak for all of us when I say we're willing to keep open minds about any treatment that offers no bad side effects and might prove helpful in our on-going battle against RA.

However, few of us, if any, believe it's possible to attain a self-induced remission.

We'd fall all over ourselves to get in line and sign up if only we believed.

We do not believe.

I wish you good luck,

Polly

Thanks for your impute on this topic. I am sure that you also mean well.

I remember years ago that the mere impute suggesting that nutrition or exercise may be of benefit brought many angry responses from a large group on these chat sites. It is more accepted now.

Because chronic pain deeply affects a person’s life, treatment plans usually involve many different approaches. We all have different particular needs and these may involve a combination of drug and or non-drug therapies. To suggest a self induced remission for all people is not realistic, nor will it work in all cases. It can and does work in many cases however.

Non-drug therapies that may move a person to remission have many labels. They would include osteopathic manipulative therapy, chiropractic treatments, exercise, physical therapy, biofeedback, massage, cognitive behavioral therapy and, my choice being that of acupuncture.

Acupuncture has been used for more than two centuries in China, it had been slow to catch on in western society. Thankfully, that seems to be changing. The World Health Organization has endorsed acupuncture as a treatment for more than 40 medical conditions, including chronic pain. Finally, this side of the Pacific seems to be acknowledging the role acupuncture can play in pain management

Were you also aware that even the act of walking while swinging the arms can be concidered moving an individual to decreased pain and inflamation. The reason is that swinging the arms while walking increases the blood flow to impaired joints over one hundred fold. I cannot help but to think that sometimes it is the small simple things repeated over many months and years that do more good that all the therapy combined. Once again, this is my opinion, and it works for me.

This should not be concidered confusing to a Newbie at all. Nothing that I mentioned should take a person away from their choosen treatment plan.

When you minimize the horror of this disease by implying that RA can be put into a self-induced remission, I find it offensive to Wuver, and to myself, and to LuLu and to countless thousands of others who are suffering the torments of hell.

And now, with all due respect, I am finished with this discussion.

Polly

[This Message was Edited on 10/19/2009]

I hope that you would not think that me or anyone would ever want to minimize the horror of this disease. I work directly with people who sufffer so much. This is why I study so deeply on the cause and methods of reducing suffering. This suffering is real

I agree that you should not discuss methods of reducing pain if it causes you any emotional discomfort. At one time as I mentioned before, It was hard on some to even discuss nutrition or exercise.

Anyway, I wish you well and thanks for the imput. It does help us in understanding others so that we can approach helping in a way that is not viewed as offensive.