Intro and Swine flu question

regsealey
regsealey Member Posts: 3
edited 15. Jul 2009, 05:16 in Living with Arthritis archive
Hi! I'm Reg, I'm 47 and have had JRA since I was 12. I could do with a bit of cheering up! Have recently broken my arm at site of previous wrist fusion op and having hell trying to heal as my first cast was too loose. Now I'm worried as I'm in a full arm cast and am probably loosing muscle and movement in my elbow. Now I've given myself a hernia :roll: through lifting with my weaker arm. I'm going on family hols next week and should be looking forward to it but at the moment I just wish life with RA wasn't always such a fight!
To top it all now the local schools are reporting swine flu and I don't know how worried I should be about this because I'm on methotrexate.
I feel bad coming on here with this as you're all in the same boat but sometimes even those closest to you can't really understand! :(

Comments

  • lindalegs
    lindalegs Member Posts: 5,397
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Reg,

    Well it's hello from me and welcome to the forum.

    I see you're not having a good time of things at the moment :roll:

    Try not to worry about the cast on your arm as there's nothing you can do about it and I would think they'll probably give you physio when it's removed to regain any muscle or movement that's been lost.

    I think the swine flu is a difficult one as it seems to me that catching it is probably inevitable, especially for people like us on immuno supressants - all we can do is to keep washing our hands and being as sensible as we can about it.

    Try to have a lovely holiday and I hope the sun shines for you.

    Luv Legs :)
    Love, Legs x
    'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
  • mellman01
    mellman01 Member Posts: 5,306
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Flippin heck Reg sorry to hear you’ve been having a ruff old time of it chap, I know what you mean about RA my OA is going mad just now gets me down that’s for sure.
    I’m not the one to give advice about the medication methotrexate I ran it through wikipedia but it’s out of my realm of knowledge that’s for sure, I would phone the Doctor of NHS direct if you are worried about it, as for swine flu it’s only in the press as WHO are concerned as it’s DNA code is close’ish to the 1919 pandemic which also came from swine, as far as I’m aware it’s quite a mild virus at the mo but the real worry is it might mutate to a far more aggressive strain latter in the year after September and October the press however are just trying to cause a panic about nothing much as usual and since Jacko fell of his perch it’s not been in the news much.
    Best thing is just to stay in get the other half or relative to do the shopping etc, if you have to go out use T tree or a hand disinfectant as doors rails and phones are a sure place to pick viruses up from don’t bother with a mask they only thing they do is make people look silly and if any school kids look like they might be getting to close just throw something heavy at them with your good arm to keep the infested little urchins at a safe distance.
    :wink:
  • page35
    page35 Member Posts: 1,081
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hiya Reg
    sorry your not to good at mo.
    i worry about swine flu too, ive got 2 kids and work in a playgroup and just started MXT, so if its going get anyone guessing i,ll be first in line :roll:
    there are alot of case around at the moment and as linda says we just have to protect ourselfs as much as poss. not really that much we can do.
    hope you start to feel better soon
    and welcome to the forum :D
    page
  • woodbon
    woodbon Member Posts: 4,969
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Welcome to the site! I'm sorry you've got a lot of things going on. Swine flu is a bit of an unknown, but the strain about at the moment is a very mild one and of all the cases only a few have been really ill. I know on your drugs you are more suseptable than me, but shorly in all the thousands of cases even now, some of the people who have had it must have been RA suffers. I'd keed away from places where you might catch things like cinimas and other indoor places with loads of people. Your arm, you can work on with a phyiso, when the plaster comes off. Hope you feel a bit better and more relaxed. I always get anxious at holiday time, have I done everything, packed all the clothes. Just try and enjoy as much as you can. Love Sue
  • c4thyg
    c4thyg Member Posts: 542
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Reg, and welcome.

    I'm new to this forum but I'm on other forums (for other immune problems) where swine flu has been discussed a lot. The nice thing about my PDSA forum is that there are nurses and Drs on there as well who give advice and post articles that are not widely available. I'm waffling... anyway, from what I have read elsewhere you are not more likely to catch swine flu than anyone else. That said, you might have difficulty fighting it if you, like many of us, are on immunosuppressants. Of course you have to be careful but really washing hands etc is something that everyone should be doing anyway. Don't become paranoid about it, just be aware of it. If you have any problems phone your surgery (don't go in person) or phone NHSdirect. Tell them that you are immunosuppressed and they will take it from there. We are able to get antivirals if needed.

    Also, after seeing my GP last week it is highly likely that I have had swine flu in the last month. I felt awful because it caused a major flare of all my immune conditions and lasted for over 2 weeks. I didn't get out of bed for 3 days. It hasn't been confirmed as I was already getting over what ever it was by the time I saw my GP. I hadn't even considered that it could have been flu. I have been taking high dose steroids which are immunosuppressant and even though it was horrible, I got over the virus without any extra meds. I actually hope that it was swine flu because I should be immune now! I guess that's a silver lining. :)
  • debsmartin
    debsmartin Member Posts: 209
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello Reg and welcome to the forum, sorry you are feeling so rough and hope you soon feel abit better. I think this swine flu is really worrying, everywhere I turn there seems to be somebody with possible sypmtoms, but I too am just making sure I was my hands regulary and keep away from packed enclosed spaces. Just this week one of our lorry drivers has been told to take 5 days off work because he is showing sypmtoms and the guy that my hubby works with his grandson is ill with it - so feel very wary at the moment.

    Take care

    debs
  • kaz34ni
    kaz34ni Member Posts: 18
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Reg as debs said all we can do is wash hands and avoid crowed places, and do like the adds say, I also carry alcohol gel in my car for when i cant wash my hands.

    kaz
  • skezier
    skezier Member Posts: 11,333
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Reg,

    Welcome to the site and I hope your arm will soon be mended. The swine flu thing I don't know much about but Wonkeylegs put a really good link on the helpline forum that I found helpful and kinda reassuring actually.

    You enjoy your holiday and take care, Cris
  • woodbon
    woodbon Member Posts: 4,969
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi I have oa so don't have the same problems with immune systems as RA suffers, but my husband is diabetic,type 2, so he has problems with immunity as its an autoimune disease. I worry about him catching swine flu, as he works in a school. I know he often catches things that are going round and often they last a long time. But, theres nothing I can do about it, so just hope if he does get it, it won't be too bad. RA suffers, I think, have the same problems with bugs that go around.

    Illnesses often tend to die down during school holidays, and here they have just started, so that may help for a bit. Lets hope we all stay well and have some nice summer weather to make us feel better! :):) Love Sue
  • regsealey
    regsealey Member Posts: 3
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    :D Thanks everyone. Anyway for an update it now looks like the arm is healing better. Am off on holiday Saturday and then I have to go back to specialist when I'm back. Bit more positive but still worried about this flu thing whilst I'm away. That'd be just my luck at the moment. :roll:
  • ramummy
    ramummy Member Posts: 100
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    regsealey wrote:
    :D Thanks everyone. Anyway for an update it now looks like the arm is healing better. Am off on holiday Saturday and then I have to go back to specialist when I'm back. Bit more positive but still worried about this flu thing whilst I'm away. That'd be just my luck at the moment. :roll:


    I'm on MTX and also Tamiflu at the moment as the Dr thinks I may have it (I work in London so I wouldn't be surprised if I have picked it up even though I have been using the hand gel etc).

    Try not to worry - you can have Tamiflu if you're on MTX - my Dr says I can take my MTX, steroids and painkillers at the same time as the Tamiflu which is good. Also, if I have got Swine flu it's really not that bad - I'm just coldy, more achy than usual and very tired - it;s not as bad as regular flu.