Who Are We Roll Call - Part 2

katymac

nearlybionic wrote:

Hi katymac
I have had my pre op tests and xrays just waiting for date. Hopefully soon, or will have to have them done again!!

Nicola, will keep my fingers crossed for you.

Kathyx

noeltone

Hi katymac I hope you are OK and you got home safelyand it was a nice day I thought and I am doing the sudoku or trying to do it it is earier on a big board with no writing so many thanks for that and it is good to see you back on the boards not many of the old originals member left is there???Chrisov

katymac

Hiya Chrisov

I'm glad you like the sodoku. Yes, I got back ok. Was pretty shattered but had a thoroughly enjoyable day. It was good to meet you and have a chat with the others.

Hope we can do it again in the summer.

Kathyx

dollydaydream

Hi everyone I'm dollydaydream.
I havent written a post for ages. I seem to be going through a continual flare up with no change day in day out & feeling v sorry for meself as I want to do so much ( a house de clutter in the main. I make stuff, paint & craft things so I have a house filled with clutter O I mean very important craft goods :P )

I have osteo and rhumy arthritis and fibromyalgia and angina and high BP and pain that goes with it all. I'm on sulphalazide (?) methotrexate and lots of other stuff that seems to be making no difference to the pain. I'm due to see my consultant in February. I hope it is her as she is lovely, not like her uncaring registrar I saw last time Grrrr :oops:

Please forgive the rant..this is a really great site people are so friendly and kind. I wish everyone a sunny weekend luv ddaydream

katymac

Hi Dolly

I know what you mean. I also have a house full of junk, sorry important paperwork. I'm feeling physically sore this weekend, so am trying to do the mental stuff That means shredding old bank statements and cooking the books.

I too have a number of gifts: OA, fibro, Raynauds, Sjogren's, IBS, high BP and I think theGP now suspects rheumatoid, as my wrists have been playing up and I can't seem to stop dropping things(including my laptop!)

Anyway, pleased to see you again.

Katymac (formerly katybarstool).

noeltone

Hi ya katymac yes I was and still am extra shattered after my travels and meeting up but it was nice and I would look forward to doing another meet up and in the summer that would be nice perhaps at the seaside somwehere if we get a summer that is

denpen

Hi
My name is Denise I am 53. On 12th Jan. I went to see consultant at Hospital cos I had x-ray and my GP said I had wear and tear in both hips and my pubis bone, consultant said I have OA and will need a hip replacement, BUT because of my age he doesnt really want to do replacement yet so he will give me a cortisone injection (in other words doesnt want to spend money on replacement when a injection will be cheaper). So at mo I am waiting for the injection which should be anytime now cos I had the pre-op on the 12th. This is all new and scary to me, I think I have OA in both my shoulders cos they are both very painful, years ago I found out I have worn discs in my lower spine and neck so now I presume that this was the start of the OA but nobody mentioned that to me at the time.
Denise.

gennyf47

Hi I'm Genny.
Only discovered last week all my aches and pains and fatigue are OA with possible bits of RA, GP a bit vague so far but I'm working on him.
Lower back, shoulder, neck, hands, wrists, elbows, feet. The list is growing every day it seems.
I'm 47 and live with my 2 youngest daughters and 6 cats near Heathrow. Happily separated from lying cheating partner. I work at a local hospital full time and also attend Bristol university part time, doing a Masters degree in Hearing Therapy. I really enjoy both.
I also have another daughter, a son and a cute mischievous grandson.
Feeling like the shock is setting in, what if it gets worse, what if I can't cope, who will look after me when I'm old and infirm etc etc.
But I am generally a positive soul and think tomorrow will be another better day.
Don't like the tiredness, it makes me miserable and can't cope so well and the painful feet annoy me too.
Also I don't think anyone believes I'm ill because I don't look it and theyre used to good old mum coping with everything.
So glad to have found this site as the support is fantastic.
xxx

katymac

Hi Genny

Good to meet you, but I'm sorry you have to have these horrible pains.

I've been diagnosed a couple of years now, and generally doing ok, but taking lots of drugs. I know what you mean about looking ok. When I'm sat down , having a laugh, people think I'm fine, different when I stand up though after sitting for a while - I feel like an old lady. I'm nearly 52, but not THAT old!

I hope you get some comfort soon.

Hugs
Kathyx

suncatcher

Hello everyone I am 38 and have two children a boy age 4 and a girl 15. I have been married for 16 Years. The hub is a teacher. I two eye ops as a child as my one eye was lazy and I am very short sighted in it. The eyes do not work together so I have never been able to drive because of this and I had problems with computer monitors and was told I could never use them. This was 13 years ago now I am unemployed due to my RA I have been sent to re train at a collage for the Blind and visually Impaired and other Disability. I started 1st of December 2008 and with colour back ground and glasses and change of font size I can use a computer. My last job I was A Support worker. I hope to do office work in future. My RA started when son was six months old. My mom died of cancer when i was six months pregnant with him. My son was born a day after what would have been her 65th birthday. RA is in the family two great aunts my granddads sisters had it in their fifties. I am on Metatraxate, Relefex, Omprezole and take co co-damol for the pain. They are wondering if I have fibromyalgia also they mentioned it last month and they have wrote suspect fibromyalgia on the letter to my GP. I am due to see my Rheumatologist in February to get it confirmed. My hobbies are swimming, reading card making creative writing, I love writing poems. Pets we have two ducks and seven Chickens and seven fish. I am a member of an arthritis care branch and NRAS. These organizations are brilliant. This site is great and very addictive. Well that’s enough about me look forward to knowing you all from Joanne Price

mrsmeredith

Hi, my name is Tracey and i am 40yrs old with 3 kids, boy of 19 and 2 girls 9 & 11.

I have just made my first post about being diagnosed with reactive arthritis which stems from our honeymoon in Egypt in December 2008. To be honest life has been awful since 13th December when I was first sick with chronic diahorrea and other symptoms that have progressed week by week ever since.

I am trying to stay positive but am finding it extremely hard as i am used to being a very busy mum that works and rushes around day in day out !!! , so to go from that to now being housebound and on crutches is just devastating for me.

I have found reading the forum here a great source of information and inspiration to know that all being well things will get better and that there are many others here that are suffering a great deal more.

I hope to speak to you all at some point on here in 1 way or another! Be well !

Tracey xxx

ikesother

Hi everyone, im janice,41, married with 2 daughters aged 18 and 13. Im waiting for a thr had my pre op, waiting for a date. Totally fed up, ive put it off for nearly 3 years, gave up work as it was standing/ walking alot. Tried to take docs advice; keep going as long as poss etc, but found ive got to the stage of not much quality of life, with pain, unable to walk only a few steps etc. so ive decided to go for it.Absolutely crapping myself!

eckstardeluxe

Hi everyone

My name is Alex, I'm 33 on Friday and I am married with two great kids, a boy 9 months and girl 3 years. I was born with kidney reflux & contracted a bug (now know was MRSA) during a kidney op when I was 12. I got Osteomyelitis in my spine & a spinal abscess. I was put in a full body plaster cast for months. I've always had bad back pain but after having my son it was severe enough I couldn't lift him. I had awful sciatica too. I went for an MRI & was told I had 3 bulging discs, spinal stenosis and OA. They made out the OA was slight. Last Monday I went to the Surgeon expecting surgery on my discs to be told I cannot have it as now in the final stages of OA. My bones never healed after my childhood illness.My saving grace is I made it to this stage without help. I am struggling to accept my condition, it's so hard because I stumble and trip and my daughter sees me, I start crying and I wish I could be stronger. I joined the site on Friday & already feel better. When you have Arth, no-one seems to get how much pain you're in or how upsetting it is. On here everyone understands me. Thanks to everyone I've spoken to already, honestly words cannot describe how much you have helped me already. My goal is to lose weight & get in the best shape mentally & physically I can so i can be a good role model for my kids.

dollydaydream

eckstardeluxe wrote:

Hi everyone

My name is Alex, I'm 33 on Friday and I am married with two great kids, a boy 9 months and girl 3 years. I was born with kidney reflux & contracted a bug (now know was MRSA) during a kidney op when I was 12. I got Osteomyelitis in my spine & a spinal abscess. I was put in a full body plaster cast for months. I've always had bad back pain but after having my son it was severe enough I couldn't lift him. I had awful sciatica too. I went for an MRI & was told I had 3 bulging discs, spinal stenosis and OA. They made out the OA was slight. Last Monday I went to the Surgeon expecting surgery on my discs to be told I cannot have it as now in the final stages of OA. My bones never healed after my childhood illness.My saving grace is I made it to this stage without help. I am struggling to accept my condition, it's so hard because I stumble and trip and my daughter sees me, I start crying and I wish I could be stronger. I joined the site on Friday & already feel better. When you have Arth, no-one seems to get how much pain you're in or how upsetting it is. On here everyone understands me. Thanks to everyone I've spoken to already, honestly words cannot describe how much you have helped me already. My goal is to lose weight & get in the best shape mentally & physically I can so i can be a good role model for my kids.

Hi Alex
Welcome to the site. I have just read all the recent posts (Hi Katymac hope you get you rubbish ooo sorry important papers sorted :P ) and I am astonished how many people esp young people have the Athurs. Alex I wept for you, you have such a lot to put up with. It's right that one of the hardest things is that we all look healthy & often hide how we feel from our families because we might be seen as moaners. Pain is invisible & I find if you are in constant pain it's like the normal way to be. My rhumy nurse showed me pictures last week to grade how I felt (like this :P :? ) & I said it was the middle one because I felt so daft

---

in reality it was the last one!

I like the idea of putting the pains in a hamster wheel in my head it made me laff out loud I think I'll have to have a go him indoors will really think I've flipped. Nothing abnormal in that Im afraid.
gotto go now imself wants the computer
love to all dollydaydream :shock:

fragglerock

Hello!

I'm fragglerock, I'm 20, in my fourth and final year of uni and just got diagnosed with PsA before Christmas. Getting steroid injections in a couple of weeks (yeye!) and started on sulfasalazine about a month ago. Thankfully I'm not too bad but just exhausted as I've also had ME for about seven years - my immune system is a clearly a bit pants! Not particularly exciting at the moment as I've got a whopping great dissertation due soon- lots of typing with attractive swollen knuckles!

Everybody here has been really nice and helpful so far with lots of good tips - thank you very much!!

Fragglerock x

joseyanna

Hi all,
It's nice to read about everyone. I'm 40 and a mother of 3 boys, (twins both living away at uni and a lovely 4 year old). I first started to have pains in my lower back and hips so my doctor sent me to see a physio. The physio did gentle exersises with my shoulders, after this I was in bed for 2 weeks with really bad neck and shoulder pain and headaches. My stomach couldn't tolerate the anti inflammatory drugs so the doctor gave me strong painkillers which still didn't have much effect. I waited 4 months for my first Rhumy appointment where I had blood tests ,xrays and ultra sound in my hands. The tests showed wear and tear in my neck and lower back and something in my hands that showed inflamation. I had to wait another 4 months for my next appointment at hospital. In the mean time I was in alot of pain and exhausted, so the specialist told my doctor to give me a steroid injection to keep me going. This was wonderful but took 5 days to work and only lasted just less than 3 weeks. The doctor let me have another injection but sadly didn't have affect till after xmas day. Finally I've had my next hospital appointment where I have been diagnosed with early inflammatory disease (whatever that is?) and will be starting on Hydroxychloroquine in hopefully 3 weeks and it should take 12 weeks to work. I get fed up being off work and seem to spend my life in bed as I get so tired although I can't sleep, I have to rest. I seem to have gone on a bit, sorry! but I feel fustrated and confused and think you have to wait too long in pain for a specialist appointment. _

skezier

Hi all, I didn't relise what this was so I didn't formally introduce my self. I'm Cris, 50 though I look older - and don't people love to tell you that! I lost one partner and the next one couldn't cope when I became ill so I am now alone. I think I shall be staying that way somehow as I have OA quite badly in my spine and anyway I'm a coward! I was first told I had a touch of OA when I was 15, I rebelled and made it worse and had to have a bit of surgery in my knees. I have since then really rebelled and have had surgery on my feet and spine.
I live in the south west, I choose an alternitive type life as when I was medically discharged, following an injury which allowed the OA into my spine quite quickly, I didn't think I would be employed very easilly. I am a small holder though it didn't quite work out that way as I found I couldn't either send things to market or make money from them as breeders.
I take a few tablets, Diclofenic, Tranadol and Preabalin, a few more for other bits and bobs I may or may not have! I have injections into my knees, shoulders and soon my neck. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. I used to have them in my lumber but they wouldn't do both that and my neck.
I should just like to say hi, and thank you for being here, I have found some good infomation though I so wish you didn't have it. Take care

mylo

Hi everyone, I'm Jane and live in the Midlands. I'm 56, but am so creaky and stiff now that I feel much older. I was diagnosed with RA in July 08, and have been on MTX since, now on 20 mgs a week. I wish I had a crystal ball to be able to look into the future and know that everything will be all right, but it's all soooo frightening. I've realised that my way of positive thinking is pretending that I don't really have RA, or that it's getting better and going to go away. But I had a cold recently, when the nurses advised me to miss MTX for a week, and the swelling all came back slowly but surely. I think I have to stop kidding myself.

The good news is that I have a lovely husband, 3 wonderful stepchildren, a great 15 year old daughter, two crazy cats and an 85 year old mum who's more flexible than I am! I used to love going to the gym and yoga classes, and aim to get back there.

I love this site, and feel so much better when I read all the positive messages from you all. Jane xxxx

yorkie

joanne6658 wrote:

I'm Joanne, 36 from Manchester, married with a 2 year old son.

I have had PA for 2 years, brought on by having my son

Current medication is Rituximab infusions as all the usual suspects have not even touched the sides, had my 2nd infusion on 19th November but I can feel a flare up beginning to creep up on me. As has been mentioned previously the only thing that really works for me is a good dose of steroids but obviously not a long term option!

I try to always be as cheerful as possible under the circumstances,I just try to think that yes its painful, unplesant and not something I would wish on anyone, its not going to kill me!

HI THERE
HAD PA 14 YEARS. GOT 3 MONTH AFTER BIRTH OF MY SON. THE FIRST 18 MONTH WERE THE WORST EVER ESPECIALLY SINCE IT TOOK AGES FOR DOC TO FIND OUT WHAT I HAD. DIDN`T HELP AT THE TIME WITH HAVING LITTLE BABY TO LOOK AFTER. COULDN`T HAVE COPED WITHOUT OUR PARENTS. ONLY THIS LAST 2 YEARS THINGS HAVE GOT WORSE. ONLY JUST GONE ON MTX. YORKIE

ramummy

Hello, I'm new here.

My name is Julie and I'm 32. I was diagnosed with RA a few weeks after the birth of my second child in September last year. Two weeks after my son was born I had a dreadful flare up - I was virtually crippled and couldn't take care of myself let alone my baby. Fortunately I'd had some minor symptoms while I was pregnant so I'd been seen by a rheum and was already in the system so they were able to get it under control with steroids.

I'm currently taking 15mg prednisolone a day and a weekly dose of methotrexate too, at the moment I'm on 10mg.

I have so many questions....I hope I can find some answers here.

lozzybird

Hello

I am Lorraine, aged 51 from Sheffield.

I have developed OA after a depressed tibial plateau fracture in April 03. Basically, I really messed up my knee. I am needing a Total Knee Replacement but am considered too young. Have been told today that I can have an osteotomy instead (whooppee!!! - sounds like a lot of fun - not!) :?

I hate the fuzzy feeling that painkillers of the strength that do me any good give me, and have a rough time with anti inflammatories as I have a bad stomach. I am interested in other methods of pain control so will find the forum invaluable I think. Looking forward to seeing what happens

ramummy

lozzybird wrote:

Hello

I am Lorraine, aged 51 from Sheffield.

Basically, I really messed up my knee. I am needing a Total Knee Replacement but am considered too young. quote]

Hi Lorraine, excuse me for sticking my nose in but I thought I'd share my mothers experience of a total knee replacement with you - she had one of her knees (both need doing though!) done due to OA a year or so ago and she was in her mid-fifties - her Dr's were reluctant to do a full replacement because they considered her too young as well and she had a failed partial replacement first. It was a major operation for her and unfortunately she still has a lot of pain sometimes but she is at least mobile now. Just wanted to let you know that if you really need it they will do it - without the op my mum would have had to have given up work and that wasn't something she was prepared to do.

Hope this helps. x

zoeybeau

Hi Im Toni.
Was diagnosed RA 18 months ago, started sulfsalazine and we never got on, im now started Methotrexate yesterday, and see how we get on, im also on tramadol, co-codamol, and lyrica, and folic acid, if thruth be know i should have been dianosed 10 years ago when the doc done bloods and wondered why my rhamatiod factor was high he said oh never mind, im now still flaring have been on and off for 3 weeks. Im very sore so il be back when i feel better.
Im 37

lozzybird

Ramummy

Thanks for your supportive words. I am off to the hospital again tomorrow and will stand my ground knowing that it can be done successfully.

Lorraine

ninewells

lozzybird wrote:

Ramummy

Thanks for your supportive words. I am off to the hospital again tomorrow and will stand my ground knowing that it can be done successfully.

Lorraine

Hello Everyone

I,m Alex 52 from Dundee diagnosed RA in 2001. Had a rough time until put on Enbrel Feb '07. Have had both knees done. Right in'96, left '05. Can empathise with all on here as to the many forms of disability this illness causes. Reumatologists, doctors, nurses and carers all have my respect for the jobs they do to help but only people who have lived with the physical effect an auto-immune disease can have on the body and soul really know the full extent of these conditions.