Reactive Arthritis

vickymo
vickymo Member Posts: 4
edited 25. Jun 2009, 13:57 in Living with Arthritis archive
Hi I have just been diagnosed three months ago with chronic reactive arthritis. I feel determined to get well, by understanding the illness.
I was on sulphasalazine 4 pills a day and Arcoxia a NSAID 60mg a day. My protein markers were up at 41 at the worst stage, and went down to 8, so I cut the sulphasalazine to 2 pills a day. Now my inflammation/protein markers are going up again from 8 to 12 to 16 every two weeks.

Can anyone give any advice on this? I am thinking whether to call the consultant and if I should put the dose up again. The problem is the sulphasalazine makes me feel incredibly ill with headaches.

Also I had this flare up after a period of prolonged stress. Does anyone out there have a theory that this type of arthritis might be stress related?

Thanks for your comments.

Comments

  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 30,087
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Vick
    I can't help much, but would like to welcome you to the forum from me!
    I think there is a school of thought which does say that stress can definitely make arthur worse.
    Sorry the sulfa is making you feel so sick, but I think I would take advice from, maybe, rheumy nurses if you can?
    I hope you can soon get on something which will suit you.
    Take care
    Toni x
  • elnafinn
    elnafinn Member Posts: 7,412
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Vicky

    Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear you have reactive arthritis.
    Rainbow77 is the person who needs to see and reply to your thread. She knows all there is to know about ReA. I believe it was food poisoning that unfortunately triggered it all off for her.

    There are other threads about it on here but you would probably have to do a search to find them.

    Look after yourself,
    Elna x
    The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.

    If you can lay down at night knowing in your heart that you made someone's day just a little bit better, you know you had a good day.
  • elnafinn
    elnafinn Member Posts: 7,412
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Vicky

    Just bumped up a past thread for you on ReA.

    E x
    The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.

    If you can lay down at night knowing in your heart that you made someone's day just a little bit better, you know you had a good day.
  • vickymo
    vickymo Member Posts: 4
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi thanks I will look up the thread.
    elnafinn wrote:
    Hi Vicky

    Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear you have reactive arthritis.
    Rainbow77 is the person who needs to see and reply to your thread. She knows all there is to know about ReA. I believe it was food poisoning that unfortunately triggered it all off for her.

    There are other threads about it on here but you would probably have to do a search to find them.

    Look after yourself,
    Elna x
  • elnafinn
    elnafinn Member Posts: 7,412
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    One more thread on ReA bumped up for you, Vicky. :)

    E x
    The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.

    If you can lay down at night knowing in your heart that you made someone's day just a little bit better, you know you had a good day.
  • Wonkylegs
    Wonkylegs Member Posts: 3,504
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    bumping this up to the top again
  • vickymo
    vickymo Member Posts: 4
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    fellow reactive arthritis sufferers i have good news. i'm pretty sure i know what made me ill - i had moved to a house that had black mould. A healer told me this was the problem. I have left the house and taken all the steps that someone with multiple chemical sensititivy would take - and lo and behold my arthritis has improved out of all recognition with my inflmatory markers down from 41 to 14 and today i have been told i can stop all the drugs.

    i now eat organic food, filtered water, all personal care products from health food shop and I am visiting the breakspear medical hospital a specialist hospital for environmental allergies.

    I think it is an avenue worth going down. It makes sense that our type of arthritis is an 'allergic reaction' or infection... and my new cleaner environment has made all the difference.

    good luck. get well. Vicky

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