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Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) - Introduce yourself and meet others
Let's talk about living with rheumatoid arthritis.
As moderator of the Autoimmune Diseases group, I noticed that several people were talking about RA, but those conversations were scattered throughout the community. I thought I would start this discussion to bring us all together in one place.
Let’s grab a cup of tea, or beverage of choice, and let's chat. Why not start by introducing yourself?
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Oh my…..I’m so sorry you’ve had to suffer so much. I have had lumbar surgery due to degeneration and disc loss . I have a wonderful surgeon who performed a Transforaminal
lumbar interbody fusion L5-S1. So, I have two rods and 4 screws in my lumbar back. He said when he removed what was left of the disc he was surprised to see it was all gone except for a small amount on either side. The same surgeon recently performed surgery on my cervical spine and the procedure was ANTERIOR CERVICAL
Name
DISCECTOMY WITH FUSION.
C4-5 AND C5-6, USING
ANTERIOR PLATE AND
SCREWS THAT WERE
SEPARATE FROM THE
INTERBODY GRAFTS.
POSTERIOR
DECOMPRESSIVE
LAMINECTOMY OF C4, C5, C6
AND PARTIAL C7. I’m lucky to have found him as my surgeries have gone remarkably well and I have benefited from both of them. I have considered trying to see someone at Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic but have not taken the steps to try to get an appointment yet. Everything seems so overwhelming and to embark on a long trip in unknown territory is something I’ve been putting off but I may have to do so in the near future.
The original neurosurgeon is very well-respected and one of the best in KC. He refused to fuse any of the three compressed discs including the one outside the curve because my back will collapse "in the near future" if he does. I went for a second opinion and he said, yes he can fuse the one on the outside.
I didn't understand how both docs had opposite opinions so I went to a third consult. Of course, he said they are are both right. He can fuse the one on the outside, but I will most likely need the "big" operation in the near future. That was two years ago. The thought of going into a hospital for a month w/another month upstairs in rehab makes me sick to my stomach. I do not think I would survive it.
After my last shoulder surgery, I told the home health nurse I don't know what my problem is. I start shaking and crying before going under for any type of surgery. It's embarrassing but I can't help it. She said I have PTSD from all the surgeries.
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2 ReactionsI can attest to the differences it has made for me. I’m following WFPB low-fat, no oil or sugar. Its not an overnight change. I have fallen back on my ways and when I do the flare ups return. I’m doing this in conjunction with taking Enbrel. There’s too much information for me to list it all here. If interested, check out youtube for Paddison Program and for WFPB information Chef AJ
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2 Reactions@lloydje1, Thanks for sharing what has helped you. I thought I would share the YouTube video for you. It is well worth watching and considering for those that have RA.
https://youtu.be/7xOmyQQWlQU
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4 ReactionsThank you, I will.
Hi Clara. How do you like the Carolinas? I just love them of course I was born in Georgia. A few years ago I lived in very southern VA and it was only a 40 minute drive to Greensboro, NC. Boy did I go there often and enjoyed every minute of it. Hope you’re enjoying living in SC.
Very good advice!
I have Arthritis - but it is the result of gut damage caused by Celiac Disease.
Basically, the CD related gut damage has caused a structural cascade of other organ damage.
The initial CD symptoms were triggered by a viral infection. The gut villii damage caused by eating gluten after the viral infection damaged my body’s ability to create DAO - a powerful natural anti-histamine 80% of which is produced by the gut.
This lack of DAO let to adrenal fatigue and reduced production of the anti-inflammation hormone cortisol which allowed the arthritis to affect my tendons, ligaments and joints.
Add to that an inability to absorb B12 and calcium among other important nutrients and the ability to diagnose the arthritis cause is greatly clouded.
Both CD and IBD can create similar gut damage. So testing for both should help to better understand the management processes you should develop to deal with your arthritis and any other symptoms related to any gut damage that has occurred!
Chris47 -
Thank you John, for the link. I’ve read what I can find online about CCV but his was new for me. Any information is much appreciated. For now my diagnosis is general essential teleangiectasia. I have added a photo of my left leg. I have considered going to a teaching hospital and am thinking I need to take steps to get that started.
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1 ReactionI think a teaching hospital or major health facility would be a good place to go if possible. Have you ever used Google Scholar? (https://scholar.google.com/). It's great for finding medical reference type info and it lets you sort results by year to get the latest links. Here are a couple references. The second one is from 1971 but sounds really promising if it would work.
-- Treatment of Essential Telangiectasias with an Intense Pulsed Light Source (PhotoDerm VL): https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1524-4725.1997.tb00755.x
-- Essential Progressive Telangiectasia - Successful Treatment With Tetracycline: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/336255
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3 ReactionsHello, My name is Lisa, I am 39yrs old, I am married and we have three children. I was diagnosed as Seronegative in 2015.