This is one of the article found in the internet which was not very encouraging. Please read.
Hello to everyone! I hope New Year brings you all some relieve, happiness and health to you and your families!
I was Dx with MS and RA this summer. I went to so many RA Drs. who couldn't dx me on time causing more and more damage to my body. Finally I was lucky enough to meet this wonderful DR at HSS in NYC, who was very surprise that it took me so long to see medical attention. Not my fault. She even apologized for Drs who did not see such obvious symptoms.
Well, every joint in my body by now affected by RA. Not only joints though: I have torn tendons, teared muscles and ligaments due to RA in both elbows, shoulders, neck, knees, ankles and so on. This is extremely painful condition and surgery required to fix it, but my RA doesn't let me to go through more surgery right now since it may not heal properly due to inflammation in a body.
Dr said that my treatment has to be very agressive, and put me on Prednisone, Meth, Rx Folic Acid and now i had my blood work to check for TB to be able to start Enbrel.
I have to say that Meth makes me very tired, i am constantly exhausted, nausea, no appetite at all, I loose my hair (as you know Meth is low dose of chemo therapy). But pain is still here and the most wondering thing is: my C-Reactive Protein is still high. How this can be? Meth is working on bringing my inflammation down, is in it? I take 20mg of it (8 pills once a week) and Prednisone (5mg right now once a day, before was on 40 mg). So I have problem to understand what is going on?
Dr thinks I will have to be on Meth and on Enbrel together and no time limit to it. She says that if we stop the treatment, damage will continue. This means I have to be on it for the rest of my life? How many month/years are you on this type meds?
I have to say that I always been very optimistic person, full of life, happy person. I had 2 major spinal surgeries in '06 and '07. My "progress" report is - Failed. Despite this I still was very optimistic and happy person.
Since I went on Meth - i feel like I want NOTHING. I don't eat, nothing really makes me happy, exhausted 24/7, I don't care how I look anymore... sounds like depression, right? But I never been depressed in my life, why now I am feeling this way? Does anyone here has same side effects from Meth?
I am on Pain meds since my first surgery 24/7, but it never affected me at all. Since I am on Meth, i am not myself anymore. This is not the way I ever leaved or want to leave. Please, share your experience with me. I would like to learn more about treatments for RA first hand and also how you all react to treatments. Your progress, or your disapointments..
