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bayleyfamily
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| Posted: July 11 2009 at 6:10pm | IP Logged
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I've been experiencing REALLY BAD aches and pains/muscle joint swelling. My doc just diagnosed me with rheumatoid arthritis. It makes sense because i've had these symptoms off and on for about 9 years. I've had 5 babies in this time and just thought it was hormones. My question: anyone else living with this? They want to put me on prednisone short term to get inflammation under control and then switch to different long term med. I'm breastfeeding my 6 mo old and worried about side effects of medications or having to wean him altogether. The pain is so intense that I can't pick him up in the mornings so I need to start some treatment soon. Any advice would be appreciated!!
God Bless,
Kelly B.
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 11 2009 at 6:40pm | IP Logged
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flax seed oil can have an anti-inflammatory effect on joints.. and pineapple and ginger (high doses of ginger aren't good for pregnancy) are both anti-inflammatories..
But there are a couple of sites you can look up what Dr. Hale says about any medications.. he's the leading expert in what passes into bre@st milk and if that's a problem.
Dr. Hale's website
and
Kellymom's site
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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florasita
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| Posted: July 13 2009 at 3:41pm | IP Logged
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I've had this since my early baby yrs. it was really bad 3-4 yrs ago .
a big help to me is willow I bath in it and drink a tea too but you can get tinctures too .
also no caffine it really helps promote it . I also take extra calcium and vit D . the biggest trigger for me is weather humid and rainy is the worst cold snow is not so bad but hot & dry is the best . I can even tell when a storm is headed my bones just ach . Movement really helps too . My confessor is 80 yrs and we always see him doing arm stretches in church during mass . He always has a walk outside the church beforehand as well .
yoga and stretches work wonders and small walks .
In regards to herbs so far willow is the best I've found so far .
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PDyer
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| Posted: July 13 2009 at 9:05pm | IP Logged
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I have a disease similar to RA for which I have taken various medications over the years. Please feel free to PM me if you would like to talk.
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 13 2009 at 11:53pm | IP Logged
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Nettles!! I just remembered earlier tonight..
Nettle study
They combined Nettle with an arthritis med that was at a too low dose to work on it's own.. and it gave better relief than the med at proper dose did. It seems to me if it works that well with such a low dose rx med.. that perhaps nettle works just fine all by itself but there's no one to pay for a study to prove it. 
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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guitarnan
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| Posted: July 14 2009 at 5:23am | IP Logged
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My MIL has coped with this condition for decades. She, too, says movement is key. Her house is very tidy because picking things up and putting them away helps her stay active. (I'd bet you could substitute toddler monitoring, though!  ) She takes Celebrex - this drug is very hard on the liver, though - certainly I'd try milder therapies before going with that one.
Sending prayers...
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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aussieannie
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I was only reading last night about a herb that is good for this - Gotu Kola or otherwise known as Pennywort.
In Australia it is well known as an effective arthritis herb in mainstream media etc, I think that is because a well known person was cured from a bad case of arthritis that was deemed incurable.
This is what I read last night:
"A lady, in Victoria, ordered some plants to be sent by post, as she was desperate to get some relief, from the rheumatoid arthritis that had cripped her for 25 years. She described the pain she was in as: 'hell'. She also suffered high blood pressure. After 2 weeks of using the leaves, nearly all pain was gone, her blood pressure had normalised and she could sleep almost the whole night through." from How Can I Use Herbs Daily In My Life?
This is one of many examples in the book but I just perused forward and found the story that made this herb famous Australia wide, if you are interested at all in these pages, I can email you a copy. Just pm me if you are.
This is a herb best eaten fresh but the herb dried can be made into a tea. I've made up an oil infused with this herb and my mother swears by it and is slowly draining me of my bottle!!!
If taking it fresh, Isabell has this to say:
"Start with 1-2 leaves and stems. Do it daily. Make, taking gotu kola, a daily habit. Write a note and stick it to the kitchen table or fridge saying, "Have I taken my gotu kola today?" Have the plant growing near the back door, so it is seen, daily, and is close by to pick. I always suggest to people to take it with their breakfast, each morning, although it can be taken at any time of the day. Feedback, from several people taking it at the end of the day, was that they had so much energy, they could not go to sleep. One lady, said she had so much get up and go, she spring-cleaned her cupboards, in the middle of the night.
As the leaves are slightly bitter, this can deter some people, however if it is chopped up over breakfast cereal or toast, the bitterness is barely noticed. Just remind yourself how valuable the herb is, to rejuvenate your body and brain, and it is worth taking a few seconds, to do it daily."
"Leaves can be eaten dried, too or made as a tea with 1/2 teasp of herb to one cup of boiling water; adding honey or lemon juice to improve the flavour."
Isabell also says:
"People who have come to the farm for the plant, have said their doctor recommended the fresh plant be taken, for quicker results, rather than tablets, etc."
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bayleyfamily
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Thanks for all the information! I'm going to see my doc today and I want to discuss alternatives to hard meds and herbal therapies. I've been drinking green tea and during mass on Sunday, it was like a switch had been turned off...I felt about 90% better. Unfortunately, I didn't feel so great the next day...i'm still going to keep drinking the tea though. Can't hurt, right? I'll be happy just to be able to take care of my family and take kiddos to the park again. They've all been very supportive and understanding but I feel bad that i'm kind of ruining their summer by not being able to go go go.
God Bless you all, Kelly
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Sarah M
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| Posted: July 14 2009 at 11:22am | IP Logged
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My sister-in-law was diagnosed with this last summer, and she has a little one, too- so that was hard.
Removing gluten from her diet has made the arthritis almost completely disappear. It turns out that RA is one of the top five symptoms of gluten intolerance. PM me if you want more info- I have lots of GF book & website recommendations. I just don't want to overwhelm you with ideas, since we are all chiming in with different answers!
 and many prayers!
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Lauri B
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Have you been to a Rheumatologist? My hubby was diagnosed with RA eight years ago, at age 35. He had bilateral inflamation (a necessity for true RA diagnosis) in 35 joints and positive RF, which is also necessary for RA. You may want to see a Rheumatologist, because there are a lot of illnesses which can mask as RA, even with the bilateral inflamation and positive RF. My hubby took methotrexate for five years. The thing which helped him the most was losing weight. He was 280 lbs when he was diagnosed and lost 90 lbs through low carbing and exercise. (He's 6'1") He has kept it all off and continues to exercise, stretch, and do yoga every day. He was able to go off the methotrexate three years ago, and has been in remission since then. He sees his Rheumatologist only every 6 months now. (It was every 1-3 months for a very long time.) The Rheumatologist told him that a large percentage of adults who are diagnosed with RA are disabled within 15 years. That was a huge motivating factor for my hubby to lose the weight and exercise to keep those joints lubricated. He also has Osteoarthritis, and takes Naproxin occasionally for stiffness, but otherwise is doing really well with it at the moment. It's a lot of work, and could change at any time, so we're really thankful!
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4Real Forums : Our Lady of Good Remedy and Care
Topic: rheumatoid arthritis
