I'm Back!!! :D

It's been 9 months without an update. 

I feel really bad with not keeping you all updated. 

I will update soon with my condition of Rheumatoid Arthritis. 

I have had a crazy busy life in the past 9+ months since I haven't updated you all.

A lot has happened in 9 months.

I will fill you all in As Soon As Possible.

I don't have a computer either; my laptop broke. 

I should have a laptop by Christmas time so then I can update you all again.

See ya and Take you all soon,

Rachel<3

It's been 5 days!!!

On February 28, 2011 is when I took my last steroid and I have been feeling good ever since and hoping I feel better forever. We will see though.

I going to try this health food store inflammatory stuff and see it works. I have made a lot of progress since Monday and I am very proud of myself.

Since Monday I was coming inside from outside and didn't open the sliding glass door all the way and banged my knee into it. Yes, it hurt so bad I thought I wasn't going to able to walk on it afterwards.
It's like hitting your funny bone on your elbow but worse. You get this funny sensation and then when you feel it, it feel a lot worse than excepted to be when you move it. Well I was able to move and walk on it. I was sure I was going to have a lot of pain and wouldn't be able to move it but I didn't I didn't take steroid either.

I also move to fast but that's natural. I gotta remember to move slower. Still working on that. I was at borders last night and sat a the floor to read books and I get up and my knee cracks it didn't hurt luckily.

I turn to fast while walking and knee cracks again. I gotta learn to move slower. Still learning. I got a lot of strength back in my muscles. Also, I find the more healthier I eat and not the junk food I use to eat the more better I do and I also feel better to. I do treat myself to junk or chocolate or what not every now and then.

I also starting to train my dog to. Which I suppose to do when I first got him but didn't because of the situation I was in. He got the sit command in like less than 20mins. Working on other commands with him.

I'm doing pretty good and I hope it stays this way. Please continue to pray for me and thank you so much for praying.

My next post hopefully is going to be on the Methotrexrate and what my thoughts are about that. Why or why I shouldn't take it. That will be the next post unless nothing else happen between now and then that I need to post about.

Quick Links:

If you want to be a fan and get me or others advice please like my Facebook fan page. Just type "ArthritisRachel" you should find it.

Youtube: I going to be posting about my journey about having and giving info about my arthritis.
youtube.com/ArthritisRachel

Twitter: Updates! twitter.com/arthritisrachel

My youtube and Facebook fan page and blogspot are all under construction still but I will continue to post though. So be patient with me. Thank you!

Also today I might be going to the snow with my bro. Please pray for our safety and for us to get safely to our destination and back. If I don't go to the snow with my bro then I am going to hang out with my friends and possibly have a sleepover and go to subway. :)

I'm able to to be independent and do things on my own now. I love it. Anyways this is a quick update.

Enjoy,
Rachel

Coming Off Of Steroids!

Steroids sure do help but when you are coming off steroids it sure is horrible. Don't get me wrong steroids do really help me. I was up to taking 4 steroids for 4 days, 3 steroids for 4 days, 2 steroids for 4 days and then 1 for 4 days. When I went down to taking 1 for 4 days. That's when I experienced the pain and the horribleness of coming off the steroids.

From February 28, 2011 to February 2, 2011 it was not a good two days for me. I experienced everything under the sun and more. I want to go to the ER because I was in so much pain and I felt out of it and felt like crap. I needed some kind of pain meds but what did I do when no one would take me to the ER, I tuffed it out and rested pretty much all day. The next day I called my doctor and explained to the nurse what was going on and then waited for the nurse to call me back. I got through it but it was hard to because of the symptoms I was having with coming off the steroids. (If I didn't have God in my life and to trust him through this all I don't know what I would of done).

I took one steroid on February 28 and the amount of pain I was in was not even bearable to go through. So instead of calling my doctor I called the pharmacy to see if I can take a tramadol which is also a really good pain killer to. I explained to them that I was on steroids and what not and told them the whole story. The pharmacy guy is like you can take it you will be okay. But what he didn't tell me is the side effects. If I would of known the side effects I seriously wouldn't have taken the tramadol.
Note: I got tramadol from a previous doctor who gave it to me to take.

Coming off the steroids is not a pretty sight its actually horrible. Here's some of the side effects I  experienced.
I experienced 24+ hours of nausea, that side effect was horrible. The kind of nausea I had was it was the feeling of being nausea's but not throwing up type. I could still eat but it did make it worse. The good part is whenever I layed down I felt better.

I went from getting really freezing cold to really warm back and forth. That part sucked to. When I got freezing it was hard to warm up. I put a million blankets on me and took a shower and still couldn't get warm.
Kinda Scary if you asked me?

My right hand on top got really numb and puffed up which scared me alot. My hand is okay now. I have gotten very dry skin and my hands are starting to peel. My right hand is starting to look better now. I had a really bad headache/migraine that lasted over 24+ hours. It was horrible. This lasted February 28, 2011 to March 1st, 2011.

I didn't take the last steroid because I felt like crap still and the day was more than half way over and when I take steroids I have tons of energy so I said if I am still in pain I will take it today.

Believe it or not, I woke up this morning and I was not in pain I felt pain but it was manageable pain. I was like is this really happening. I didn't take the last steroid at all. I will when I am in alot of pain.

Well. After I stopped the steroids I am suppose to go on the Methotrexrate for 2 months and have two blood tests within the two months which I hate needles but you gotta do what you gotta do. I don't know about starting the new meds because I did some research I don't know if I should really be taking the new medicine. I gonna research it more. Possibly call my doctor and ask he can prescribe me something else. I'm also going to call my local pharmacy and see what they have to say about it. I'm gonna wait a few day before taking the methotrexrate. I recall the doctor saying the the steroids and completely taking my inflammation away and I feel no pain and I will still have it.  Its been 24 hours since I tooken a the steroid's and I feel great, gonna see what happens in a few days on weather I should take the new meds or not. I will blog about the methotrexrate in my next blog and tell you my thoughts about it.
See ya,
Rachel

My Diagnoses with SeroNegative Rheumatoid Arthritis!

I got diagnosed with Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis on February 25,2011. Only a few days ago. Let see here were to begin.

Before the doctor actually diagnosed me he put me on steroids for two weeks. The steroids called Predasonze (sp?) . Let me tell steroids work wonders when taking them but when coming off steroids it sucks butt and its horrible.

I went to the doctor this Friday February 25,2011. This is what he told me and went over with me. About 2 weeks before I saw this doctor last Friday he wanted me to give him a blood test (talk about a blood test), they took 13 1/2 vials of blood and I didn't have time to eat or anything but I was getting dizzy and wobbly and almost passed out.  Not good. But don't worry I got a subway sandwich afterwards. Also he wanted a urine sample for what reason i don't know. Also a chest x-ray that I still need to get done.

My blood tests results came out normal, thank God.
My Antibody was okay.
My blood count was normal.
Liver enzymes were a little high but OK.
My Liver enzymes were 41 normal 40.
My total protein level was a little high but OK.
My protein level was 8.1 normal is 8.0
My ESR-EVALUATED INFLAMMATION was 35 normal is 20. Not to bad.

Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis is one of the better arthritis to get out of all of them. Their are plenty of treatments to treat it with. The doctor saids their are 15 different treatments. There is also no cure.

The side effects and allergic reactions are liver toxicity, nausea's, sores in mouth, thinning of hair, breathing issues and fatigue with the new medicine i am going to take which is called Methotrexrate.

The doctor said to go to the arthritis.org which i signed up and the site has allot of good information.

With the Methotrexrate he did prescribe some folic acid and I take 3 pills once a week for 2 weeks and then go up to 6 a week for the methotrexrate. Also I take the folic acid everyday except the day I take the Methotrexrate.

Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune condition or disease.

That's how I got diagnosed. Enjoy. I will be posting again soon.

Until next post,
Rachel

How it all started.....

In June/July 2010, On my left foot second toe from the big toe was all purple and blue and swollen. My mom and I thought it was a broken toe. So I went to the doctor they took an x-ray. It's fine.

Then in two to four weeks I started getting pain in my feet and I wasn't able to walk and I had to have help to anything I wanted to do and I stayed in bed for a good 2 months and couldn't do anything. It sucked. I went back to my family practice doctor. She ordered more X-rays and it came out normal.

From August 2010 to December 2010 I was pretty much was going to every doctor on earth and doing there test and everything came out negative and no one couldn't find out what was wrong with me. I have gotten checked by a neurologist, cardiovascular, regular doctor, and a foot doctor. No one could figure out what was going on with me. Even the blood test at the point were coming back normal.

I did end up going to the ER in September 10, 2010 and then admitted to the hospital for 4 or 5 days. There they took a lot of blood tests and ordered more tests and couldn't find out what's going on with me so they discharged me. I told my mom that I might have a disease that never been found before.

It all started in July-August 2010 and I realized my feet were all blue & purple and very painful and sollowen. Then I told my mom and she noticed that on my left foot but 2nd toe after the big toe that the 2nd toe "looked" broken. I then went to my general physician doctor and she told me to get an X-ray of it. Got the X-ray, nothing wrong. Perfectly fine.I went to school for about a month of less and I couldn't walk on my feet because it was so painful and hurt a lot.

In September 2010, I then ended up started homeschooling because everything at school was just to much for me. I couldn't even put my feet in shoes or sandals anymore. I had to be wearing slippers. Then in Sept 10-13, 2010 I ended up going to the ER and getting hospitalized because no doctor knew what was going on with me. I left the hospital we no results. They did a lot of testing and everything came back normal of all the X-rays,MRIs', and blood tests.

In October 2010, I finally got referred to a cardiovascular to check out what I have. Couldn't figure it out. All his tests came back normal and okay nothing wrong.

In November 2010-December 18th 2010, I went to a neurologist who thought I might have RSD or CRPRS or MS. He then wanted me to do an MRI-brain which all came back normal. My brain is normal as it will get.
I then went to the cardiovascular who wanted to admit me to the hospital. I didn't sign papers for some reasons. Now I am seeing another doctor, an alternative doctor that thinks he can cure me. It was totally God sent for my mom and I. *((PRAISE GOD YAY))* I went to the alternative doctor a few times which he has help me a lot to.

I eventually went back to my family practice doctor and she sent me to a Rheumatoid doctor. I went to the Rheumatoid doctor and he did a full body exam from head to toe. He also wanted a urine sample and a lot of blood from me because I almost passed out after given 13 1/2 vials of blood. I was already dizzy and loosing my balance.
We just went back to the Rheumatoid doctor this Friday February 25, 2011 and the doctor diagnosed me with SeroNegative Rheumatoid Arthritis. I will blog another blog about the diagnoses. This blog is just what I went through to get to my diagnoses. Enjoy my blog.

Rachel :)

Hello There!

I just joined the Arthritis Foundation tonight. I will be blogging a lot. I'm excited to share my journey with you as I begin my journey about having Rheumatoid Arthritis. Be on the look out for more blogs. I created this blog not to only get advice from you all but for me to help you guys through my experiences. Enjoy. :)
-Rachel