Information and opinions on health from sunshinegal43oh at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/215108/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/215108/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/215108/index http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/141698/ba Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:26:28 -0400 sunshinegal43oh I've been gone a while now. About five months to be exact! A lot has happened to me in that time frame.  I was fired from my job for having RA! Can you believe that? Of course the company claimed "downsizing" because firing anyone for a medical condition is ILLEGAL. DUH! But an interesting thing has happened since losing my job.  My RA has settled down. And by settled down I mean become almost asymptomatic! Huh? Really? I'm... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/141698/ba http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/123251/re Fri, 29 Oct 2010 08:59:16 -0400 sunshinegal43oh So far I've had two Remicade infusions.  I'm still having morning swelling, stiffness and pain, but it doesn't take it long to go away (less than fifteen minutes maybe). In my constant search for information regarding RA, I found out that this means the medication is working. ??? Wow! I guess I was hoping that all symptoms would be erased, but the article I read stated that if symptoms go away in under 15 minutes it means the medication is... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/123251/re http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/119388/ra Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:31:26 -0400 sunshinegal43oh   I joined this site not long after being diagnosed with RA in April of 2009.  I tended to "lurk"; checked the site daily and read posts, but didn't really start posting or commenting until February of this year.  I have been off work due to a bad RA flare since 8/27.  I have had a lot of time to read posts and comments on this site- and I can't tell you how much support this site and its members have provided me over these... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/119388/ra http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/119194/bad Sat, 04 Sep 2010 22:16:35 -0400 sunshinegal43oh In my soon to be 45 years, I have only ever had two run-ins with the Law. The first was doing 70 m.p.h. in a 55 zone. Pulled over by a Cincinnati policeman riding a tricycle-style motorcycle.  Instant ticket! The second was for driving under a railroad underpass, flooded with 2 feet of rain water, well marked with signs saying, "Do Not Enter".  What I thought was to be an instant ticket turned out to be a verbal warning... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/119194/bad http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/118622/crp Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:11:07 -0400 sunshinegal43oh My Rheumy drew blood last week and today I called for the results. The first time I called the woman put me on hold then came back saying she'd left a note for the doctor and someone would call me back. No one called. So I decided to call again. I got a much nicer woman the second time and she told me that my bloodwork looks "normal". She said my Rheumy had made a note that my CRP was above normal, but not abnormally above. She told me to be... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/118622/crp http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/118537/re Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:52:17 -0400 sunshinegal43oh I visited my Rheumy last week and got some very, very interesting information from her! I'd been flaring the previous week, in fact right thru Tuesday. Saw the Rheumy on Wed. and of course no symptoms present! I was telling her how it seemed like Enbrel worked great at first but recently seemed to be turning off and on! To quote my Rheumy, "Enbrel is a one-size-fits-all biologic." WTF????? So I asked her to enlighten me.  She told me that... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/118537/re http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/117745/fo Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:53:19 -0400 sunshinegal43oh I've had a rough past couple of days! I do my Methotrexate pills and Enbrel injection on Sunday evenings. So by Saturday, I was feeling stiff and swollen, so I could tell it was time for the meds! Normally, on Sunday evening, my symptoms wind down and the meds allow me to have a good week at work. This week, unfortunately, the meds seem to have lost their luster! I woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night Sunday night. I was SO stiff... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/117745/fo http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/117321/ii Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:27:34 -0400 sunshinegal43oh You'll have to forgive me the title of my share post....It's blatent plagarism...stolen straight from Chuck! (Thanks, Chuck! I've been giggling ever since!) I went to appointment number two with the pain management doc from hell yesterday! I'll tell you what, I was a nervous wreck going in! Isn't it amazing, that even when you have nothing to feel guilty about, some people STILL have the ability to make you feel guilty? So let me say that... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/117321/ii http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/117008/ma Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:27:14 -0400 sunshinegal43oh I started with a new pain management doctor on 7/13/10. Let me just say that my appointment was an eye opening experience! The doc accused me of being a pain pill addict- said that I was shopping for doctors and shopping for meds by using 13 "different" pharmacies. I didn't realize that using different branches of the SAME pharmacy was viewed as using "different" pharmacies. Needless to say, I was almost in tears by the end of the... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/117008/ma http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/114904/fr Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:47:36 -0400 sunshinegal43oh I have had it with my Rhuematologist. She thinks if she treats my pain that she's "not treating the disease, RA." When I'm in pain or having a flare and see her, this is what she tells me. It's so maddening! I'm waiting to get in to see a pain management specialist, but I can't see him until 7/13. I think it's crazy that a Rhuematologist won't treat all facets of RA. I mean, I'm doing much better on Methotrexate and Enbrel, but I still have... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/215108/114904/fr