Information and opinions on health from Vickie 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/55341/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/55341/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/55341/index http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/55341/20219/meds Sun, 10 Feb 2008 00:32:00 -0500 Vickie How many of you are on pain meds....especially the ones who have ra under control? What type do you take and does it manage the pain? If it is under control do you still have to take pain meds? If not using pain meds then how long has it been? http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/55341/20219/meds http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/55341/19982/hopin Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:53:00 -0500 Vickie Thank you for sharing. I was diagnoised in Sept. 07 and am taking 15 mgs of methx along with daily folic acid. I tried prednisone and could not tolerate it because of stomach problems. I,also, take 10-20 mgs of hydrocodone for pain management. The  doctor wants to start me on Enbrel in March. I am ready. It has been very hard. I cope by believing God is in control of my life...the bad as well as good. i have a wonderful support system from... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/55341/19982/hopin http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/55341/19226/to Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:02:00 -0500 Vickie Connie, Thank you so much for your response. I, lost both parents to lung cancer, Dad-62 and Mom-59. I miss them every day.  I did stop smoking for 7 years and picked it back up 3 years ago. Why... I don't know. Every day has been a battle. I so want to quit. And I want to quit before something bad happens. I am sure it would help my RA so much if I didn't smoke. Any advice would be appreciated. http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/55341/19226/to http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/55341/19210/us Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:36:00 -0500 Vickie I talked  to a doctor today from Missouri ( I live in Tn ) who suggested to drink 4-6 ounces of water with a a squeeze of lemon in it every hour and to eat a cup of blackberries 3x a week and to rub ben-gay ( or something similar ) on joints. This is suppose to cleanse our joints from built up toxins and the ben-gay is suppose to pull out the toxins. I am going to try this being as I can' see anything harmful in these things... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/55341/19210/us http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/55341/18912/eyes Wed, 09 Jan 2008 03:32:00 -0500 Vickie I have been taking methotraxate since Oct 07. It was 12 mg in the beginning and has been increased to 15 mg since Dec. My question is...does anyone have gritty and runny eyes due to the med? I do smoke but, have never had this happen. It has been ongoing for a few weeks. Hope to hear some feed-back. http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/55341/18912/eyes http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/55341/18612/bakin Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:49:00 -0500 Vickie Today is a good day. I have baked cookies with my three year old granddaughter.I was able to get out of bed without assistance. And have been able to skip pain meds this afternoon. For 10 days, before today, life was miserable....pain, fatigue, missing Christmas dinner with my family and being so sick I really did'nt care that much. But today is good. Today I care. Bless all of you. http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/55341/18612/bakin http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/55341/18512/selfh Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:01:00 -0500 Vickie Can anyone suggest things I can do (along with meds) to help myself? Remember I am very limited in what I am able to do. I need to make my body as strong as possible to help`fight this disease. Any info will be greatly appreciated. God bless each of you. Vickie  http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/55341/18512/selfh