Health Expert Leslie Rott shares health management news and commentary 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/568286/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/568286/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/568286/index http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/152752/don Tue, 15 May 2012 14:24:00 -0400 Leslie Rott It's Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis awareness month in May. Maybe I should be happy that I only have one month to commemorate instead of two, but right now, it all feels like too much.   And this is why I won't be walking for Lupus and/or Rheumatoid Arthritis this year.   For the past several years, I have done both walks with my aunt and sister. When my aunt asked me if we were going to do them this year, I said "I just can't." It's... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/152752/don http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/152751/day Wed, 09 May 2012 14:10:00 -0400 Leslie Rott Like RA, Lupus awareness month is also in May. And World Lupus Day is May 10th.   In my other post for this month, I'll talk about what it means to have the awareness month for both of my primary illnesses in May. But for now, a bit more information of lupus awareness activities...   World Lupus Day, was started eight years ago as a "call to action" to increase awareness about the disease at the international governmental level... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/152751/day http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/152107/li Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:00:00 -0400 Leslie Rott In a previous post, I talked about how one of my main symptoms that had lingered while I was on Methotrexate and feeling pretty good was headaches.   These headaches are different from the types of headaches I used to get.  Rather than being my whole head, there is intense pounding on either the side of my head or at the base of my skull. Usually the headaches come with nausea, dizziness, and sensitivity to light and sound.   But... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/152107/li http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/152103/rh Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:10:00 -0400 Leslie Rott I've talked before about how the weather - specifically the rain, cold, and the change in barometric pressure - can impact RA.   But what about the more freak weather occurrences that seem to be happening as a result of global warming?   Last month, a tornado touched down about 10 miles from where I live. That's right. We had tornado activity in Michigan in March. It was also 80 degrees. The next week, it was 40 degrees.   In... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/152103/rh http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/151140/ra Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:33:00 -0400 Leslie Rott If you haven't heard about it already, there has been a lot of discussion in the media recently about a shortage of Methotrexate (MTX).   At first glance, the main cohort affected by the shortage are children who have Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a type of childhood cancer. The preservative-free version of MTX is injected into spinal fluid in large doses to treat these patients (1).   My original thought was that those of us with RA... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/151140/ra http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/151138/pe Mon, 12 Mar 2012 08:59:00 -0400 Leslie Rott According to the Mayo Clinic, Rheumatoid Arthritis impacts two million people in the United States (1), and it is two to three times more likely to occur in women than men (2). (Lupus is nine times more likely in women than men (3)).   Only women in Hawaii were in the lowest prevalence group for having RA, and men in only two states, Missouri and West Virginia, were in the highest group (4). There was no location in the United States in... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/151138/pe http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/150559/ra Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:51:00 -0500 Leslie Rott Right now, my arthritis is being well-controlled with injectable Methotrexate, and lupus with the help of Quinacrine (and a cadre of other, less powerful prescription medications). I also can't deny that our unseasonably mild winter may also have something to do with my lack of pain.   That being said, the main symptom I have been having is headaches. When I used to get headaches, my entire head would ache. But the headaches I am getting... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/150559/ra http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/150276/sex Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:43:00 -0500 Leslie Rott I know I'm known on my blog for being open, honest, and a straight shooter. But I've never quite talked so openly about the subject I am about to discuss. And I felt like I should, because all the "cool kids" with RA are doing it.   Let's talk about sex.   It's a part of life.   If we're being realistic, there are functional limitations that come with arthritis. Hands can only stay in certain positions before fingers become... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/150276/sex http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/149397/me Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:37:00 -0500 Leslie Rott I talked a few months ago about moving from the oral form of Methotrexate (MTX) to a higher dose of the injectable form. As I reported before, I have a significant needle phobia which was making the situation both physically and emotionally difficult for me.   I was not able to do my first two shots. I was home for Thanksgiving, so my mom did them for me, after about two hours of trying to get the nerve to do it myself and not following... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/149397/me http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/149278/ra Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:19:00 -0500 Leslie Rott No, I'm not pregnant (Don't worry, Mom. You'd be the first to know). But before that, most people would ask who the guy is (Minor details, people, minor details). But the reality is, while I don't have a man or a baby, it's a topic that is at the forefront of my mind. Why? Well, because the way I figure it, if I'm 26, and I meet someone and date them for a year, and then we get engaged for a year, and then get married, and then I have to be off... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/568286/149278/ra