Who here has gout or arthritis?

[Khephra]

I hate the change in the weather, but I love Fall. Once winter hits, there's so many days that I can't walk without pain. I never expected to get gout and arthritis at 30 (I'm now 35), but there you go.

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. 33 with rheumatoid arthritis here. On the very bad days...

I find that Jointritis offers me a quite a bit of relief. I also have those magnetic knee wraps...Don't know if it's psychological, but it works. I feel your pain. :hi:

[ugarte]

2. Eat a potassium-rich diet

The results I've had are nothing short of amazing.

[Andy_Stephenson]

3. My left foot is real bad

with uncle arthur.

[toddzilla]

5. how is arthritis diagnosed?

just curious, i've got some problems with my hands in the past year or so. I'm sure it's related to my job, which is very physical, but you never know.

[Khephra]

7. mine was in an emergency room

so I can't help much.

[ScreamingMeemie]

9. Usually it is diagnosed by X-ray. Threre will be marked swelling

and degeneration of tissues in the area. For rheumatoid, they ran a blood test as well. You could have degeneration of your ligaments from the heavy physical nature of your job. Good luck to you.

[Wwagsthedog]

11. I have osteo-arthritis in some of my finger/thumb joints

It was diagnosed by xrays. Seems to get worse with age.

[rasputin1952]

19. Arthritis is generaly diagnosed with a radiological exam ...

of the affected joint.

What you are describing might also be Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which is pressure on the nerves generally caused by repitition. the test for CTS involve a pricking skin near the nerve with a needle attached to a small voltage source, that detects how the nerve reacts to electrical stimulation.

there maight alsop be various strains in the musculatar of the hands that cause certain problems.

O8)

[REP]

38. By A Zillion Tests!

I have a rheumatoid arthritis, and I was dx'd by x-rays and blood work. I have an inflammatory (immune system-type) arthritis; the wear-and-tear kind (osteoarthritis) is usually dx'd by xray, though tests for rheumatoid factor and ESR (and others) are usually done as well.

[TrogL]

4. you forgot bursitis

Hurts almost as bad.

[Khephra]

6. bursitis?

what's that?

[TrogL]

14. Inflamation of the bursa

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sportsmedicine/a/blbursitis.htm

[lpbk2713]

29. Thanx for the link TrogL

The Doc told me last week I have bursitis as well as tendenitis. I found this link very informative.

[Philostopher]

8. I hear you, Keph.

I'm 39, and have been fighting with some kind of myofascial (soft tissue) pain syndrome for almost fifteen years now. It's probably fibromyalgia -- my older sister actually got a diagnosis, but as little as they've been able to do for her, I've skipped that.

The past four or five years, I've started having serious trouble with my feet, and the past two years the joints in my fingers have started swelling and giving me hell when the weather changes.

Autumn is beautiful here, mostly, where I live ... but it also lets me know that pain season is on the way.

And I'm allergic to Ibuprofen (I got hives the first time I took it, my doctors have told me not to try again because the next time it could be anaphylactic shock), and I haven't had a lot of luck with acetaminophen, either, so I eat buffered aspirin all winter long.

And people wonder why I don't worry about getting old. I didn't have to wait to get old for my body to fall apart!

[flamingyouth]

15. I have fibromyalgia too

And you're right, they sure can't do much for it. I've been taking a prescription med called Bextra, and I know that Vioxx works for joint pain as well, although they both have side effects.

When I was at the LA DU get-together last Friday, nothingshocksmeanymore suggested checking out Dr. Sears' fish oil capsules, which I looked into and ordered. They might help with pain, and frankly with winter upon us, I will try just about anything.

[rasputin1952]

21. I take Vioxx, 25mg once a day...

the biggest 'side effect' is cost: $78 for 30 pills.

:eyes:

[flamingyouth]

30. Holy pharmaceutical ripoff, Batman!

I thought the Bextra was expensive! Hey, if it helps, it's worth it, though!

[RedEarth]

35. "World Drug Mart" in Canada has low cost pharm drugs

I have ordered various drugs from them over the last 6 months and their prices are 30-70% less than here in US. Celebrex is a $1.30/pill vs. $3.00/pill here in US.

They are getting pressure from US pharm companies and some scripts can't be filled due to limited supply. I have found them to be very legitimate. Their phone number is 800-860-0203. They also have a web site that lists the price of their drugs.

http://www.worlddrugmart.com/drugprices.phtml?drug=c

[Philostopher]

23. Been taking fish oil for two years, actually.

I started taking it to combat seasonal affective disorder. It does appear to help some, and really seems to have helped me with the SAD -- hubby is fish-phobic, so we never eat it at home, and unless you're paying through the nose it's darned difficult to get a good tuna or salmon steak in a restaurant. I think I'm actually treating a nutritional deficiency, here, since I don't know if I eat enough of the right things to get all the Omega acids I need.

Not going out into the cold with wet hair is good, too, which took me forever to figure out. And even though my husband looks at me like I'm from another planet, I always overdress for the weather. Looks like Mom was wrong about going out with a wet head giving me a cold, but doggone it, I do get miserable when I do it -- my neck will hurt for days.

[flamingyouth]

31. I believe that

I take two hot baths a day, or one hot bath and one hot shower. For some reason, warming myself like that really helps. I've felt better since I've been down in LA for a few days. We were having record cold in Seattle (lows in low 30s, highs in low 40s) and I was miserable.

[Susang]

25. Check out this website

I have CFS and this web site has been an amazing source of information regarding treatments and research for CFS/Fibromyalgia

http://www.immunesupport.com

Their articles and links are extensive and have had a lot of impact on my treatment, particularly in changing the way I deal with my doctors. It really sucks having a condition that most people (including doctors) doubt even exists. :-(

[flamingyouth]

32. Thanks

I hadn't seen that site before. I'm amazed at the sheer amount of quackery out there regarding CFS/FM, but there is also a plethora of good stuff like this.

Yeah, it does suck to be told your pain/fatigue is "all in your mind." ARGH!

[Rocinante]

10. Psoratic arthritis here

It finally got so bad that I had to quit work and go on disability a few years ago. I was 42 when I had to quit work.

[smallprint]

12. Rheumatoid Arthritis since I was 21

I'm 28 now. It sucks.

My remedies:

1) Lots of little body exercises and stretches. I learned most of them from a great book, Arthritis: What Exercises Work by Sobel and Klein.

2) Eat lots of hot peppers and hot sauce. Now I'm addicted.

3) Cut down on the alcohol.

4) Use of special herbs. ;) :hippie: ;) Verrrrrry effective.

5) Self-hypnosis exercises to reduce pain and swelling. To my surprise, this actually works.


on edit: oh I almost forgot, one of the most important things...

6) Weight lifting. Using very small to average weights. This has greatly strengthened the ligaments and muscles aroud my joints, reducing the friction and pain.


Using these methods, I've gone from being barely able to walk on some days to being able to jog several miles twice a week.

[sam sarrha]

13. Refer to the "Life Extension" book, Dirk Pearson/Sandy Shaw. I cured my

arthritis in a week with amino acids Arganine/ornathine. they are necessary for 'T-cell receptor inhibitors' the t-cells attack the joints and cause the inflammation and damage to the joints. It hasn't worked on all the people i told about it but a Significant number. you can get it at any Wallmart-sorry , drug store and any health food store. It costs about $40 a pound bulk, thru Vitamin Research Products, which could be a life time supply.at a gram a day at first, now i take it about 1 gram a week of less...when i forget... it takes about 2 months for symptoms to return. Arganine/ornathine are part of a urea removing cycle ornathine is a complex collection of arganine molecules.. like a bag of marbles, when a urea molecule contacts it, an arganine molecule is tagged on it making it large and non toxic, the kidneys remove the urea and recycle the arganine. ALCOHOL destroys it. as does stress...learn to meditate. there is also gout info in Life Extension. I was frozen, couldn't stand nor sit without help..in constant agony...this stuff cleared it up totally in a couple weeks. it is non toxic, you couldn't physically eat enough to harm you. It is non patientable..so no research will be done on it because there is no money in it. but it works for me and many others including my 82 year old mother. .good luck all, let me know if it worked for you

[corarose]

16. I have RSD

Winter is here in Chicago and the I am on my pain medication and I am dreading the cold.

I have had RSD and severe pain for 10 years now and I am sick of it.

I FEEL ALL OF YOUR PAIN!

[alfredo]

17. Got Arthritis in my neck shoulders, arms and hands.

Yep the cold is a drag. I have to wear fingerless gloves when I type a lot.

[Khephra]

27. You too?

I thought i was the only one who used fingerless gloves.

[Dogmudgeon]

18. Chronic ear pain

Along CoraRose's lines, it's like RSD, except it's mainly diffuse alpha-fiber pain; RSD is thought to come from the thicker, main nerve trunks.

There's probably a couple of other things I have, too.

And I definitely do better in the warmer months, though I like winter and enjoy walking around (and playing) in the snow.

I've been taking opiate-class meds since I was 18, and I'm 45 now. The best treatment, though, is keeping optimistic, as tough as that may be sometimes. Having a cracked sense of humor helps, too.

--bkl

[curse10]

20. My many rheumatological conditions render me useless, and I'm 24

Tendinitis, fibromyalgia, raynaud's phenomenom- all bitches to deal with in cold weather. I can't lift my arms at all today. Keyboard in lap.

[Punkingal]

22. I have a condition in the arthritis family....

called Sjogren's Syndrome. It is characterized by severe inflammation of the connective tissues. I have taken various arthritis meds, such as Vioxx and Celebrex, but I mostly stick with Ibuprophen, because of stomach irritation with the stronger meds. What I have found that helps with my inflammation is ginger. I drink lots of gingerale, and eat candied ginger, as well as fresh. It really does help, so I reccommend it to you all. Also, drinking lots of water is very important.

[rasputin1952]

24. I have Cervical Spine osteoarthritis...

probably began after I almost had my head seved from my torso.

It sucks, big time, and I take Vioxx and valium. Fortunately, I don't live on the valium, and generally take it only whenthe muscles of my shoulders and neck start to cramp up. The last thing I need is increased tolerance to valium, so I tend to take it sparingly. moist heat and stretching helps.

Diagnosis was the easy part, the prognosis really sucks. Since this is in the C-Spine, C-2,3,4, I am going to have some serious problems in the future. Eventually, I will turn my head, and some of the nerves will be damaged, rendering me, let us say, dependant on forms of transportation other than my legs. It could sever the nerves, and then I won't have to worry too much, as I will be gone.

In any case, such is life. As they say, 'shit happens'.

:kick:

[Susang]

26. Osteo-arthritis in my hands and knees

Probably in my feet as well, but there are so many other problems with my feet that I wouldn't even notice.

My hands are killing me right now. My new job requires quite a bit more typing than I'm used to. I'm actually quite a good typist (I went to high school in the early eighties when they made you take typing!), but the stiffness and pain is making it more difficult than I remembered it being. :-(

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

28. Psoriatic (a form of Rheumatoid) arthritis

since my mid-20s (I'm 48 now). It's in my toes, feet, ankles, knees (one knee has been replaced twice, first time when I was 42), hip, elbows, wrists, fingers, and neck. Owie owie!

Am currently on Remicade, which is for me a miracle drug. Except for weather-related pain, this summer has been literally pain-free for me. First time in about ten years.

Unfortunately, arthritis runs in my family. Literally every one has it-- my brother (deceased), three sisters, my mother and father (both deceased), and at least one grandmother (deceased). It's one reason I stayed a bachelor-- I couldn't see passing what is obviously a bad gene on to another generation.

[trof]

33. This helped me.

Got some arthritis in knees and hands. Several years ago a friend recommended a copper bracelet. I really thought this was akin to voodoo but figured what the hell and got one. It really seems to help. Maybe it's the placebo effect, but who cares?

A few years ago another friend told me about glucosimine sulphate with chondroitin. He warned me that the relief takes a couple of weeks to kick in. He was right.
Now I take "Joint Soother" from Vitamin World. One tablet morning and evening. It contains glucosimine, chondroitin, and MSM. It works for me. No more joint pain.

[areschild]

40. Copper bracelets.

I bought one once because I thought it was pretty. Before long, I could hardly walk. I developed pain in my thigh/pelvic joint. I finally figured out that the pain started after I began wearing the copper bracelet. Apparently, I was over-dosing on copper. I took it off, and the pain left.

[MissMillie]

34. Arthritis in my hands

which was severely aggravated by an injury involving a deployed airbag.

My work involves lots of typing, so flare-ups can be a real pain (ha ha).

I'm also happy that cooler, dryer weather is here. I'm making my sis an afghan from Christmas, and I wouldn't be able to do that otherwise.

[RedEarth]

36. Glucosimine, chondroitin, and MSM, Ginger and Tumeric, and Fish Oil

have all been shown to help with pain. I have osteoarthritis and have found they actually do help relieve the pain. It took a month or so before I noticed a difference, now I take them each day and very seldom have to take any pain medicine.

Two sites that might be of interest are:

http://www.drweil.com/app/cda/drw_cda.html

Dr. Weil is a MD that also teaches "integrative medicine" at AZ med school. He feel there is a place for both natural medicine/healing and traditional medicine. He explains how some natural products are able to help with pain.


http://www.new-chapter.com/

I have used Zyflamend and it does seem to help.


Zyflamend

Available in 60 Hexane-free softgel capsules

• Inhibits the COX-2 enzyme and reduces inflammation*
• Promotes healthy joint function*
• Promotes normal cell growth*
• Contains organic herbal anti-aging constituents that inactivate free-radicals*

[REP]

37. Ankylosing Spondylitis

It's a rheumatoid arthritis that mostly affects the sacroileac joints and hips as well as the connective tissue and generally makes me feel unwell. It's gotten into my hands as well - very attractive, not.

[MaineDem]

39. Losing 140 pounds has helped tremendously

I have osteoarthritis in both knees. Bone on bone...ouch. But since I've lost weight the problems have gone away for the most part. I'll never get the cartilage back but the pain is gone. No meds now and I can walk and bike and ski.

[corarose]

41. Same here

I have lost about 150 pounds now and I can walk. Before I had the bypass surgery I was going to be getting a wheel chair. Now, I am back in College and I feel a bit better about myself and life in general.
I thought that the pain went away but one day I ran out of pain meds and It let me know that It was still there. Winter also has let me know that I can walk but my pain is still there.

[tishaLA]

42. I thought I was one of three people in the US with gout

But mine is not normal gout. I was diagnosed, at the tender age of 27 (last year) with congestive heart failure and one of the ancillary problems with CHF is gout, which is typically brought on by use of diuretics and a fluid-restricted diet . So I have flare ups fo gout, but I cannot take things like Vioxx etc. because they are a class of drugs--NSAIDS--that people with CHF cannot take. I therefore have to take a terrible litle drug called colchicine, which I take until I develop diahhrea (sp) or the pain subsides. It is decidedly unpleasant.

Happily, my doc has told me I'm no longer retaining fluids, so I no longer have to take a diuretic. This should abate my gout, but we will see. I have heard that a diet high in citric acid is good, but I am just trying it now. And someone tells me to eat lots of cherries, but they are havoc on my gastro-intestinal tract.

OK. WAY too much info.

[REP]

45. I Take Colchicine, Too

I'm surprised they don't have you on Allopurinol. I was one that briefly for extremely high levels of uric acid, but I'm violently allergic to it. My dx isn't gout, but colchicine seems to help with no side effects. I can't take NSAIDs due to advanced kidney disease, so it's narcotics and colchicine.

[tishaLA]

46. Yeah, I have tried to go on allopurinol

...but I have to wait for two weeks after a gout attack and THEN I have to start with 150 mg doses (half a pill) and THEN I start to become (gout) symptomatic again. I'm thinking the gout is just a passing systemic fancy. Or hoping.

[rasputin1952]

43. Wow...After reading all of this stuff...

I have come to the conclusion: "WE'RE REALLY SCREWED UP"!

However...I've gottensome really good ideas for some decent treatment.
Sometimes, conventional medicine just doesn't cut it. Besides, it's EXPENSIVE!

Best to all, hope the pain dwindles, and the quality of life goes up!

:bounce:

[Padraig18]

44. Arthritic here.

Two bad knees and a bum elbow. I hate cold weather! Thank you for Celebrex and, on the 'bad days' for Darvocet.