Hi Marissa,   Welcome to ASA...  Are you under the care of a RD?    What do
you take to control your RA/Lupus?

Harv

Hello Marissa,
I am Cindy from Oklahoma Also...
I am sorry that you are dealing with so much...I saw you also posted on the
Alt.Support.Lupus...
Both of these groups are very caring...
I have OA, FM, and a few other boring things...
I hope you have a Good Rhuemy...We have a few in the OKC area...I love
mine...
Cindy

I'm very sorry that you have this stuff to deal with.

There isn't anything which works for everyone. Proper treatment by a doctor who
is caring and knowledgeable is an excellent start. He or she may be able to
help you find a way to control the symptoms while relieving inflammation (which
causes irreversible damage) and pain, and may know of local support services
which may also help. See if you can find a doctor who will listen to you and
who will make sure that you understand what he or she is telling you.

One very big thing is to find a way to improve your mood. We know how difficult
it is to smile while you are in pain, but anything which brings you pleasure
will make things a bit easier to deal with.

PLEASURE IS NOT A LUXURY.

Personally, I listen to music, watch interesting shows (and DVD's, etc.) with
my girlfriend and try to find time to pet a dog or stroke a cat. it works for
me. It's a bit like recharging your flashlight so you have light when it gets
dark. Reading poetry also helps.

While we all have different problems, we can still relate to what you're going
through and wish you well.

This group has some of the finest and most caring people I know of.

Best wishes and very gentle hugs.

{{{{{{{Marissa}}}}}}}  No answers, honey, just wanted to acknowledge your
post and to tell you that you are welcomed here. Hope you have a good
rheumatologist to help you. They're about the only ones who can really tell
you what's going on and put together a plan for you. Just educate yourself
about the disease and do what it takes to make your life a little easier.

DeeTee

Welcome to the board.  Sorry you have to be here.

Unfortunately, not everyone responds the same so it's unlikely to find a
medication/product that works for everyone.  It's why these problems are so
difficult to treat.  A lot of us seem to take similar medications such as an
anti-depressant, anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxer, sleep medication, pain
medication, immunosuppressant, etc.... while I take Effexor someone else may
have better luck with Prozac.

I have SLE and FMS along with other things.  I started pain managment a
couple years ago.  I literally cannot move without it... it hurts too much.

I think one of the best things to do is find a good receptive doctor who's
wanting to help you.  I never had good luck w/rheumies (except the one who
diagnosed me then retired a few months later).  They only wanted to
prescribe steroids for pain.  (I was officially dx'd at 19-I'm 30 now and
refused to start steroids that early due to long term effects)

I now have 2 family physcians who are wonderful and have wonderful PA/NPs.
they truly care and want to help.
Here are some helpful websites
Lupus Foundation of America
www.lupus.org
Lupus Foundation in Oklahoma
www.oklupus.com
National Fibro Association
http://www.fmaware.org/fmOnlineNewsletter/2006/vol6/no3/index.html
Also, either buy or go to the library and get Dr Daniel Wallace's "The Lupus
Book" 3rd Edition and read it cover to cover.

Dr Wallace explains in layman's terms everything you need to know.... just
as the LFA does.  The LFA also offers a magazine called Lupus Now which is
full of great info.

The Arthritis Foundation www.arthritis.org also has a lot of helpful
information, a magazine Arthritis Today.  There are over 100 forms of
arthritis so there's a lot to learn.

The National Institue of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
offers FREE publications.  Take advantage.  http://catalog.niams.nih.gov/

HTH
Nicole