to give this update and hoping I don't jinx myself!  LOL!!!

Actually, I should be yelling at the top of my lungs...........

Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Finally, finally, finally, I have cleared the nasty ear infections and
can hear normally again!    Hope I don't ever get anything like that
again!

Also, saw my lung doctor today and after the bronchoscopy and all the
biopsies and stuff they tested for, my final diagnosis is that I just
had a really nasty case of double pneumonia.    There was nothing in the
cultures and biopsies that indicated I ever had whooping cough or any of
the other nasty stuff he was looking for.   He figures the pneumonia was
probably viral and because it was so wide spread in both lungs, that is
what set me up for all the coughing along with my already bad
bronchospastic lung disease.   Thankfully there was no signs of any
worsening of the pulmonary fibrosis stuff!   What ever showed up on the
chest x-rays looking so odd, probably was the double pneumonia all
along.  YAY!!!  I am so happy to have most of this behind me and be left
with just a bit of a nagging cough still.

RD said I can go back on my Enbrel and my Imuran, but not the mtx.   He
wants to give my lungs a bit of a rest from the mtx.  We are going to
try Arava again, although I am a bit skeptical, as I was sooooooo sick
on the Arava before.   He is going to put me at 10 mg instead of the 20
mg.   If I don't do well with it and get really sick with it again, then
I will stop it and the RD will have to decide at that point whether to
restart the mtx or continue to hold the mtx and wait to put me in the
study for the abatacept when he does that study.   Only thing with that
is that I will have to either get a pic line places or a port placed.
Anyone no much about what is involved with placing a port?    

Other than hurting big time from being off all the RA meds for a month
and a half, I am doing better.   Fianally think I am on the upswing from
all of this nonsense that started way back on january 2nd.   Have asked
my PCP about going to physical therapy for just a little while to try
and strengthen my legs after these last several months of huge doses of
prednisone, being sick and not moving around much, and from being in so
much pain and such, my legs feel like jello.   I will do a few weeks of
PT to start strenghtening them and then will get back to my swimming and
hopefully going back to the gym on a more regular basis!

So, thanks, my friends for listening to all my whining, for all the
support and prayers, and for just walking through all of this these last
few months with me!!!   You guys are the best!!!

Love you all and continually pray for you all!!!

Hugs!

Donna G