Friday, July 27, 2007
MyRACentral.com
This site offers RA related news and information on drugs, symptoms, doctors and hospitals, clinical trials, and more. Blogs offer a variety of perspectives: a patient who's struggled with RA since childhood, one with an adult diagnosis, and a rheumatologist. Forums provide a chance to connect with other RA sufferers, and there's even a section on figuring out your health insurance coverage.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Good News for Plaquenil Users
There's a bit of good news at Medicinenet.com for those of us who use Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) for RA or lupus. According to The Journal of the American Medical Association, hydroxychloroquine may help prevent type 2 diabetes. In a 21-year study, 4,900 RA patients' medication histories were tracked. Those who took hydroxychloroquine at some point were 38% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Goodbye, Streisand Hands
My dear friend Colleen has always said I have Streisand hands, probably because of my long, slim fingers. I never really thought Barbra Streisand's hands, but they seem nice. I never really thought much about my own hands, either. I was flattered, anyway.
Now that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is beginning to destroy my knuckles, my hands don't look like Barbra's anymore. They still look pretty normal (on a bad day, they start to look a little like this), but they hurt frequently (even holding my 4-year-old's hand can be painful), and I'm fearful of what's to come.
I'm 33 years old. I was diagnosed with lupus / mixed connective tissue disease about 3 years ago. I started seeing a rheumatologist, who takes my blood for tests several times a year to monitor my condition. Last year, my blood began to test positive for rheumatoid factor. For the last several months, the pain in my hands has been noticeably worse. I've begun to confront the reality of not being able to do things I've always taken for granted, such as holding a paintbrush or roller for this weekend's project of painting my son's bedroom.
Right now I'm learning a lot about RA and treatment options by reading Good Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis, published by the Arthritis Foundation. It's a great book that clearly explains what RA is, how it works, and the different medications and treatment options available.
My intent is for this blog to be a place to explore my feelings about RA, talk about how it's affecting my life, collect internet resources of interest, and to record my experiences, for myself or others.
Now that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is beginning to destroy my knuckles, my hands don't look like Barbra's anymore. They still look pretty normal (on a bad day, they start to look a little like this), but they hurt frequently (even holding my 4-year-old's hand can be painful), and I'm fearful of what's to come.
I'm 33 years old. I was diagnosed with lupus / mixed connective tissue disease about 3 years ago. I started seeing a rheumatologist, who takes my blood for tests several times a year to monitor my condition. Last year, my blood began to test positive for rheumatoid factor. For the last several months, the pain in my hands has been noticeably worse. I've begun to confront the reality of not being able to do things I've always taken for granted, such as holding a paintbrush or roller for this weekend's project of painting my son's bedroom.
Right now I'm learning a lot about RA and treatment options by reading Good Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis, published by the Arthritis Foundation. It's a great book that clearly explains what RA is, how it works, and the different medications and treatment options available.
My intent is for this blog to be a place to explore my feelings about RA, talk about how it's affecting my life, collect internet resources of interest, and to record my experiences, for myself or others.
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