well, here i am…. on methotrexate and in remission… new to any blogging, but your right… i was getting worried about taking “drugs”…. only been diagnosed for about a year, but after my one big flare,,, my angel of a doctor has found a great “combo”… i didn’t want to take all these little “pills”, but after reading here a bit, i’m happy to say… it’s working so far, and i’m celebrating that fact… Barbara
Hi there,
Mathilda here, from Sout Africa, have RA for a year. Heart effusion in the perricardium. now my shoulders and hands are just always sore. I feel guilty to be sore all the time. My work is threatened, use my hands a lot! Taking methotrexate. Make me feel bad for 2 days after taking (taking 10). Now my lungs are a problem. pain in lungs and shortness of breath. What about stem cell treatment. I would love to be without pain.
Stem cell therapy for RA is in a developing phase. We will have to wait for further studies with different medications/ designs for a definitive take on this approach.
Arthritis cripples one’s body from within and extracts the energy from and damages the smooth coordination of our muscles.I have been suffering from this ailment for a few years now and before I got introduced to Dr.Akerkar I had almost transformed my body into a research center with different types of cures that were medically and also non-medically suggested.I had fearful doubts about consuming methotrexate when it was prescribed by doctor as I had read and heard about its actual use for a non curable disease and that of its severe sideeffects but after browsing through the articles written by Dr.Akerkar and understanding that arthritis patients are treated with small doses of this medicine because it is like golden cure I agreed to continue with the treatment.Now after almost a year I am back to being my usual cheerful self unlike the depressed,irritated person I used to be while I was in pain.I shall always be thankful to Dr.Akerkar for giving me a new lease of life.
Regards-Sandhya Parab
thank you Sandhya for your letter… our weather here in MA has been terrible so far for this spring…. and a poor start for summer… needless to say the “bones” hurt a bit.. off to see my RA Doc Friday and need to chat a bit…
a few weeks back my right leg just started to swell , not so much pain but it felt like it was “bursting”….. i took prednisone for about 10 days… (tapering off as i stopped…) only one per day, but i felt it helped… now my right foot seems tight and swollen all the time…. i’m not sure what a “flare” is like, but expect to find out on Friday…. I guess i like dealing with it as it comes instead of worrying all the time… Some of this just might be my getting “older”..hehehe…
I hope your feeling well and enjoy reading the thoughts of others in the same boat… thanks for writing…. Barbara
Dear Barbara,
thank you for your mail.methotrexate has for sure turned out to be a blessing,we have taken a leap of faith with this medicine and will definitely touch the horizon of cure or atleast reduction of pain.wish you a healthy life.
Sir,
I am working in muncipal hospital Mumbai.I am medical officer, we are treating ,refering many artritis pt . I am also a patient of R.A. I find this web site very helpful.
sir,today i have learnt lot from this site, i am suffering from the desease ( RA) since 1996 with family history. There is well establish mith to refere Ortho Doctor in case of RA , i also consulted ortopedition in the start . Dr Ahuja(DMC Ludhiana) , Dr N D aggarwal , Patiala. In the start i take INMICINE , later on SAZO( 1998 to 2003) . In 2003 , i suffered from recurring execisve synvivol Fuid in my Left Knee, in the mean time , during examination at PGI Chandigarh , I came to know that due to side effects of Drugs ( Sazo & Nemislide) , i am also suffering NASH ( Non- alholic Steto Hepatises) , Liver biopesy done at PGI Chandigarh. Partical synovactmy of Knee ( Arthoscopy) got done by Dr Ashok Rajgopal ( Delhi) .
now my right knee in lot of infmalation , due to excessive Synovataive Fluid, On recomadation of Forties, now i am on HCQS 200 mg . Please advise me , can i take HCQS , despite NASH, faty liver with High SGOT/PT ( ranging 60-80) , please advise any other alternate . There is acute shartage of Reumatolist in our area , we have to refer MS (Ortho).
Given the fact that you have NASH, there will always be restrictions on the DMARDs that you can take.
You can take HCQS with NASH. You need to consult a Rheumatologist asap. Given the complexities in your case, it would be prudent to see a Rheumatologist instead of an orthopedic surgeon even if it means traveling for a few hours.
Sir, very very thanks for attending my problem. Now , My doctor advise me to start SAZO with HCQS despite NASH. He told me that only HCQS is not sufficient . Please help me , can i start SAZO ?. Now i am also diabtic and start MOTFORMIN 500 Mg ER. On the other hand , METFORMIN is also works for fetty liver decease, as such SGOT/PT now came down to 50-60 range.
Hi it’s me again,,Barbara…
Just wondering… what “pain relief” is recommended… my hips, and legs ache a lot… very stiff… i have OA as well as RA… the RA i think is in remission… no real swelling,,although my right leg did “blow up for a couple of days…”i guess i’m just having trouble trying to figure out “which pain is which”… i’m just so stiff.. many people i know that have “arthritis” take pain killers… i am leary of too much medicine and want to take the right one… my RA doctor said to take all the tylenol i want… but with all the talk of too much of this and that hurting my stomach i’m worried… i did have surgery for a bowel interseception (sp)… so that’s a worry…… any info to help me would be appreciated… thanks Barbara
HI! I had arthritis since 15 yrs. in 1996 when i was detected RA positive i had severe pain in multiple joints and my mobility was restricted. ( I was in late twenties). I ws put on NSAIDs. For one year i had chronic pain. later I conceived. My joint pain subsided. After child birth occasionally I used to get acute pain on rotation when the weather was humid or some infection in my body. I took only analgesics when pain aggravated. Now from last 3 months i have pain in my right wrist, swelling only. I have infection in my teeth which needed extraction. I am under dental treatment. MY ESR , SGPT, CBC, Uric acid is quite normal. ANA is moderate positive. RA factor is quite elevated 337.60 IU/mL (may be due to infection in teeth. …?). My ortho has advised me DMARD sulfasalazine. Do I require it ? I have great will power becos of which I am coping up with Arthritis. kindly advice.
You seem to be having a flare of rheumatoid arthritis. The best treatment for RA is DMARDs & not analgesics.
Sulphasalazine is a good DMARD but may not be sufficient to take care of RA. Combination of DMARDs & not a single DMARD is the norm today.
A Rheumatologist rather than an Ortho surgeon would be a better person to guide you.
this is very common to consult orth surgeon instead of Rheumatologist. lot of lack of awareness in this regard. Main reasons is that Orth surgeon never educate RA patients to refer Reumatologist, they start treatment as a part of their marking/ profit motive
Arthritis cripples one’s body from within and extracts the energy from and damages the smooth coordination of our muscles.I have been suffering from this ailment for a few years now and before I got introduced to Dr.Akerkar I had almost transformed my body into a research center with different types of cures that were medically and also non-medically suggested.I had fearful doubts about consuming methotrexate when it was prescribed by doctor as I had read and heard about its actual use for a non curable disease and that of its severe sideeffects but after browsing through the articles written by Dr.Akerkar and understanding that arthritis patients are treated with small doses of this medicine because it is like golden cure I agreed to continue with the treatment.Now after almost a year I am back to being my usual cheerful self unlike the depressed,irritated person I used to be while I was in pain.I shall always be thankful to Dr.Akerkar for giving me a new lease of life.
Regards-Sandhya Parab
+1
I have found an excellent book entitled “A will to win ” by Alice Peterson. I have this copy of this book translated in Marathi by Uday Kulkarni and Published by Mehata Publishing House.
This is the real life story of a Tennis player having suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis from the age of 18.
She lives in London at Noting Hill.
With the help of medication she can live without anybody’s help. She got her freedom with the help of medication.
Writing has now become her full fledged profession and she has written many books, specifically on on the lives of disableled -shall I say differently abled people–
She helps and guides the Rheumatoid Arthritis with the help of Rheumatoid Arthritis Society.
Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive read anything like this before. So nice to find somebody with some original thoughts on this subject. realy thank you for starting this up. this website is something that is needed on the web, someone with a little originality. useful job for bringing something new to the internet!
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your website to come back down the road. Many thanks
well, here i am…. on methotrexate and in remission… new to any blogging, but your right… i was getting worried about taking “drugs”…. only been diagnosed for about a year, but after my one big flare,,, my angel of a doctor has found a great “combo”… i didn’t want to take all these little “pills”, but after reading here a bit, i’m happy to say… it’s working so far, and i’m celebrating that fact…
Barbara
Dear Barbara,
Those ‘little pills’ are really wonderful. Rheumatology as a branch owes a lot to methotrexate.
All the best & hope you stay in remission.
Hi there,
Mathilda here, from Sout Africa, have RA for a year. Heart effusion in the perricardium. now my shoulders and hands are just always sore. I feel guilty to be sore all the time. My work is threatened, use my hands a lot! Taking methotrexate. Make me feel bad for 2 days after taking (taking 10). Now my lungs are a problem. pain in lungs and shortness of breath. What about stem cell treatment. I would love to be without pain.
You may have a look at http://doctorakerkar.wordpress.com/2011/04/03/stem-cell-therapy-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/ to know more about stem cell therapy for rheumatoid arthritis.
Stem cell therapy for RA is in a developing phase. We will have to wait for further studies with different medications/ designs for a definitive take on this approach.
Good work, keep us posted, you are good writer!!!
Arthritis cripples one’s body from within and extracts the energy from and damages the smooth coordination of our muscles.I have been suffering from this ailment for a few years now and before I got introduced to Dr.Akerkar I had almost transformed my body into a research center with different types of cures that were medically and also non-medically suggested.I had fearful doubts about consuming methotrexate when it was prescribed by doctor as I had read and heard about its actual use for a non curable disease and that of its severe sideeffects but after browsing through the articles written by Dr.Akerkar and understanding that arthritis patients are treated with small doses of this medicine because it is like golden cure I agreed to continue with the treatment.Now after almost a year I am back to being my usual cheerful self unlike the depressed,irritated person I used to be while I was in pain.I shall always be thankful to Dr.Akerkar for giving me a new lease of life.
Regards-Sandhya Parab
thank you Sandhya for your letter… our weather here in MA has been terrible so far for this spring…. and a poor start for summer… needless to say the “bones” hurt a bit.. off to see my RA Doc Friday and need to chat a bit…
a few weeks back my right leg just started to swell , not so much pain but it felt like it was “bursting”….. i took prednisone for about 10 days… (tapering off as i stopped…) only one per day, but i felt it helped… now my right foot seems tight and swollen all the time…. i’m not sure what a “flare” is like, but expect to find out on Friday…. I guess i like dealing with it as it comes instead of worrying all the time… Some of this just might be my getting “older”..hehehe…
I hope your feeling well and enjoy reading the thoughts of others in the same boat… thanks for writing…. Barbara
Dear Barbara,
thank you for your mail.methotrexate has for sure turned out to be a blessing,we have taken a leap of faith with this medicine and will definitely touch the horizon of cure or atleast reduction of pain.wish you a healthy life.
regards,
Sandhya
Sir,
I am working in muncipal hospital Mumbai.I am medical officer, we are treating ,refering many artritis pt . I am also a patient of R.A. I find this web site very helpful.
Thanks Dr. Vikrant,
Your appreciation is the fuel for the next blog posts. Please help me raise awareness about RA.
You may give this blog/ site (www.arthritissupportboard.com) URL to your patients for information.
sir,today i have learnt lot from this site, i am suffering from the desease ( RA) since 1996 with family history. There is well establish mith to refere Ortho Doctor in case of RA , i also consulted ortopedition in the start . Dr Ahuja(DMC Ludhiana) , Dr N D aggarwal , Patiala. In the start i take INMICINE , later on SAZO( 1998 to 2003) . In 2003 , i suffered from recurring execisve synvivol Fuid in my Left Knee, in the mean time , during examination at PGI Chandigarh , I came to know that due to side effects of Drugs ( Sazo & Nemislide) , i am also suffering NASH ( Non- alholic Steto Hepatises) , Liver biopesy done at PGI Chandigarh. Partical synovactmy of Knee ( Arthoscopy) got done by Dr Ashok Rajgopal ( Delhi) .
now my right knee in lot of infmalation , due to excessive Synovataive Fluid, On recomadation of Forties, now i am on HCQS 200 mg . Please advise me , can i take HCQS , despite NASH, faty liver with High SGOT/PT ( ranging 60-80) , please advise any other alternate . There is acute shartage of Reumatolist in our area , we have to refer MS (Ortho).
RAJESH GUPTA 9779584278
Dear Rajesh,
Given the fact that you have NASH, there will always be restrictions on the DMARDs that you can take.
You can take HCQS with NASH. You need to consult a Rheumatologist asap. Given the complexities in your case, it would be prudent to see a Rheumatologist instead of an orthopedic surgeon even if it means traveling for a few hours.
Sir, very very thanks for attending my problem. Now , My doctor advise me to start SAZO with HCQS despite NASH. He told me that only HCQS is not sufficient . Please help me , can i start SAZO ?. Now i am also diabtic and start MOTFORMIN 500 Mg ER. On the other hand , METFORMIN is also works for fetty liver decease, as such SGOT/PT now came down to 50-60 range.
You may take sazo.
However, please consult a Rheumatologist. He’ll have to look at the other contraindications to sazo as well.
Hi it’s me again,,Barbara…
Just wondering… what “pain relief” is recommended… my hips, and legs ache a lot… very stiff… i have OA as well as RA… the RA i think is in remission… no real swelling,,although my right leg did “blow up for a couple of days…”i guess i’m just having trouble trying to figure out “which pain is which”… i’m just so stiff.. many people i know that have “arthritis” take pain killers… i am leary of too much medicine and want to take the right one… my RA doctor said to take all the tylenol i want… but with all the talk of too much of this and that hurting my stomach i’m worried… i did have surgery for a bowel interseception (sp)… so that’s a worry…… any info to help me would be appreciated… thanks Barbara
sir, thank you for quick responce
HI! I had arthritis since 15 yrs. in 1996 when i was detected RA positive i had severe pain in multiple joints and my mobility was restricted. ( I was in late twenties). I ws put on NSAIDs. For one year i had chronic pain. later I conceived. My joint pain subsided. After child birth occasionally I used to get acute pain on rotation when the weather was humid or some infection in my body. I took only analgesics when pain aggravated. Now from last 3 months i have pain in my right wrist, swelling only. I have infection in my teeth which needed extraction. I am under dental treatment. MY ESR , SGPT, CBC, Uric acid is quite normal. ANA is moderate positive. RA factor is quite elevated 337.60 IU/mL (may be due to infection in teeth. …?). My ortho has advised me DMARD sulfasalazine. Do I require it ? I have great will power becos of which I am coping up with Arthritis. kindly advice.
Dear Poornima,
You seem to be having a flare of rheumatoid arthritis. The best treatment for RA is DMARDs & not analgesics.
Sulphasalazine is a good DMARD but may not be sufficient to take care of RA. Combination of DMARDs & not a single DMARD is the norm today.
A Rheumatologist rather than an Ortho surgeon would be a better person to guide you.
Thank you so much for your quick response Dr. Akerkar ! I will consult a Rheumatologist. Any reference in Delhi. I’ve put up in Dwarka new Delhi.
Thanks & Regards.
this is very common to consult orth surgeon instead of Rheumatologist. lot of lack of awareness in this regard. Main reasons is that Orth surgeon never educate RA patients to refer Reumatologist, they start treatment as a part of their marking/ profit motive
Arthritis cripples one’s body from within and extracts the energy from and damages the smooth coordination of our muscles.I have been suffering from this ailment for a few years now and before I got introduced to Dr.Akerkar I had almost transformed my body into a research center with different types of cures that were medically and also non-medically suggested.I had fearful doubts about consuming methotrexate when it was prescribed by doctor as I had read and heard about its actual use for a non curable disease and that of its severe sideeffects but after browsing through the articles written by Dr.Akerkar and understanding that arthritis patients are treated with small doses of this medicine because it is like golden cure I agreed to continue with the treatment.Now after almost a year I am back to being my usual cheerful self unlike the depressed,irritated person I used to be while I was in pain.I shall always be thankful to Dr.Akerkar for giving me a new lease of life.
Regards-Sandhya Parab
+1
Does biofreeze help the RA’s pain??
I am not sure if Biofreeze helps RA pain. It may have some symptomatic benefit. But it definitely does not have any disease modifying effect.
Good blog. keep up the good work.
I have found an excellent book entitled “A will to win ” by Alice Peterson. I have this copy of this book translated in Marathi by Uday Kulkarni and Published by Mehata Publishing House.
This is the real life story of a Tennis player having suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis from the age of 18.
She lives in London at Noting Hill.
With the help of medication she can live without anybody’s help. She got her freedom with the help of medication.
Writing has now become her full fledged profession and she has written many books, specifically on on the lives of disableled -shall I say differently abled people–
She helps and guides the Rheumatoid Arthritis with the help of Rheumatoid Arthritis Society.
A book must read by every RA patient.
Wagholikar
Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive read anything like this before. So nice to find somebody with some original thoughts on this subject. realy thank you for starting this up. this website is something that is needed on the web, someone with a little originality. useful job for bringing something new to the internet!
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your website to come back down the road. Many thanks
Have you considered adding some social bookmarking links to these blogs. At the very least for myspace.