I met with my Rheumatologist this morning who said that all my labs came back normal except for my "inflammation indicator" which was really high showing that I do have inflammation. Well, duh!! LOL! Anyway, he initially thought that I might have a viral-induced case of RA, which he still hasnt ruled out, he just isnt finding anything in my body (but its been so long since I had strep that it might not show up now).

So Im "Sero-Negative" and he says that that is a good sign because it means none of my organs are affected and that after I get this under control (and hopefully into remission) that there is a small chance that I might not get it back. Im crossing my fingers this is a once-run disease for me and nothing more. We wont know that for a year or so while I wait and see how the treatment affects me.

He gave me Prednisone 20mg for a month, then will taper down to 10mg for a month and then 5 mg for a month. On top that that, Im starting Plaquenil 400mg daily. He said the Prednisone will help ease my discomfort while I wait for the Plaquenil to kick in.

Why does it take so long to kick in?? Do any of you take Plaquenil? I havent read up on the drugs much since I didnt know what I was going to be on, but Im going to now. If any of you are on Plaquenil, Id love to know how its working for you and about how long it took to take effect. Also, do you take any other medicine with it for RA?

Im supposed to go back in 3 months (after Im done with all the Presnisone) and will better know if the Plaquenil is working by then. I also have to have more blood tests at that time to make sure everything is on the up & up still.

Overall, I think this is the best news I could have hoped for. But its still upsetting because we dont know why or how I got this, which still baffles me. I know that I need to find ways to relieve stress, which seems to be a huge factor in RA. I guess I'll just have to try different things until I find my niche there. What do you all do as a stress reliever?

Anyway, thats me in a nutshell. Hope that you all are doign well and feeling good! Im glad that this board exists for us to all use for support and info. It does help, even if we are all strangers. Its nice to know other people are going through the same thing as I am and know how I feel. It helps to talk (for me).

Thanks for listening!!

Meg

Check out this website. http://www.rheumatic.org/joyce2.htm

Wow! I just read her story! Thank you for sharing it with me! I'm going to email her this weekend when I have more time to write. Thank you again!!

Meg

Hi Meg!

Oh don't worry...your not alone. I too have sero-negative RA. Isn't it fun! I really loved playing "stump the doc" for the past 3 months but I am happy to finally have a Dx. I was on Daypro for all of about 4 days and quit due to increased swellign and inflamation. I started Prednisone yesterday and will start plaquenil next month. Good news was that my bones have not suffered any permanent damage at this point. I was very happy to hear that.

Anyway you take care of yourself. We will all get through this!

Ang
http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/round.gif

Angela,

Thanks for the post! Just wanted to tell you that you should ask your doctor to start you on Plaquenil NOW with your Prednisone because it takes a looooong time to build up in your system before it actually will take effect. Im doing the same, started back on Prednisone yesterday but am taking the Plaquenil as well so that I dont have to go through any period without medicine.

Ive been reading about the antibiotic treatment though on www.rheumatic.org (http://www.rheumatic.org) and must say Im kinda intriuged by some of the peoples response to it. But I'll wait and see if this method works for me, if not I might mention it to my Dr.

Thanks again for the post!!

Meg http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/clown.gif