New to all of this. My arthritis is just now elevating to a point where my pain is constant and a daily concern now. Everyone is telling me diet is a key to arthritic relief but no one seems to have any advice on what changes to make. I googlesd amazoned, asked my welness nurse at work, etc., and no definitive resources surfaced as to a good place to start. What do you suggest I do? I'd like a few pointers: what is a good book to read? A few foods to avoid? Good exercise? I have an appoinment upcoming with a specialist, but I'd like to start making dietary and exercise changes right away with my personal trainer. Thanks for the guidance! And, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hello gang,

My name is Shaideh and I have had RA since 2005. I have been on Enbrel since last year. I was wondering if any one else has experienced fatigue and low sex drive as a result of taking this med. It is not listed as side effect in the information papers. But as with most things the people that take it everyday are the best resource.

Blessings to you all.

February of 2008 I was diagnosed with sciatica because of severe pain in my buttox. The doctor gave me naprosyn, flexeril and a shot of steroids, sent me home and said to rest for two weeks on ice and heat. I did it pretty much, (it's hard for a 40 yr old active woman to stay in bed for two weeks straight) and afterward, the pain became more and more apparent the more I moved around. I started seeing a chiropractor whom x-rays weren't a requirement. After about 3 or 4 visits I was not getting better and felt I didn't need a stranger to crack my back for 60 bucks a pop. I went back to the clinician in April for another appointment and again they gave me a handful of pills, a shot and sent me home with instructions for rest, ice and heat. Over the next couple of months I looked online for help by streching and excercise. This only increased the pain. During the summer, August I think, I was in so much pain I went to the hospital to get at least a shot or some kind of relief. The doc on call was less than happy that my problem had been going on for over 6 months and I had no half attached limbs even though I waited until about 5am to go and was the only patient in the ER. He gave me a hand full of pills, a shot and told me to go home and rest with heat and ice... A month later, I went to another hospital for another opinion, this one actually gave me an x-ray and explained more about what could be going on... More sciatica education. I went to this hospital about 3 times because they would help me (I have no insurance and have not been working outside of the home all year) and told me that it was ok to come back to their 'non-emergency, urgent-care' department.  They informed me that I would need to see a Pain Management Specialist to at least be able to function with some sort of normalcy. I had my first appointment in November 08 and the doc was so very helpful, he looked at my x-rays, showed me that I had lots of arthritis in my SI joints, degenerative discs and that my bottom vertebrae(?sorry i'm not educated in many medical terms) was not extreme but it was closer together than the others which would cause him to think it may be some sort of bulging disc or something of that nature. He immediately said that it was not sciatica. Anyway, he talked to me and told me that he would be able to help, wanted me to take some muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatories, nerve and pain meds, no heavy lifting, no straddling motorcycles or going 4-wheeling..lol. Then on the next visit we would do a spinal injection. That term scared the crap out of me, but I just wanted relief so I did exactly what he said.  About a week and a half before the next visit, I was in excrutiating pain and my fiance' wanted to take me to the hospital to get a shot or something to relieve the pain until I could get back to the PM doc. I didn't want to screw up my chances at receiving the spinal injection so instead of going to the hospital, I called to see what the chances were to have my appointment moved up. They called me back the next day and said that the doc wanted me to come in, but I needed to have payment up front (no insurance). I couldn't do it so they scheduled me for that Friday (the original appt was for the following Wed). I stuck this pain out all week in such high hopes that I was going to receive this incredibley frightening spinal injection that would provide an enormous relief, even if it was only for a day or two.  This time when I got there, he wouldn't give me a shot because he said he didn't know what he was treating... HUH??!! He said he would up my meds... My spirits were completely shattered! Tears welled up in my eyes, I asked if he could please just do something to relieve this pain and on that note, he asked me to follow him and he led me out into the waiting room. Again, I do not have insurance, not working and my fiance is not a millionaire. The first visit was near about $200, meds were about $100 and the second visit he charged $85 and I waited in the exam room for an hour before he came in for 5 minutes and sent me away crying. 

My question is this: Does anyone out there know of a program or any type of assistance to help with medical or a way to get this diagnosed and treated properly. Even on a payment plan?? I have not worked the entire year of 2008 due to the severity of the pain. It hurts when I walk, bend over to put clothes in the dryer, climb up stairs, sit for long periods of time, cough, sneeze, I even wake up in tears during sleep because of spasms or maybe I rolled over wrong. If I lay on my stomach with my head facing to the left, I wake up fine however if I lay with my head facing to the right, it sticks like that and is very painful to straighten back out.  This causes alot of pain in my upper left side of my back, left arm and neck area, don't know if this has anything to do with the lower back and whenever I tried to explain this as well as ankle and knee pain, the doc would only want to address the hip/lower back pain and tell me that the others are from something else. They have all increased over the past year.

My fiance and I love to take rides and it is harder and harder for me to straddle a bike which the doc says not to do anyway and I don't, I have been using the truck. So this pain has also put a damper on our extra cirricular activities, not to mention our sex life!!

Any information will be most appreciated.

Happy holidays and good luck to you all!!

I have been having severe pain in my great tow for several years now.  It is worse at times - the more activity on it, the worse it is.  Recently I have been having a similar paoin in the joint of my pointer finger on my right hand.  It has not progressed to the level of pain I am in with my toe, but I distinclty remember this is how it started.  The doc has said the toe was gaut - after meds and finally some tests - it is NOT.  The he decided it is arthritis and their is nothing I can do - he told me to just stay off it....have you tried staying off your toe - you walk on it everyday.  I am starting to research on my own - see if the two could be connected and try to see if their may be an answer.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.

thanks!