http://members.shaw.ca/Sunburn_69/hello.gif Everyone! Hope all are having a good evening. Getting pretty late here & about ready to call it a day.http://www.emotipad.com/emoticons/Zzzz.gif

Sorry you are having so much pain, Holli, I know it must be terrible. Hope you are better real soon. That lotion I told about is only sold here, because there is only a short supply of it. I tried it though, & it's not that great for me.

I'm not feeling very well, either. I can tell the Remicade is wearing off & my next treatment isn't till next Tuesday. I'll make it, somehow.

Anagram...I know what you mean about fatigue. RA has really caused it for me. Before the Remicade treatments, I'd have times I couldn't even sit up. That's one reason I know it's wearing off now....getting that way.

It really helps to come here & talk about it. I feel like if I talk to people around me, they get tired of hearing it. It's probably my imagination....but that's how I feel. At least here, we all understand.

http://www.emotipad.com/emoticons/Yawn.gif Well, I guess I've groaned enough tonight. Have a good evening.

http://fla.fg-a.com/usaCa.gif WANT TO WISH ALL A HAPPY JULY 4TH!!!! http://image.fg-a.com/Firew14a.gif http://www.members.aol.com/teejaw/sm...Fireworks2.gifhttp://www.members.aol.com/teejaw/sm...Fireworks2.gifhttp://image.fg-a.com/Firew14a.gifhttp://www.members.aol.com/teejaw/sm...Fireworks2.gifhttp://www.members.aol.com/teejaw/sm...Fireworks2.gifhttp://image.fg-a.com/Firew14a.gifhttp://image.fg-a.com/Firew14a.gifhttp://www.members.aol.com/teejaw/sm...Fireworks2.gif

Had another good workout at the pool today. Wighed in - lost about 2.2 pounds over the last five weeks. It's down - I'll take it but would have liked to do a bit better. Maybe the next five weeks.

Doing ok but always feel like I'm trying to push my way through a heavy fog of some kind. But days are better than a couple of weeks ago. Hoping being more regular at the pool will soothe aches and pains, etc.

Hope y'all have a gr eat weekend.

http://www.dewa.com/animated/new/1annou~1.gif 2.2 lbs GONE!!!! YAY!!!! Great work!! May not seems like a lot, But they add up! The health we are all in.....I think we're doing pretty good. There's a lot of people in good health that don't stay on their diet & succeed as well as we all are! I lost 2 more lbs this week. That's a total of 20 lbs since April 23rd. Proud as punch! Yes, it's going slow....but it's going.;)

I'm so sorry you're still feeling so bad. I can feel it in your post. Just hang in there, & don't let it get the best of you. Hope you stop hurting so bad. http://home.att.net/~scorh2/Animation2h.gif

I think I'm going to go out on a limb and declare my recent flare over. I don't want to go to bed tonight as I don't want the "feeling good" to end. When the pain/fog abate, it feels almost like I've taken some kind of "upper". But as a fellow sufferer once said, "lack of pain can do that". I didn't even seem to mind the storms that came through tonight.

Had a great Saturday (family picnic) and my daughter and her family were here until today. The two little "angels" are always good medicine for me. The fact that I have already recovered from the excitement and energy and the cleanup after they leave just shows I'm having an unbelievably good evening. Hope it sticks around long enough for me to get some other things done. But if not, at least I have this evening.

Anagram.........So happy you are feeling better!!http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung...smiley-032.gif Hope it lasts!!!

I'm not doing so great...but I get a Remicade treatment tomorrow. Will sleep most of the day.http://www.emotipad.com/emoticons/Zzzz.gif Then be kinda "out of it" for a couple of days......maybe after that, though.:)

Hope all have a good day. I am soooo glad you are better, Anagram.http://e4u.consoleradar.com/fingers/fing10.gif

Oh my goodness, I feel like I have found my HOME!
I have been suffering, and we do suffer, right people?...from RA since 1998. I'm 35, married, with two girls. 12 and 14.
I have struggled with my weight almost my whole adult life, but have really packed on the pounds since becoming sick. I am currently following the Atkins plan, and when I am being really religious, find that my symptoms are better. When I slip up and let the "white stuff" back in, ouch.
I administer an Atkins forum, and as I sit back and watch everyone's success and follow their workout journals it depresses the heck out of me that to even get out of bed in the morning, I need a walker.
I'm currently debating having a triple arthrodesis done to my left foot. The thought of the long recovery is scary, but the thought of living like this forever is scarier.
I take 400 mg Celebrex every day (sometimes I cheat and take an extra just because I have to) and am waiting to start the injectable Methotrexate. I took the oral, and just... yuck. So she switched me to the injectable, and the minute she wrote the scrip, I developed strep throat. So I must wait. I'm also awaiting approval on Enbrel. I've taken it before, with great success and I'm very excited to begin again.
I have about 100 pounds to lose, and without exercise, man it's hard.
:(
I'm glad to have found people who UNDERSTAND what it's like to be sick like this and struggle with their weight on top of it all.

(((hugs)))

Kim

Thanks for the warm welcome. I did notice it seemed a little quiet in this forum, and thought I'd show up and shake things up a bit.
:)

It does help to know that there are some people who truly understand how hard it is to do much of anything, let alone exercise.

But, I'm not going down without a fight, you know? Called my orthopedist today and made an appointment. Still leery of surgery,but there has to be some sort of orthotic I can get so I can keep on truckin every day.

;)

Your photos are lovely. Now off to figger this thingy out so I can post one of me......

Oky doky, don't laugh too hard..I have millions of pictures of my kids, my husband, my cat, my dog... but not too many of moi.

This is a photo I took when we were funnning around one day in another forum I administer at. We were doing a "woman in the mirror" type thingy, so I took a piccy of me in the mirror.
:D http://mywebpages.comcast.net/khewes/mirror2.jpg

Hi.....Great pic!! Well, I guess that's one way to do it! ;) You look pretty...needed the hood down to tell more. :D I finally broke down & bought a Kodak digital cameral with a self-timer. It's a lot easier to take pics of yourself! I have so much fun with it.

Just exactly what kind of surgery would it be? I've never heard of anything like that before for RA. My feet hurt a lot. When the dr examined me during my treatment last week, he squeezed my right foot, & I almost jumped up. He seemed surprised I was that touchy with it. I've limped since then. I did break that foot several years ago, though. After breaking a foot, I've heard it will always be toucheous. True with me.

Well, I'm tired. Worked today. Need to go post in a couple more threads, so I'll talk to you later. Hey, find some more pics! Hope you rest well. http://www.eakles.com/29farmanimated.gif

HI! everyone was reading your posts and hope to join I have oa of the knees have to get a totalhave it in my wrists and hands so know some of the feelings that you guys go thru been tested for ra last year was neg but still have the achness hope tht at everyone has a betterday today Rita

Hi Rita...http://www.countryclipart.com/FrogSe...ndwelcome3.gifOf course, you may join!!
So sorry for your pain. What meds are you on? How long have you had OA? I've had OA in my back since '83 after being in a car wreck. It stopped my working 2 yrs later, after 18 years. I was put on SS Disability when I was 36. It's very hard to get on SS Disability, so to get it at such an early age scared me. It showed how bad my back was! Due to muscle spasms, I had 3 disks replaced in my neck a few yrs ago. Been on several different meds, including steroids. I'm now on Lodine for my back....& sure it's other places now, as I've aged. It helps to endure the pain. Drs say it's hard to say which pain is OA, & which is RA in some places, other than Remicade will only help the RA.

As I said...my hands aren't too bad. Large knuckles & started out with fingers aching & thobbing continually. That's what caused my dr to send me to a Rheumatologist. I have very good drs. My Neurologist is the best, so is my Rheumatologist, plus my general DR. They work well with each other.

Hope you can find something to help your hands, also. When will you get the knee replacement surgery? Keep us informed....& yes, please join us. Pain is pain...& we understand it. Just come "vent" if you need to. Think I just did....without meaning to! :dizzy: http://www.countryclipart.com/ILoveC...artstrings.gif

Angel... I have lost the joint in the foot called the sub-talar joint. It's the joint that holds all the bones of the hindfoot together. They basically go in there with a whole bunch of sharp things, dig that joint out, drill a big giant hole and put it back together with a whole bunch of screws and staples and some "donor bone" which I shudder to think of where THAT comes from.
It's a huge surgery with a long recovery, so I'm a little hesitant. I think I'll try some orthotics again before I go that route.

Rita, welcome aboard.
:)

Hi Kim. Oh my...sounds like a very bad surgery you're facing! I'm so sorry. I really understand the need for the walker. Sounds like you also have OA...which destroys bone. I wouldn't worry about the donor bone.
I've had 3 disk replacements in my neck, with a plate & donor bone. I thought about it this way. We know they come from people who donated their body for the sake of helping others...so they must have been very kind & compassionate people. I feel priviledged to accept their donation.
The weather here has been beautiful this week. http://www.eakles.com/102SUN3.gif A welcome change from last week. http://media.euniverse.com/funpages/...stormcloud.gifMakes the bones & joints feel better. :D
I've got to get ready for work....hope you & Rita have a great day! http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Party2.gif