Wellness

[Lucky Charm]

I had no idea RA affected the larynyx (no idea about joints there, tbh!) and only thought of joints such as knees, hips, etc. 

Very scary.

In fact, I know you keep mentioning auto immune disease, and am too scared to read your's or anyone else's thread about auto immune diseases.  Too scared!

[LilacTree]

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@Lucky Charm wrote:

I had no idea RA affected the larynyx (no idea about joints there, tbh!) and only thought of joints such as knees, hips, etc. 

Very scary.

In fact, I know you keep mentioning auto immune disease, and am too scared to read your's or anyone else's thread about auto immune diseases.  Too scared!

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@Lucky Charm  I have severe RA, Hashimoto's (hypothyroid), Sjogren's, possible Scleroderma (new symptoms), gastroparesis (stomach), and possibly autoimmune hepatitis which causes chronic itching (and which is why I want to see a hematologist as mentioned in one of my other posts).  Fortunately most of this started at age 66 except the Hashimoto's which started in my early 50s. 

Non-autoimmune is the osteoporosis which causes most of my back pain and compression fractures, for which I've had two surgical procedures called kyphoplasty.  I also have a history of diverticulitis (after five hospitalizations, they finally surgically removed six inches of my colon, which seems to have cured that, the only thing I've ever actually been cured of.  Heart, lungs, possibly adrenal glands . . . in fact the entire body can be affected by immune disorder.  No cure and, for me, very little control of symptoms.  I also have chronic UTIs.

ETA:  I forgot to mention the overall one thing that is the worst side effect of all . . . chronic and overwhelming fatigue.  That accompanies every one of these conditions. 

So no, this is something you don't want to get.

OK, whining done. 

[MalteseMomma]

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@LilacTree wrote:

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@Lucky Charm wrote:

I had no idea RA affected the larynyx (no idea about joints there, tbh!) and only thought of joints such as knees, hips, etc. 

Very scary.

In fact, I know you keep mentioning auto immune disease, and am too scared to read your's or anyone else's thread about auto immune diseases.  Too scared!

---

@Lucky Charm  I have severe RA, Hashimoto's (hypothyroid), Sjogren's, possible Scleroderma (new symptoms), gastroparesis (stomach), and possibly autoimmune hepatitis which causes chronic itching (and which is why I want to see a hematologist as mentioned in one of my other posts).  Fortunately most of this started at age 66 except the Hashimoto's which started in my early 50s. 

Non-autoimmune is the osteoporosis which causes most of my back pain and compression fractures, for which I've had two surgical procedures called kyphoplasty.  I also have a history of diverticulitis (after five hospitalizations, they finally surgically removed six inches of my colon, which seems to have cured that, the only thing I've ever actually been cured of.  Heart, lungs, possibly adrenal glands . . . in fact the entire body can be affected by immune disorder.  No cure and, for me, very little control of symptoms.  I also have chronic UTIs.

ETA:  I forgot to mention the overall one thing that is the worst side effect of all . . . chronic and overwhelming fatigue.  That accompanies every one of these conditions. 

So no, this is something you don't want to get.

OK, whining done. 

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God Bless you and keep you in His care <3  @LilacTree , you can whine all you want {{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}

[2blonde]

@LilacTree  It's me again (with the sometimes hoarseness and shortness of breath when jogging).  About this RA thing........I'm not sure if this qualifies as Sjogrens's disease because all I have is the chronic dry mouth (not the eyes, thankfully).  I've had this for maybe 8 years (I'm 67).  I get so dry at night that it wakes me up (I sleep with my mouth closed).  The only time I do have plenty of saliva is when I'm eating or chewing gum.  I keep water with me at all times.  Is this another part of RA since it's considered an autoimmune problem?

[Lucky Charm]

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@LilacTree wrote:

I've had several very scary incidences in the last couple of years.  I finally decided to research it.  For me, it happens only when I'm drinking liquids.

 @LilacTree@--I saw that thread, I was going to suggest a Dr. Hoteit (sp?) @ U of P, but I know you don't want to commute to Philly. 

Anyhow, the itching has to do with elevated bilirubin (sp?), I believe.  From what I understand, the itching can get really bad and I'm not sure what they can do about it.  I hope you get a good doctor and find some relief and I hope it's not that bad.

I am hypo, but my Dr. never actually said Hashimoto's.  It's not listed on my patient portal as that.  Maybe hypo is considered auto immune, but I hope not.

[LilacTree]

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@2blonde wrote:

@LilacTree  It's me again (with the sometimes hoarseness and shortness of breath when jogging).  About this RA thing........I'm not sure if this qualifies as Sjogrens's disease because all I have is the chronic dry mouth (not the eyes, thankfully).  I've had this for maybe 8 years (I'm 67).  I get so dry at night that it wakes me up (I sleep with my mouth closed).  The only time I do have plenty of saliva is when I'm eating or chewing gum.  I keep water with me at all times.  Is this another part of RA since it's considered an autoimmune problem?

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@2blonde  There are too many symptoms to list once one starts on the AI track, and keep in mind many other issues can cause dry eyes and dry mouth.  Also they are both side effects of several medications. 

As to Sjogrens, dry eyes and dry mouth are the main symptoms, but there are others, including burning mouth, diminishing saliva, dental cavities, fatigue, neuropathy, lung inflammation, and dryness and pain during intimacy. 

SD is not really part of RA, but a huge factor in autoimmune disease is that once you get one (mine started with Hashimoto's and then 15 years later came RA, and the other diseases I mentioned little by little) there is a tendency to get others.  It's hard to know if one has something new because the symptoms overlap each other.

I doubt you have severe autoimmune issues if you are able to jog.  Lack of ability to exercise is a huge part of these diseases.  But you do seem to have some symptoms of Sjogrens and probably should get tested.  Good luck if you choose to do that. 

[LilacTree]

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@Lucky Charm wrote:

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@LilacTree wrote:

I've had several very scary incidences in the last couple of years.  I finally decided to research it.  For me, it happens only when I'm drinking liquids.

 @LilacTree@--I saw that thread, I was going to suggest a Dr. Hoteit (sp?) @ U of P, but I know you don't want to commute to Philly. 

Anyhow, the itching has to do with elevated bilirubin (sp?), I believe.  From what I understand, the itching can get really bad and I'm not sure what they can do about it.  I hope you get a good doctor and find some relief and I hope it's not that bad.

I am hypo, but my Dr. never actually said Hashimoto's.  It's not listed on my patient portal as that.  Maybe hypo is considered auto immune, but I hope not.

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@Lucky Charm  Any thyroid abnormality is considered autoimmune disease.  However, once I went on Synthroid, I did not have any real problems for many years.  The diagnosis at that time was hypothyroidism, now they say Hashimoto's.  The RA came almost 15 years later. 

There is a difference between the two (hypo and Hashi), but it is treated the same either way.  However, both are autoimmune diseases, so I guess it doesn't matter.

My concern with my liver is whether it is either autoimmune hepatitis or primary biliary cirrhosis (the one that causes the severe itching), Synthroid will have to be discontinued.  I don't know why as I haven't seen the hematologist yet, but that could really mess me up.  Hopefully, I have a simple cystic liver (which my gastroenterologist has always said) and neither of the above.

The itching is awful and when it starts it lasts for weeks.  It stays pretty much limited to my torso, front and back, I'm not having it really bad right now, thankfully.  My GP said it is senile pruritis from dry skin, but then why would it be limited to just my torso I just don't know, as my skin is very thin and dry everywhere.  Elevated bilirubin could be causing it, but one thing I do not have is jaundice.  I just want to get tested and find out once and for all. 

I haven't heard from either office since the records were sent.  I will wait another day or two to call my gastroentrologist's office to find out where this stands.

[LilacTree]

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@MalteseMomma wrote:

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@LilacTree wrote:

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@Lucky Charm wrote:

I had no idea RA affected the larynyx (no idea about joints there, tbh!) and only thought of joints such as knees, hips, etc. 

Very scary.

In fact, I know you keep mentioning auto immune disease, and am too scared to read your's or anyone else's thread about auto immune diseases.  Too scared!

---

@Lucky Charm  I have severe RA, Hashimoto's (hypothyroid), Sjogren's, possible Scleroderma (new symptoms), gastroparesis (stomach), and possibly autoimmune hepatitis which causes chronic itching (and which is why I want to see a hematologist as mentioned in one of my other posts).  Fortunately most of this started at age 66 except the Hashimoto's which started in my early 50s. 

Non-autoimmune is the osteoporosis which causes most of my back pain and compression fractures, for which I've had two surgical procedures called kyphoplasty.  I also have a history of diverticulitis (after five hospitalizations, they finally surgically removed six inches of my colon, which seems to have cured that, the only thing I've ever actually been cured of.  Heart, lungs, possibly adrenal glands . . . in fact the entire body can be affected by immune disorder.  No cure and, for me, very little control of symptoms.  I also have chronic UTIs.

ETA:  I forgot to mention the overall one thing that is the worst side effect of all . . . chronic and overwhelming fatigue.  That accompanies every one of these conditions. 

So no, this is something you don't want to get.

OK, whining done. 

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God Bless you and keep you in His care <3  @LilacTree , you can whine all you want {{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}

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@MalteseMomma Thank you so much MM. 

[hckynut]

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@LilacTree wrote:

I've had several very scary incidences in the last couple of years.  I finally decided to research it.  For me, it happens only when I'm drinking liquids.

never knew that u or i could choke on fluids 1st i ever hear of it

hnj

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[Trinity11]

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@hckynut wrote:

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@LilacTree wrote:

I've had several very scary incidences in the last couple of years.  I finally decided to research it.  For me, it happens only when I'm drinking liquids.

never knew that u or i could choke on fluids 1st i ever hear of it

hnj

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My dad developed Parkinson's Disease and we had to add thickeners to everything liquid. He would choke on water.