Need some feedback.  I have taken 3 shots of Humira.  I am now getting
sores on my legs.  Has anyone had this happen to them?  The skin has
broken on one and bled.  I don't think I like taking drugs.

Alice

I am just curious about the people who have AS and breathing
problems........If you are on here and you have breathlessness...The
first thing I would be checked out for if it is serious,,is a
collapsed lung,,,,I have had a collapsed lung before,,I was sitting in
a lawn chair sometime in June, and I started getting a really sharp
pain in my left elbow, and then feeling out of breathe,,,I thought it
was an anxiety attack but I checked my own heart rate and blood
pressure and for me, it was sky high,,,,I then started getting
gurgling feeling in my chest when I breathe but felt a little better
as far as my breathlessness,,,but I still went to ER and they did
exrays and diagnosed me having a collapsed lung,,,,THIS is caused by
Ankylosing SPondylitis. It had gotten to the point where my rib cage
was so stiff, it caused me to have what they call a Pneumiathorax (not
sure on spelling). They then inserted a chest tube for a few days and
release you from the hospital after they take it out. SO, if you have
these weird sudden symptoms,,,this info could be life saving....I say
everyday,,,people with AS should practice good breathing
exercises......Phil

In my case my inverted T wave was in multiple leads.  I have had a
stress test and an echo cardiogram and everything was normal.  I
sometimes have some chest pain but I have some reflux and other
problems so not sure that is significant.  Just thought that the spondy
might account for this.

Karl

On Jul 8, 2006, at 3:25 PM, spenser23as wrote:

> Googled "inverted T wave" and found this:
>
>  -----------------------------------------------------
>  Med Help: Forums
> http://www.medhelp.org/forums/cardio/archive/3543.html
>  "I had an EKG done, and was told that in 1 of the 12 leads there was
>  an inverted T wave. The doctor said this is not a problem, just a
>  variation of normal. I asked a second doctor who agreed with this.
>  When is an inverted T wave a problem?
>  __________________________________________________________
>
>  Dear Bob,
>  There are actually many conditions and situations that can lead to T
>  wave inversions, however it is only a problem when it occurs in
>  multiple leads in the setting of other signs (subtle as they are) of
>  hypertrophy of the heart, or in the situation where you are concerned
>  there might be decreased blood flow to a portion of the heart- a kind
>  of "almost heart attack"(medical term-ischemia.) Again, never is
>  hypertrophy or ischemia indicated by one lead with an inverted T wave
>  on a single ecg and just in case you are wondering, when ischemia
>  occurs, it is an all or none thing and does not start out with one
>  inverted T wave and progress to others, rather it involves many
>  leads' T waves all at once."
>
>  ----------------------------------------------
>
>  Also:  http://www.medhelp.org/forums/cardio/messages/33681.html
>
>  And: http://sprojects.mmi.mcgill.ca/heart/twave.html
>
> http://mentor.uwcm.ac.uk:11280/aspire/ecg/notes/a_system_for_reporting
>  _on_the_ecg/the_t_wave
>
>  ------------------------------------------------
>
>  I hope this helps.
>
>  Spenser23as
>
>
Karl Kleeman
Bellingham, WA
trainswa@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Googled "inverted T wave" and found this:

-----------------------------------------------------
Med Help: Forums
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/cardio/archive/3543.html
"I had an EKG done, and was told that in 1 of the 12 leads there was
an inverted T wave. The doctor said this is not a problem, just a
variation of normal. I asked a second doctor who agreed with this.
When is an inverted T wave a problem?
_____________________________________________________________

Dear Bob,
There are actually many conditions and situations that can lead to T
wave inversions, however it is only a problem when it occurs in
multiple leads in the setting of other signs (subtle as they are) of
hypertrophy of the heart, or in the situation where you are concerned
there might be decreased blood flow to a portion of the heart- a kind
of "almost heart attack"(medical term-ischemia.) Again, never is
hypertrophy or ischemia indicated by one lead with an inverted T wave
on a single ecg and just in case you are wondering, when ischemia
occurs, it is an all or none thing and does not start out with one
inverted T wave and progress to others, rather it involves many
leads' T waves all at once."

----------------------------------------------


Also:  http://www.medhelp.org/forums/cardio/messages/33681.html

And: http://sprojects.mmi.mcgill.ca/heart/twave.html

http://mentor.uwcm.ac.uk:11280/aspire/ecg/notes/a_system_for_reporting
_on_the_ecg/the_t_wave


------------------------------------------------

I hope this helps.

Spenser23as

I am not on Remicade and I have the heel pain. So what is it trying to hide
from?



Maggie



From: Spondyville@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Spondyville@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of spenser23as
Sent: Saturday, 8 July 2006 2:07 PM
To: Spondyville@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Spondyville] Re: Real Crazy cough and left heel is hurting.



Cold-like symptoms, (a mild sore throat, runny nose, and/or cough) are
fairly common side effects of Remicade. Rarer are things like strep
throat or bronchitis. These can all be the cause of the coughing you
mention. The heel pain is something I've never heard of being
associated with Remicade. It may, however, be a result of your
spondylaorapathy moving into a new location (maybe it is trying to hide
from the Remicade. LOL)

If the cough persists or gets worse, talk to your doctor.

Spenser23as





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I have had spondy for more that 40 years.  In the last year I have
developed an inverted T wave on my electrocardiogram.  My doctor does
not think it is related to the spondy but he has no idea what has
caused it.  Has anyone ever heard of this related to our condition?

Karl Kleeman
Washington State

On Jul 7, 2006, at 1:46 PM, snooksmama@... wrote:

> I rarely post, but ran across this today. My son, age 17 (diagnosed age
>  12 with spondy) has been having shortness of breath. Ruling out
> pulmonary
>  problems, next stop is cardiology. I knew that there were cardiac
> risks
>  associated with AS, but this article is pretty eye-opening and I
> wanted
>  to share this advice: please make sure that you report any heart
> symptoms
>  to your doctor. Also make sure that you get regular checkups and that
> the
>  doctor listens to your heart and lungs at each visit. Knowledge is
> power!
>  Maria, RN, mom to Rob, 17
>  From e-medicine:
>  The HLA-B27-associated spondyloarthopathies are chronic, progressive,
>  inflammatory diseases involving the spine, peripheral joints, and
>  periarticular structures. This group includes ankylosing spondylitis,
>  Reiter's syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel
>  disease-associated arthropathy. These disorders are variably
> associated
>  with characteristic extra-articular manifestations involving the skin
> and
>  eyes, as well as the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and
> genitourinary
>  systems.
>  Cardiac abnormalities associated with ankylosing spondylitis have been
>  well recognized in case reports and small series, with clinically
>  significant cardiac disease occurring in 2% to 10% of patients.1
> Cardiac
>  manifestations include isolated aortic regurgitation, aortic root and
>  ascending aorta dilatation, atrioventricular conduction disorders,
>  subvalvular fibrous ridges, anterior mitral valve leaflet fibrosis
> with
>  mitral regurgitation, and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.
> These
>  abnormalities result from the sclerosing inflammatory process, which
>  involves the aortic root and the aortic valve cusps. This
> involvement, in
>  turn, results in annular dilatation, cusp retraction, and aortic
>  regurgitation. The disease process can also extend into the
> ventricular
>  septum and the atrioventricular nodal blood supply, leading to
> conduction
>  disorders.1 The prevalence of subclinical aortic root and valve
> disease,
>  however, may be as high as 82% in patients with ankylosing spondylitis
>  when studied with transesophageal echocardiography.3 Although the
>  prevalence of cardiac abnormalities appears to be unrelated to
> therapy or
>  to the severity of the skeletal disease, cardiac manifestations have
> been
>  correlated with an age of more than 45 years and a duration of disease
>  longer than 15 years.
>
>  [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
Karl Kleeman
Bellingham, WA
trainswa@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Maria,
     Thanks for the info on AS and heart disease. I have clinically
significant mitral valve regurgitation and I take medication for it, and I also
have
subclinical aortic root elevation.
     All of this is interesting since I can't get a diagnosis of AS, even with
severe back pain that responds to MTX, decreased spine mobility, 23 bouts of
iritis, alternating buttock pain that intereferes with walking, and a +HLA-B27
and family history.
     Once the Drs. gave me a lupus diagnosis they couldn't see the forest for
the trees.

Jane


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Cold-like symptoms, (a mild sore throat, runny nose, and/or cough) are
fairly common side effects of Remicade.  Rarer are things like strep
throat or bronchitis.  These can all be the cause of the coughing you
mention.  The heel pain is something I've never heard of being
associated with Remicade.  It may, however, be a result of your
spondylaorapathy moving into a new location (maybe it is trying to hide
from the Remicade. LOL)

If the cough persists or gets worse, talk to your doctor.

Spenser23as

I cannot help with your query. My left heel is also hurting. I have plantar
fasciitis which is one of the symptoms that could lead to a diagnosis of AS.



MaggieinOz



From: Spondyville@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Spondyville@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Joeette ( jo et tuh)
Sent: Saturday, 8 July 2006 12:54 PM
To: Spondyville@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Spondyville] Real Crazy cough and left heel is hurting.



I had my fourth remicade infusion wednesday. I am experiencing some
weird stuff. They have the edema under control with the lasix.
However, I have developed this annoying cough. I am not coughing up
anything and I cough so hard I get tears from one of my eyes. That is
weird!!! also my left heel is hurting and I thought I read somewhere
about heels. Can anybody enlighten me. My DR. is on vacation until
next week. I figured somebody on here can give me some insight.
joeette





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I had my fourth remicade infusion wednesday. I am experiencing some
weird stuff. They have the edema under control with the lasix.
However, I have developed this annoying cough. I am not coughing up
anything and I cough so hard I get tears from one of my eyes. That is
weird!!! also my left heel is hurting and I thought I read somewhere
about heels. Can anybody enlighten me. My DR. is on vacation until
next week. I figured somebody on here can give me some insight.
joeette

Maria, thank you for sharing the e-medicine information you included in your
post. It was interesting reading, and a good reminder of several of the more
rare consequences of AS.

I hope you will soon get to the root of Rob's problem; please keep us posted. I
hope he is not suffering any of the aortic issues, but if he is, he's in great
hands with you as his Mom.

Tyler

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I rarely post, but ran across this today. My son, age 17 (diagnosed age
12 with spondy) has been having shortness of breath. Ruling out pulmonary
problems, next stop is cardiology. I knew that there were cardiac risks
associated with AS, but this article is pretty eye-opening and I wanted
to share this advice: please make sure that you report any heart symptoms
to your doctor. Also make sure that you get regular checkups and that the
doctor listens to your heart and lungs at each visit. Knowledge is power!
Maria, RN, mom to Rob, 17
From e-medicine:
The HLA-B27-associated spondyloarthopathies are chronic, progressive,
inflammatory diseases involving the spine, peripheral joints, and
periarticular structures. This group includes ankylosing spondylitis,
Reiter's syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel
disease-associated arthropathy. These disorders are variably associated
with characteristic extra-articular manifestations involving the skin and
eyes, as well as the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary
systems.
Cardiac abnormalities associated with ankylosing spondylitis have been
well recognized in case reports and small series, with clinically
significant cardiac disease occurring in 2% to 10% of patients.1 Cardiac
manifestations include isolated aortic regurgitation, aortic root and
ascending aorta dilatation, atrioventricular conduction disorders,
subvalvular fibrous ridges, anterior mitral valve leaflet fibrosis with
mitral regurgitation, and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. These
abnormalities result from the sclerosing inflammatory process, which
involves the aortic root and the aortic valve cusps. This involvement, in
turn, results in annular dilatation, cusp retraction, and aortic
regurgitation. The disease process can also extend into the ventricular
septum and the atrioventricular nodal blood supply, leading to conduction
disorders.1 The prevalence of subclinical aortic root and valve disease,
however, may be as high as 82% in patients with ankylosing spondylitis
when studied with transesophageal echocardiography.3 Although the
prevalence of cardiac abnormalities appears to be unrelated to therapy or
to the severity of the skeletal disease, cardiac manifestations have been
correlated with an age of more than 45 years and a duration of disease
longer than 15 years.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

This Week at the Spondy Cafe: Bacon, Eggs and Toast!!

Join a splendiferous spasm of 'specially sporty Spondys for a
supportive chat EVERY Saturday morning at 10AM Eastern Daylight Time
(7AM PDT) in the TEMPORARY Spondy Cafe annex! (Look out for that
cyber-scaffolding!) The annex is NOT here on the YahooGroups
Spondyville Home Base, but in the Yahoo Messenger conference room
area ... (When you sign onto Yahoo Messenger, IM me; My screen name
on Yahoo is: Spenser23as , I will then invite you to the conference
room chat area.

FREE bottomless mugs of cyber-coffee or cyber-tea!

The Spondy Cafe, where the refills are on the house and NOT in your
lap ... (Unless we forget to take our meds, then extra cyber-napkins
are also available ... )

To get to the Spondy Cafe Temporary Chat Annex ... hmmm, well now,
let's see ... please note that you can NO LONGER just click on the
Chat button on the left side of the Spondyville Yahoo Home Base page.
Again, simply find ME on Yahoo, (Spenser23as) and I will have set up
a Spondy Cafe conference chat room using the new Yahoo Messenger
feature. I will then send you an invitation to join the room.

I hope to see YOU there.

Spenser23as

--- In Spondyville@yahoogroups.com, "trainskarl" <trainswa@...> wrote:
>
> I am 63 and have had spondylitis since the age of 19.  I have never
been introduced to or
> spoken with anyone who has this condition.

Hi Karl,

My name is Charlene, I am 38 and have AS.
It took about 3 years to get a correct diagnosis (I'm a woman, if you
haven't guessed!)and about another year to find the right combination
of meds. I feel that I am lucky to have this now because of the meds
that are available. However, I do wish doctors would be more educated
to the fact that women do get this disease.
Welcome to Spondyville Karl!!

Char

Sorry for the delay.  Spammers be gone!


Spenser23as

OF COURSE!!

Tyler

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Do we accept newbies? Absolutely. Welcome.  I'm sure some of the
women here will be able to share their experiences with pregnancy and
AS with you.  As for the diet, it's basically about eliminating
starches. The KickAS site is really the best site for that, although
the SAA site does have a section dealing with it.  In addition, if
you do a search of the SAA message boards, there has been some lists
of foods and sample daily meals listed within the last couple of
months.

I would suggest that you might want to consult with your doctor and
possibly a dietician or nutritionist about staying on it while
pregnant, as you want to make sure your baby is getting the right
vitamins and minerals and any kind of elimination diet might be
removing certain nutritional elements that are necessary for proper
development.

Is Limbrel the only med you are on now?  What kind of back problems
do you have?  Is your back in any stage of fusing?  I know a number
of women whose backs have some stage of fusing who have had trouble
with epidurals during delivery, so, when the time comes, that might
be something to think about and consult with your doctor.

Again, Welcome to Spondyville.


Spenser23as

Does this group accept newbies?




--- In Spondyville@yahoogroups.com, "kimbercup7" <kimbercup777@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi.
> I am a 38 year old woman, mother of 2, recently diag with AS.  I
am
> now taking only Limbrel.  We want to avoid the biologicals which
> Rheumy recommends, because we are or may be getting pregnant again.
> I am a bit nervous about the back problems/ pain that may go along
> with a pregnancy, so I want to get on the AS diet ASAP but need
more
> information about it.
> can anyone tell me where I can find a comprehensive but easy to
> understand list of foods/ recipes/ no no's ect.
> I have looked on kickas and one other site, but they are so "busy"
> with "stuff" and are UK so some of the stuff on the lists make no
> sense to me.
> Can I follow the "ibs diet" or is it the "gluten free" diet???
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Kim in Ga.
>

Just an FYI, that my poor computer software is having trouble loading
the pix I mentioned. Will keep trying. Sorry. )- ; Susan


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Susan,

   My ex is from Trinidad, so I've been to a few Carnivals, (forgive me for not
remembering the correct Caribbean name for it) and they have a big one in
Toronto every summer. I went to that one about 11 years ago.  I thought I was
going to die from the pounding of the bass on some of the "floats" that went by.
But, all in all, it was fun.

   Crystal

Susan <moonpiewoman@...> wrote:

I am going to post a few pix of our July 4th parade at our site. Last
night (really this morning at 4:00 AM) J'ouvert (dancing in the streets)
began. It lasted until 11:00 AM. Our canival (think New Orleans)
started a week ago, and J'ouvert winds it up. I wanted to go take pix
for the on-line newspaper I write for, but was so relieved to be able to
sleep that I didn't go do it. FYI, the techies are trying to place my
red marker out the map here. Hopefully, they will figure out a way. They
are very responsive, which is nice.

Hope every here did at least one thing which was "fun" during the
holiday week-end! [:o)]

Susan



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





Yahoo! Groups Links










---------------------------------
Want to be your own boss? Learn how on  Yahoo! Small Business.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I am going to post a few pix of our July 4th parade at our site. Last
night (really this morning at 4:00 AM) J'ouvert (dancing in the streets)
began. It lasted until 11:00 AM.  Our canival (think New Orleans)
started a week ago, and J'ouvert winds it up. I wanted to go take pix
for the on-line newspaper I write for, but was so relieved to be able to
sleep that I didn't go do it. FYI, the techies are trying to place my
red marker out the map here. Hopefully, they will figure out a way. They
are very responsive, which is nice.

Hope every here did at least one thing which was "fun" during the
holiday week-end! [:o)]

Susan



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Happy Fourth of July to all.  As per tradition, a crowd will gather
tonight at dusk at the north end of Ankylosinger Square for the
Spondyville fireworks display, a celebration formerly more heard than
seen.  But once again, thanks to a generous donation by the Marie
Strumpell Foundation in 2003, reclining benches and prism binoculars
will be available at no cost.

The annual town Barbecue will be held in the meadow next to the
Pharoah's obelisk at nearby Fuselot Park starting at noon. BYOPS (Bring
your own Potato Salad) Free Watermelon for the kids!

Once again Police Officer Crimp is warning against the use of personal
fireworks. Please folks, leave it to the professionals.



Spenser23as

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.  :-)



Spenser23as

;-)  NO.  I am talking about the woman's body ;-)



Maggie



   _____

From: Spondyville@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Spondyville@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of spenser23as
Sent: Sunday, 2 July 2006 12:01 AM
To: Spondyville@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Spondyville] Re: hot flashes



Maggie wrote: "especially in the one area that matters for women in
relationships ..."

That would be ... a man's buttocks?

Just a guess... It's been a while since I've been in a relationship.

:-)

Spenser23as





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

OOPs that was not my question!!!



Anyway, I was misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia 18 years ago. Yes, I do have a
pain disorder and yes I had trouble sleeping etc. etc. The medication that
the Rheumy at that time prescribed was of no use at all. It made me spaced
out and groggy the next day. On the other hand I responded to having
anti-inflammatory medication to control the symptoms.



When I am in pain in my lower back, and when it is affecting my butt and
hips, I find that the best remedy was to take 1 Celebrex plus 600 mg
Neurontin before retiring to bed. This medication took care of the pain that
was keeping me awake. I am in Australia and my doctor has prescribed Temtabs
for when I am not able to sleep. It works very well, and when I made a
mistake on Friday morning I learned how well it works as I tried to keep
awake at work.



Maggie



   _____

From: Spondyville@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Spondyville@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of onefineseamstres@...
Sent: Saturday, 1 July 2006 10:06 PM
To: Spondyville@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Spondyville] hot flashes



In a message dated 7/1/2006 4:25:43 AM Eastern Standard Time,
maohearn@bigpond. <mailto:maohearn%40bigpond.net.au> net.au writes:

I have had fibromyalgia and chronic
pain due to back and knees for about 9 years. Any ideas would be
greatly
appreciated!a

Sleep disorder is part of fibromyalgia, you probably already know. At first
I did not think so, cause I could sleep, I was always wanting to go to
sleep. I'd fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed. BUT not the right sleep
pattern.
I'd not be aware of anything, but didn't go down into REM ... never into
restorative sleep or the deep sleep... I never dreamed. When I did it was
early
in the morning..when I laid back down...and was half awake, half asleep...
(very annoying stressful type of dreaming)

Anyway... I was given cyclobenzoprine, ( flexeril) 10 mg... I know it's a
muscle relaxer, BUT for people with FMS it can help by taking 1 at night a
while before going to bed... It helps by enabling you go go into REM sleep.
Don't know why it works... But it does seem to help many people... Good
thing
is...It's not a sleeping pill, and they are cheap! SO it's an easy and
cheap thing to try. Theory is... IF you get sleep, the pain along the
trigger/pressure points lets up.

It does help to make it more managable for many ...BUT it does not totally
get rid of the pain... and other symptoms.
I've been in a FMS flare for about 2 wks... finally letting up just a
bit.... and I'd done so good for the past 2 or 3 yrs...

I have the burning on my arms... shoulders, butt cheeks.. right side being
worse.


betty

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Joeette replies....I take ellavil to help me sleep.  [I-)] It is an "old
school" antidepressant but is has a lovely side effect of allowing you
to sleep. I do not feel groggy or drunk the next morning. They are also
not addicitng.

joeette


--- In Spondyville@yahoogroups.com, "deb" <debzorn@...> wrote:
>
> I saw my Rhemy Dr and she told me my hot flashes were because of
> hormones. I am 48. She had never heard of "being hot while your back
> fused". In fact she thought I was a little bit crazy even thinking
> such a thing. Now I am NOT saying this cannot be true. I have been to
> enough Drs. to know that not all of them think the same way. I did
> feel she was "rushing" me a bit and was not to concerned about my NOT
> SLEEPING!!!



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Maggie wrote: "especially in the one area that matters for women in
relationships ..."

That would be ...  a man's buttocks?

Just a guess... It's been a while since I've been in a relationship.

:-)

Spenser23as

Hi.
I am a 38 year old woman, mother of 2, recently diag with AS.  I am
now taking only Limbrel.  We want to avoid the biologicals which
Rheumy recommends, because we are or may be getting pregnant again.
I am a bit nervous about the back problems/ pain that may go along
with a pregnancy, so I want to get on the AS diet ASAP but need more
information about it.
can anyone tell me where I can find a comprehensive but easy to
understand list of foods/ recipes/ no no's ect.
I have looked on kickas and one other site, but they are so "busy"
with "stuff" and are UK so some of the stuff on the lists make no
sense to me.
Can I follow the "ibs diet" or is it the "gluten free" diet???
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Kim in Ga.

In a message dated 7/1/2006 4:25:43 AM Eastern Standard Time,
maohearn@... writes:

I have  had fibromyalgia and chronic
pain due to back and knees for about 9 years.  Any ideas would be
greatly
appreciated!a

Sleep disorder is part of fibromyalgia, you probably already  know.  At first
I did not think so, cause I could sleep, I was always  wanting to go to
sleep. I'd fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed. BUT  not  the right sleep
pattern.
I'd not be aware of anything, but didn't go down into  REM ... never into
restorative sleep or the deep sleep... I never dreamed.   When I did it was
early
in the morning..when I laid back down...and was half  awake, half asleep...
(very annoying stressful type of dreaming)

Anyway... I was given cyclobenzoprine, ( flexeril)  10  mg...   I know it's a
muscle relaxer, BUT for people with FMS it can  help by taking 1 at night a
while before going to bed... It helps by enabling  you go go into REM sleep.
Don't know why it works... But it does seem to  help many people... Good thing
is...It's not a sleeping pill, and they are  cheap!  SO it's an easy and
cheap thing to try.  Theory is... IF  you get sleep, the pain along the
trigger/pressure points lets up.

It does help to make it more managable for many ...BUT it does  not totally
get rid of the pain... and other symptoms.
I've been in a  FMS flare for about 2 wks... finally letting up just a
bit.... and I'd done so  good for the past 2 or 3 yrs...

I have the burning on my arms... shoulders, butt  cheeks..  right side being
worse.


betty


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I do not go to a Rheumy on a regular basis and so I rely on my GP. He is a
very good and experienced doctor and yes he knows AS. He is the one who
draws the blood for my blood tests. My latest tests proved that I do not
have the HLAB27 gene. They also showed that my RF has gone up to 66.



Dryness is not necessarily a part of menopause, but it does happen around
that time, especially in the one area that matters for women in
relationships ;-). However, as our estrogen levels change there are changes
that take place that do have an effect upon such matters and if there is
pain or other symptoms then these need attention. I would not leave a blood
test that should be measuring the hormonal levels to a rheumatologist. I
think that I would go to a doctor who is an expert in that particular area.



Maggie



   _____

From: Spondyville@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Spondyville@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of deb
Sent: Saturday, 1 July 2006 11:17 AM
To: Spondyville@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Spondyville] hot flashes



I saw my Rhemy Dr and she told me my hot flashes were because of
hormones. I am 48. She had never heard of "being hot while your back
fused". In fact she thought I was a little bit crazy even thinking
such a thing. Now I am NOT saying this cannot be true. I have been to
enough Drs. to know that not all of them think the same way. I did
feel she was "rushing" me a bit and was not to concerned about my NOT
SLEEPING!!! I am to continue all of my meds and next time she will do
a hormone blood test. The lab guy was absent yesterday. I am just
passing on this info. I have no idea what is right. I had a partial
hysterectomy at 39 and I really don't think I am having hormone
problems. I still feel myself ovulate and have no other symptoms,
dryness etc. One thing I would like info on is.. How do you all
relate to your friends and family about this condition (AS). I feel
like my extended family and friends just think I am a hypochrondriac
(sp?) I have tried to explain but they don't understand and just tell
me I am on to much medicine!!! I have had fibromyalgia and chronic
pain due to back and knees for about 9 years. Any ideas would be
greatly
appreciated!!





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