Is this a test?

No. It's me trying to ascertain how common these phenols are in those of us with RA

No wrong answers.

I have cysts on my face called "millia" they are not suppose to be RA related, but they are gone on the right meds - like Rituxan, and mthx to a lesser extent and they get worse when I am not on the right meds. Last summer they were getting so big they looked like huge, hard pimples. At my age! LOL

I also used to have many cysts in my breasts, but that went away after nursing four kids. The kicker for me was in 1990 I had my gall bladder out. I didn't have stones, but a giant cyst taking up the whole gall bladder. The surgeon was incredibly surprise! He said he had taken out over 20,000 gall bladders and never seen such a thing. In fact, brought his whole surgical staff and all the residents under him to meet me when I was awake.

So why are you asking about cysts?

I used to get colds leading to bronchitis and pneumonia all the time, for years. But once I started adding vitamins and minerals, I have basically never been sick again. One thing to be glad about, especially on 2 DMARDS, a biologic and prednisone.

I do require more sleep, but I assumed that was RA. That is when it started, for me.

Hey WG,

1) I've had these "weird" cysts along the spine of my back, about the size of a nickel & really deep. You can't see them but when I tried to show my wife I had to run her finger along where they were & she could feel them! I'll be completely honest, I don't really remember them before. They could have been there for a long time or not?

2) I rarely get colds, I got them more when I was on MTX but now that I'm not on it anymore I went back to not really getting colds again. However I typically get one for whatever reason around Christmas, almost like clock work! LOL!

3) Sleep really hasn't changed. I go to bed around 11pm, get up 6:30 for work so that's less than supposed 8hrs recommended. THANKFULLY I don't get the RA fatigue but DID get it early on in my diagnosis. But haven't had fatigue for a few years now.

I have cysts on my neck, vulva and pancreas. I read the following on http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160821.php#what_causes_cysts:

Common causes of cysts include:

Tumors
Genetic conditions
Infections
A fault in an organ of a developing embryo
A defect in the cells
Chronic inflammatory conditions
Blockages of ducts in the body which cause a fluid build-up
A parasite
Impact injury that breaks a vessel.

The chronic inflammation caught my eye, of course.

I do not get cold. Never have had one since I have had RA. decades ago when I first diagnosed i was in an in-person support group and no one ever got colds. We called it the RA bonus.

I need a LOT of sleep but always did.

Just curious how others are effected or not by these issues.

I wonder if the "lack of colds" has something to do with our immune systems constantly on alert & fishing for "foreign attackers" in our body. Since our immune systems are over active I would have to assume that has something to do with it

I also have had a chronic cough since 2003! No one can figure out why. I've been bounced back & forth from Gastroenologists for GERD to ENT to allergists & none can come to a logical conclusion accept for either it's left over from being an ex smoker ( I quit in 2007), I'm allergic to my dog or something else or none of the above.

Now I'm thinking it was the FIRST physical symptom of having an over active immune system. Since my nasal passages & partially my throat are constantly "inflamed" it would make sense. Also, I have both of my tonsils still & my right was has been over sized since I was in my late 20's. I believe that's all part of it too. I could be wrong.

Oceans, yes th "lay"theory of no colds is th dover active immune system.

But I have a thought about your chronic cough - have you ever been tested for Sjogrens??? As you may know it is common for those of us with RA to also have other autoimmunes especially Sjogrens. Because it dries out your throughs and sinuses, it can cause a constant dry, hacking cough. Hard to diagnose. My blood test for it cam back negative but I definitely HAVE it and a medication called Evoxac helps the through and nasal/sinus dryness.

@ WG,

Yes I remember you saying that a while ago so I checked my lab work records & my Rheumy tested for it on my original visit & yeah mine came back negative too. My eyes never dry out & I wear contacts daily all day & don't even use re-wetting drops so I'm not sure if I have it or not. I'll have to do some more research on it though.

My eyes never bothered me, but I'm told they are very dry - so much so that I am not only on Resatsis drops but also have had tear duct plugs. My eyes are too dry to have cataract surgery that i need, yet they very rarely if ever bother me...Go figure?

The only conclusive test for Sjogrens is a lip biopsy. I was diagnosed and put on medication for dry nose and throat and mouth without having a biopsy. I DID have a salivary gland scan but that's because i live within driving distance of one of two Sjogrens center in the nation - one on each coast.

@ WG,

I did a lot more research on the Sjogrens & even though my tests came out negative I'm leaning towards it more now. I have a follow up appointment for this coming Wednesday & will be discussing a plan to possibly dial in whether I have it or not. What really got me besides the cough was the salivary glands. One site had the symptoms of salivary glands behaving as though you just ate a "lemon" feeling, when your glands just go nuts & start secreting fluids & make the sides of your jaw feel like they're going nuts. Well, I definitely had/have that. Not as often as a few years ago but it's still around. I always thought that Sjogrens was the "absent" of moisture or dry eyes, dry nasal, dry throat but that's not always the case, at least from what I read. Plus the fact that you CAN have joint & muscle pain & that I've pretty much been absent of swelling, hot joints & redness

YES, An dry eye can oddly enough cause your eyes to tear!! I wish you lived in CA or on the east coast and could go to a Sjogrens center. But ask your doc if he/she can do a salivary gland scan. I don 't know if they are done anywhere outside a Sjogrens center.I'd hate for you to have to have a lip biopsy because there's not much that can be done except symptomatic releif. I am on an RX for dry mouth and RX eye drops, but most of it is OTC symptom relief -- and if you have it you have to keep up with very conscientious dental care!

i have sero positive ra, sjogrens (and oceans other than the daily spit pills, and the restasis i dont find having a formal diagnosis all that moving). I have about 100K worth of dental care in my mouth since age 17 - a couple of luxury cars aka implants, bridges, apicos, roots, and whatnot since age 18. i am going to donate my skull to harvard dental and going to the dentist monthly and all my sjogrens care has only held off dentures, nothing else. i have a nice smile and a car with 250K miles on it. no comment :). last month they yanked out about 5K. it was a root canal, a post, and a gold crow that had an apico on it and still went bust down to my jaw. what a battle. lynn on here I think has gone to what costa rica lynn? to get lots of implants. that's my dream when this 100K worth of dental work goes south, anyway

have 9 million colds a year, no cysts, and sleeping is related to whether or not I am going to lose the mortgage or the kids in other words, if I am able to tune into my sleep needs and meet them I do but if it is impossible to get what I really need I don't ruminate on it. for myself i find being a single parent does that. fatigue to me is a co-morbidity and mental health word with the rheumatologists. they must hear it all day long. sometimes i notice i have less when the synovial fluid is dialed back. but again, I can't act on the sleep I need most times, so I don't ruminate on it.

depot

suzie you crack me up.

depot

what does sjogrens do to teeth? the rheumatologist did keep asking me questions about dry eyes. they burn and water a lot, wouldn't say dry. sometimes it feels like there is grit in them, but they still water. I do get sores in my mouth frequently. but the dental care comment caught my eye, because 6 years ago, before I had my last son and I started having all of these symptoms, I would have dental visits and they were good. then all of the sudden it is like my teeth are dissolving! cavities, gum problems, out of the blue, the dentist even commented on the dramatic difference

Oceans - of course you realize that is impossible to differentiate joint pain that is from RA from that of Sjogrens when you have both. But the good news is that the biologicals help both, too!

Virginia - saliva contains enzymes that are greatly reduced with Sjogrens. Those enzymes fight cavities. Less saliva, more cavities. You really sound like you have Sjogrens, too!!

Dry eye can be treated as dry eye whether to not it is form Sjogrens, but.....it does help to get a diagnosis in some case because I am now on Evoxac which helps me produce saliva. Less dry mouth and less cavities!

Of course cavities are caused by heredity and diet as well. But Sjogrens can ADD to that equation.