Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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Muscles & Bones
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How is everyone doing?

lovebaby8
lovebaby8
Been away for a few days I decided to try to get back into cross stitching. Even though its really painful to do I am still working through it. I have finished two projects so far and now I am working on an eeyore bookmark for my mom.. At least it gives me something to do when I can't sleep. Just an update I lost my medicaid because in october I will start getting my disability and I make too much on my disability to qualify for medicaid. We won't go into how I only have 50 dollars a month left after all my bills are paid for. Right now I have been paying 123 dollars to keep my work insurance. In March I will be forced to go back to work so I can't continue to keep it. But I am only going to work two days a week just enough to pay for my insurance. I was really looking forward to starting retuxitan with medicaid. I am going to try to contact the manufacturing of retuxitan to see if they can do anything for me. But anywho enough rambling for now I hope everyone has a good weekend :)
ELT452
ELT452
I am sorry for all your insurance trouble. Besides the pain of RA, it is not nice to have to worry how to pay the bills and buy your meds. I am fortunate I don't have that problem, but dragging my butt into work to assure I maintain my insurance is hard. I recently stopped Humira so I could start Rituxan, but I completed my first series of 2 infusions about 2 weeks ago and I feel like crap. Lots of pain in my hands and feet, knees shoulders. Insomnia and not sleeping at night. Fortunately I see my Doc on Wednesday so I am going to ask him for a sleeping aid and I am going to see if I could increase my prednisone till the Rituxan kicks in. Side effects be damned....I am sick of cryin, sick of having pain and sick of saying no to my grandkids...Sorry for venting, but at least the people on here REALLY understand where we come from, we are all in this togethre!.
lovebaby8
lovebaby8
I understand about sick of saying no to people. I had to cancel a date the other night because I couldn't get down my stairs. So the rituxan isn't working for you yet? Thats the next step my doctor wants me on but right now with my walmart insurance it costs 3400 for both injections. I am trying to find a assitance program that will help me with it but not sure what I will find. I also understand about the crying i usually wake up in tears it sucks. but they say what doesn't kill us makes us stronger right? So postive thinking I guess :)
ELT452
ELT452
I was told it may be 8 weeks till it takes effect. So I am half way there. I am so fortunate that I have insurance that has never questioned any of the meds...that at least is one worry I don't have. Thanks for your support and friendship. Elaine
deleted_user
deleted_user
When i tried to switch from Remicade to Rituxan i had no luck. I gave it three full months before going back to the remicade because my flares and pain had gotten so very bad. I must say though after going back to the Remicade from the Rituxan its the best I've felt since beng diagnosed at 15 (im 27 now). I always tell my doc that if there is a study with the use of multiple biologics i want in because that was a great feeling while the 2 were "overlapping" in my body. I'm sure that will never happen because of the risks of infections etc would be too high, but i still joke about it with him. :)
ELT452
ELT452
Funny you should say that cause my doctor said there are some people who are on 2 biologics, although not many because of the high risk of infection. I think the increased prednisone is strating to kick in a little, but I am still not sleeping...
deleted_user
deleted_user
If you can find anymore info on people using multiple biologics please lemme know, this is something I've been interested in for awhile and haven't found much on the subject.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I am sorry about the whole insurance issue...I don't think I can begin to fathom how to wander into that fray and how stressful it must be, something that we don't need...extra stress.

I pray that things get easier for you, healthwise and financially.


Oh and the only time I have ever taken a steroid, I didn't sleep well because of increased agitation and I gained 15 pounds in less than 2 weeks.