Also, Im not on any meds as of now. Nothing was ever discussed with me. I got a phone call from a nurse who said one of my arthritis test came back elevated and the dr had put in a referral to see a specialist. That was all the info I got. I had to ask for a follow up appt with my pcm but that is not until Feb 22nd. The military healthcare is just hit or miss. Half the time you never see the same dr and it takes days to get a return call.

Buddhacat..Thank you for the great post! While I'm very new to this I felt for Sweetchksgrl and thought I would share what helped me since she was not able to get into the dr any time soon. I like you ...am an workout-health nut and have always been into holistic-alternative treatments. I knew talking to my Rheumatoid Dr that I needed to start meds though and yes sorry it is Plaquenil. I guess my symptoms were mild enough (no sweeping or redness) that decided to start me there first? I have read over and over it doesn't seem to do much so will see. I see him next month again and it will only have been 2 mos of being on the Plaquenil. Diet wise...I have always been a healthy eater but I knew I had room for improvement, so after this diagnoses it was the kick I needed to clean it up. I do not (that I am aware of) have celiac or gluten intolerance-it was just something I wanted to try…the not eating meat thing just kinda happened while I was trying out a plant based diet…its been fairly easy for me to do and i Can't get over how much better (overall) that I feel. The Solgar 7 I started taking has Tumeric,Ginger,Boswellia,Cayenne and few other things in it( nothing too alarming and my dr. okayed it) …I love the stuff and works for me so far. Very interesting what you wrote about the Vitamin D..I take a low dose(I'm not deficient in it but on the slow side) living in OH we do not see the sun that often in the Winter do it helps! I realize people have very different views on meds/supplements, diets etc. I for the most part enjoy reading what works for some and do quite a bit of research on my own. People who have had it a very long time I'm sure feel like an expert in the field. But like you said- have to figure out what works for you. So you say you have severe RA now..and your able to still work out? Curious what areas are you effected by? Also what meds are you on now? Thanks again for your reply;)

hey Buddhacat & kmac22,

Have either of you heard of a supplement called "Thunder God Vine"? It was actually suggested by my Rheumy to try while I was off meds. Now that I'm going back on MTX I haven't done any more research on it & was kind of put off when it says the leaves of the plant are highly toxic & used for insecticide? But I guess the root has been used in China for thousands of years, blah, blah. Anyway just wanted to see if either of you heard of it?

Oceans11 - sorry, never heard of that.

kmac22 - just to be clear, I don't have severe RA now. I had a severe onset, and was pretty much worthless for 6 months or so, but I did improve. I resisted MTX, and used a supplement (Immune, by Orenda) that my PCP, at the time, nudged me to use. )Alas, she was getting into the multiple marketing drug sales). for 6 months. After a month, things got so bad that I said, I'll continue to try the supplement, but yielded to MTX. Long story short, I was failed by 2 drugs and eventually Rituxan was recommended. It's been my life saver. No other drugs, no pain pills, and the only supplements I take are vit. D magnesium, and B-50 complex. I did take calcium until the hypercalcemia thing. My diet is high protein, low grains (cheap carbs), lots of veggies like chard and KALE. I'm working on a plan to reach ketosis daily, to burn the excise fat as energy. Geeze, RA makes us sedentary, we take drugs (particularly prednisone) that increase appetite and change metabolism, and then we have to work like hell to deal with that.

you know you are supposed to leave a kale recipe not merely drop cheap references to said veg

?? depotblue….and no have never heard of that Oceans11.

Interesting about Rituxan, I've read it's used a lot more outside of the US & it seems very effective.

In regards to diet I know that when I was cutting & ate a very strict "clean diet" for around 45 days I felt great! It seemed like the remaining tiny RA symptoms I had while on MTX went away. I didn't really put 2 & 2 together at the time.

But since then I've gone back to eating almost normally again because I was trying to "bulk" up my symptoms popped back up a tad? Coincindence? I do believe there is a "tie" between the gut, diet & RA or autoimmune issues. Not necessarily a "cure" but maybe just feeling a little better?

Ooops, forgot the recipe: sauté a cut-up red bell pepper, small handful of diced ginger and large handful of pine nuts in olive oil. Add a small amount of broth, then add kale with S&P and squeeze of lime (or lemon) juice. Mix everything together, cover and cook for a few minutes, until kale is done. Good for chard, as well.

Oceans, I joined the RA group in 2008, looking for info on Rituxan, and I got one response to my inquiries. Over the years, a number of people on this board tried it without success but with many complaints. It's only been the last couple of years that I've heard other success stories.

I don't think I've noticed any effects of diet, good or bad, on my RA, but then I only get RA joint pain toward the end of a treatment cycle. However, it's got to be helping all the internal stuff, I think.

not bad buddha. i'm italian. i live for pine nuts and swim in olive oil. i have to get a life. kmac it's a joke i'm slumming for recipes. :)

depot

Got it depot blue;) Recipe sounds good..love pine nuts as well. I don't know, all I can do is speak for myself but I have definitly felt a difference eating clean…I say that and today was a crappy day. Very grey and rainy here so that is paying into it I'm sure. Struggle with fatigue and weakness. yesterday worked out like a mad women…today no energy. Thing is I know a lot of people can say that even not with RA..so.. its hard to know if related.

Please see:
http://tinyurl.com/MirahRA-video

not to scare you but to tell you why you need that RA as the serious disease that it is.

A diagnosis of any disease is scary, but it's half the battle!! Better to know the enemy you are fighting!

Welcome to this support group. We're here for you.

Watched your video WarriorGal…very informative and sweet at the same time. I'm happy to see that you are doing well (what a journey) …and that I wish I had your doctor!;)

So as an update, I have been approved to fly to Seattle for a consultation. However, the dr there wants to reviews all my records first. I am getting more and more depressed. My primary dr is very hard to get an appointment with so I have basically been left to deal with this ordeal alone. I have done so much research and the holistic approach sounds appealing to me, at least until I can see the specialist. I can't do too much dieting though as Im already underweight. Any thoughts on diet and RA?