Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group laptop

Lisa, Sorry I lost touch with how things have been with you. Hope all is well.
Cindy

Hi Cindy,

I have done the zantac thing while on celebrex daily and before long I had to literally have the zantac bottle in my pocket because the attack would come on so fast. Last September I woke up one morning with an attack, couldn't move fast enough to get to the zantac so I ended up vomiting and aspirating on it, I nearly cashed my chips in that day so I kind of have a grudge against the nsaids.

I have been to an Ortho Doc, and had this dumb knee drained and cortizone shot into it twice. It stayed good for a while but in December I torqued it a tiny bit in the shower and boom, swollen again. It bends backwards as easy as it bends forwards because there is soooo much fluid in it. Gross, huh?

Sorry to be such a ray of sunshine, lol, I'm just unusually "down" these days. You've been fighting AS my whole life, 35 years, and I've been at it 1 year.........I just can't imagine me holding on that long. You are amazing. Thanks for the good example.

-Donette

Donette
We are all amazing here. As'ers are the strongest people I know. You will endure. We will make sure of that here.
By the way, did you have an MRI of that knee? Your symptoms describe a torn ACL. Have it done if you haven't yet, please. Getting a torn ACL replaced is a minimal invasive surgery now and can benefit you if indeed it is torn.
Cindy

Donette - sounds like you're having a tough time right now. I'm sorry to hear that.

I know you've tried a variety of treatments, some with more success than others. What are you doing right now? Are you on meds, diet, a combo?

I've having a rotten time with my knees right now as well.
Both are quite swollen and feel very unstable. Going down stairs is difficult. I know it's just the RA - in other words, I don't have any extra damage from an injurty - not yet at least.

I'm about to increase my prednisone again so I know I'll have some relief in a few days otherwise I'm not sure how I'd keep working.

Best of luck. I'm feeling very empathetic right now.

Hey Wendy, its been the longest winter of my life! lol

I did the NSD from November to February 2nd. I ended it because I kept struggling with constipation which led to some profuse rectal bleeding that I couldn't get under control. I wasn't getting enough water or baking with coconut flour (fibre). The worse I feel, the less able I am to eat properly/bake etc.

So I have been researching some vitamin info, ordered powdered vitamin c, and it just arrived this week. You gradually increase your dose until the AS or RA remits. I'm up to 20,000mg today.

I have been taking celebrex on a day if I have to drive or function as a cub scout den leader
but not often, a couple times per month as my stomache is pretty shredded. I tried my old methadone, but that stuff is miserable with the dizzyness. So to answer your question, I've kind of been au naturale for a month, and pretty miserable. Yeah a person is pretty useless without knees, who knew? lol I'll never take my knees for granted again.

Thanks for your kind words, I hope you get feeling better too!

-Donette

Just wanted to say hi.
Glad your latest surgery has gone well although sorry to hear you have been through so much and so much yet to come.
Wish you the very best of luck with everything and nice to meet you.

Hi Cindy,

Wow, I've never thought it could be my ACL, I think my ortho doc x-rayed me in several areas (pre-diagnosis) but that would probably not show up without MRI power. I think that poor man thought I was nuts, or literally falling apart at the seams.

I've always thought it was "just" the AS because it heals up and returns periodically, 4 times in the the last 3 years.

I better keep a better eye on it. It does settle down on the one day a week I take celebrex, which is nice. (I take it so I can do cub scouts with my son.)

Thanks for your kindness. This place has saved me from myself more than once.

take care,
Donette