I am prescribed the fentanyl patch and hate it now because I am now dependent on it. I get sick if I dont wear it, sweating,stomach cramps(feels like a did 10000 sit-ups,tightening of stomach),flu like symptoms…..the sweating is the worst!! Anyone know of away to get off of them?? I have tried the Syboxone and it didnt work. I have psoriatic arthritis and other conditions that cause pain. Any info will be greatly appreciated.Thanks-Ali

I was very ill last year in Morocco (Aug/Sep) – Since coming back, i have had the following – Continued stomach pains/diarrhea, under active thyroid, my appendix removed, pulmonary embolism, i have been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, and to top it off, i now have a tear (possibly) in my bowel as i have been producing blood since coming home. Its just one thing after another. My doctor is great, and has kept me on top of tests etc, but every time i mention my holiday to various doctors/nurses etc, i get a “Mmmmmm…..really” What does that mean?
Anyway, if any one could offer a personal view, it would be very much appreciated.
Regards

Hi, i have Emphysema and TB Granuloma and have had persistent chest infections for some time now. I am also on Methotrexate to treat psoriatic arthritis. in the past i have had chest x-rays and have not shown anything new except those as stated above. i have an extensive family history of lung cancer caused by cigarette smoking and I am a smoker myself. I have had a bronchoscopy which didn’t show anything but at the moment i have persistent pleuritic pain in my right side of my chest for nearly 9 weeks now and my GP has just advised to monitor this. I have a persistent cough and in the past hace coughed up a little blood stained sputum. As you can imagine i am extremely worried if i have something sinister going on and its being missed, what can i do?

I have been having the whole sharp-pain-in-chest thing and my mom has told its pleurisy. I am 18 years old and I do have inflammatory problems including psoriatic arthritis and costocondritis. Anyway, I have read and heard that pleurisy can cause shoulder pain. What I am wondering is if THIS is also normal for pleurisy: I have the sharp pain but also my entire left arm (including my hand ) are in pain. The pain also extends up the left of my neck and shoulder (and shoulder blade) and down the left side of my back close to my spine. Any info. would be nice especially from experience cuz I really cant find much online.

I absolutely cannot get rid of this stupid cold. I’m stuffed up, coughing up thick mucus, and when I talk, I sound like the lead singer of AC/DC. I have an immune system disorder, and take Remicade and Methotrexate for psoriatic arthritis. I know my immune system is not good…but this cold is killing me. I’m going to a massage therapist tomorrow to see if she can beat it out of me. I don’t want to go to the doctor for a cold, but if it’s something else now, I need to get this taken care of. Thanks for your input everybody.

I do not have cancer. I have Psoriatic Arthritis. But, every 6 weeks for the last two years I have been getting Remicade infusions, and I take a weekly dose of Methotrexate. Recently a friend of mine in the nursing profession asked me “You do know that both of these are a form of chemotherapy don’t you?” I did know that, but it got me thinking.

What would the long term effects be, since there is no end to these IV treatments or taking methotrexate? Is it such a low grade of chemotherapy that it wouldn’t likely have long term effects? I know Remicade infusions are used for certain types of cancer as well. I’m hoping someone knowledgeable in this area can give me some layman’s information I may be missing.

I have asked my doctor, but he seems determined to remain vague about this.

Thank you.
Thanks hirschel, I hope so too…

i have psoriatic arthritis. and i got really sick. i got the flu. and then for about 4 days i got better. and then i got sick worse. they believe it was the swine flu. i cant get sick again. bottom line i get sick again i die. you see my problem? ive missed 2 weeks of school. and i need to get back. im not allowed out of my house. until i get the H1N1 shot and the flu shot. i am getting the H1N1 shot tomorrow but i need to find a regular seasonaly flu shot. dont ask me why please just tell me where in pennsylvania i can find one. i have looked on www.flu.gov i have looked on the pa health website. please if you could find me a location i would be so thankful! please!!!
like i said. i HAVE to get both. dont give me stuff about i already made antibodies. dont tell me what i should do just please help me find the SEASONAL FLU SHOT. please. just please help me find it

I’m currently 17 years old, and I turn 18 in July. I live in Georgia. I have fibromyalgia/psoriatic arthritis. Does medicaid work for me? Or should I go another route? I don’t have a job right now, and I still live with my mom. But I do plan to move out during the summer hopefully, but if I do, I think I’ll lose my insurance. I also am wanting to live with a friend, or a friend and her mother. How would that work out with the whole insurance thing? I got a million questions and don’t know where to start, lol.

I have been taking a coctail of Methotrexate (weekly), Celebrex 200mg daily and Prednisone (recently reduced to every other day) for the past 2+ years for Psoriatic Arthritis. I have blood work done every few months. All of my scores are in the normal range except Abs Lymphocyte, which has been trending lower and is now down to 1.1 (x10E9/L) where 1.5 is considered low. Should I be concerned about this trend and level? If so, any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Why does Conservatives (or people backing McCain on Y!A) assume that the “rich” work harder than the “middle class”?

Here’s where I’m coming from:
I work two full time jobs, I make 10.34 an hour in one, and 12.65 in the other, I work 80 hours a week total… just to pay my medical bills that health insurances refuse to insure because I’m “already sick”

Do you know how hard it is to go to work with Psoriatic Arthritis, Migraines and Tension Headaches, Depression and Anxiety? Do you know what its like to know that you have a tumor and need surgery but can’t get the surgery because the Doctors know you aren’t insured? Do you know what its like to be 23 years old, and know you could drop dead at any moment?

I wouldn’t need the second job if I didn’t have medical problems, or an insurance company that would insure me. I could pay all of my bills with just the one job, but I have to work the second one to pay medical expenses, so I would love to know how you could say that I deserve to pay more in taxes than Brad Pitt, John McCain, or Warren Buffet?