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 got diagnosed with Psoriatic arthritis a few years ago, and i take methotrexate and co-codamal to deal with the pain, i go gym a couple of times a week to keep my joints healthy and subtle. but recently i have been having alot of trouble with my left hip, its a deep pain right at the top of my thigh it used to come and go now its painful all the time, the worst is when i sit down for long periods of time and stand up, but when my consultant looked at it she said she couldnt feel anything wrong so i got to go back for xrays, could it be arthritis as there is no swelling or anything? if its not arthritis what could it be??

im 14 and i have psoriatic arthritis but im worried im on a drug called methotrexate 20mg injection evry monday but i havent had my period i cant remeber the last time what can i do?

In the eighteen years of my existence I have lived among the ill, the disabled, and the unfortunate. I, personally, am a part of the disabled and have faced many challenges in my life. From the day of my diagnosis with Systemic Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, Systemic JRA, I was told that I will never be able to succeed in life as this condition will hold me back, to a point where I can never function like a normal person. My goal was to prove this statement wrong. At the diagnosis of my condition I had to start methotrexate, chemotherapy, this challenged my life with uncontrollable bouts of sickness. My first year back to school with this disease, I missed sixty-three days of school and from that I knew my road in life would no longer be simple, but a constant struggle between balancing school, work, and my sickness. With my hopes dwindling, that I would never be able to function as a normal person, I was shown a summer camp with kids just like me with the same diseases and treatments. I attended this camp and took classes to deal with my arthritis in numerous ways to reduce the struggles upon my life, which resulted in me being able to stop all chemotherapy treatments as I took control of my life. This camp was a very influential part of my life as methods to deal with my illness are continuously used by me. On one of my later in life volunteer experiences, I volunteered at an elderly home. I entered the volunteer work just looking to complete volunteer credits and be done with such a program, but this home changed my life for all the days in my life to come. In that elderly home I was able to connect with people of conditions similar to mine as that of the summer camp. I showed them the same tricks that I was shown in my camp to reduce strain upon one’s joints, to increase motion in the afflicted joints, and methods to reduce pain and suffering of one’s self. After about a week all the seniors had gained new life and appeared to have washed away the sands of time from themselves. I enjoyed helping these elderly people and I feel I made a difference in their lives. On one day of work it was family day. It brought tears to my eyes when I saw grandparents running and playing with their grandchildren, something they had never been able to do before. This course of volunteer work was so influential upon me I continued to help people through my life and continue to this day.
I, to this very day, have had to deal with the challenges of life plus my condition. I was told that with my condition I would never be able to function like a normal person and I set out to prove them wrong. I believe I did what I said I would do. My personal gain from this life experience which I will grow with is that I have an absolute love of helping others. From this time I have decided that to be happy in life and to continue to endure happiness I need to be upon the end of giving help to others. So it would be in my benefit if I could be a doctor of any sort. I would be able to display my need to help others in way of challenging myself and proving that I can be normal by taking upon one of the hardest challenge of life, becoming a doctor that would benefit not only patients but in return myself.

anything to help at all. most "legit" help is the best answer

My 2 year old daughter is fixing to start Methotrexate for her Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and I wanted to know if anyone taking it has had actual side effects and how quickly they started. I know the possible side effects, but want to know what experience other people have had on this medicine.

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.

I have a few health problems that are chronic and very, very expensive. I have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, and I take Remicade and Methotrexate for it. If I didn’t, my body would be covered in red lesions (I’ve been covered up to 70% of my body) and I’d be walking with a cane, preparing to have hip replacement. I know I need this treatment. Remicade is EXTREMELY expensive. My doctor’s office used to let me make payments…but they’ve changed their policy and you have to pay upfront. I have insurance, but I have to pay a very large deductible. This, plus the daily meds I take for the condition, plus meds for high bp, depression, and GERD, cost a helluva lot of money.

I had bronchitis for three months starting in October of last year. Long story short, they discovered I have a slightly deviated septum and an old infection in my sinuses. I took meds, and now I’m supposed to have a second CT of the sinuses…and I know that they’re going to find that I’m no better. The next step could be surgery. I’m feeling EXTREMELY guilty about how much my problems literally cost my family. I quit smoking and started eating better…but it’s not helping any of my conditions get better. This sinus thing is not a life or death situation here, or a question of mobility like my arthritis is. I’m tempted to blow it off. Yes, I have a chronic sore throat. No, I really can’t sing anymore…but I’m not a professional, I just sing at church and civic theater. I get so worried when I think about how much all these medical things cost, and with the economy the way it is, I know we could go broke in no time. What would you do if you were me? How important is it to fix this?

i cant believe the stuff is sooo crazy, i hope someone can share pain relief secrets or something…someone who actually has it…thanks
nice to hear from everyone, im 27 years old and RA hit me real hard 7 months ago, about two weeks after the birth of my 3rd child, i first thought that i had slept on my shoulder wrong because it was a little sore, but within 3 days i couldnt move my arms at all, then like clock work, my arms, wrists, hands, knees, and feet all started to shut down on both sides of my body, and the pain was just unbearable, i was in and out of the doctors, thought i was suffering from post partum depression, and tried to put me on prozac lol, i refused to take it cus i had a feeling it was ra, because i watched my grama suffer for many years…….so within a month i was diagnosed, i was first given prednisone and it immediately cleared up everything except my wrists and hands, i have been taking prednisone and methotrexate, and i started on humira about a month ago, its only 1 shot every two weeks and i can already feel a world of difference!

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’ve taken Prednisone & Methotrexate etc. in the past. Nothing has helped. I can’t continue working. Having A LOT of problems at home doing things. My husband does a lot for me. My hands are stiff, don’t bend & hurt. HELP!