Daydream fund challenge part 4

alfie_1 wrote: »

hi peeps..:hello:


well im glad last weeks over with, talk about hit the ground running !!


had all sorts of appointments in between work..
had hospital last Friday and after telling me that all my tests were clear, that I should take some pills INCASE I get some sort of arthritis..??!
got home, son read up re pills [doc said I had to have 2 weekly blood tests for 2 months incase of liver probs :eek: ] they are used in chemo treatment ?? folic acid tab [2 days later] is to help if hair starts to fall out !!!
so they are a NO GO for me...
all because my hand hurt !!


was cleaning holiday home last Thursday eve ,having been told people in Friday eve, when theres a knock at the door and 4 Norwegian chaps are stood there bags in hand :eek:
my friend and I stood looking like a pair of goldfish ! having stuttered out "mistake/sorry/not ready" etc , they went off for a pint...or two. friend and I went like loonatics finishing setting up the house and they returned, thankfully with a sense of humour ....phew.
couldn't get hold of "the lady who irons" so panic re the 5 sets of bed linen etc sat in my utility room....waiting.
finally got hold of her and nearly kissed her
I don't iron ... tried but im carp at it...
owner of house thought it all hilarious :cool:


son is very upset as GF went back to Canada then dumped him [after 4 years].. no reason doesn't help !!


friends mother is critical in hosp, just waiting now !




I feel like my head is spinning at the moment..


on a lighter note I definitely think tilly the hoss is preggies, changing shape now from just fat to pear shape fat...


im hopefully getting a greenhouse from next door.its a biggish one so im going to half it by boarding out the back half to make it a shed with glass front. my old likkle shed has waved a white flag for months now and put the mower in today and the floor fell in so I just shut the very wonky door and went indoors for a cuppa and an asprin !!
I have written a list of jobs to do from decorating to garden stuff [just got a trailer full of York stone rocks for when I re do an overgrown side of the pond and 30 paving slabs for greenhouse base etc .... FREE :T ]
a couple of hefty branches came down in the garden when we had those high winds so have to have a trim up before more come down .....


we got 600 bales of hay off one field but lost the weather/ time slot for the rest so will just top the field and leave it there.
SO many acorns down !! its a worry ...


ok peeps im off to lay in my barf for an HOUR at least :rotfl:

Think you need to go and see your GP and ask them to explain your blood results. Methotrexate isn't prescribed as a 'just in case' medication. It might be that what they were trying to say was that there wasn't any sign of joint destruction/erosion on x-ray, but your inflammation markers (CRP, ESR, maybe CCP, plus Rheumatoid Factor) were raised, which would indicate that you've got an autoimmune disease in its early stages if you don't have bony damage or tendon issues on x-ray/scan.

NICE guidelines show that treating autoimmune diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis/Psoriatic Arthritis/Psoriasis/etc from the outset with DMARDs such as Methotrexate (and folic acid on another day to ensure that the effect of the drug is limited to the inflammatory response rather than the rest of the body) have been shown over many years to be the most effective course in limiting permanent joint damage, deformity and the disease progressing to affect the heart, lungs, eyes, kidneys or other organs (it's likely that untreated inflammatory arthritis is what killed my father in his early 40s from it causing heart failure - and the twisted, contorted hands of some old people is nothing to do with age/wear and tear arthritis, it's caused by inflammatory arthritis that has not been treated),

They compared results to people taking NSAIDs like Ibuprofen (gastric symptoms, bleeding, ulcers, cardiac issues) on a long term basis or steroid medication (weight gain, bone thinning, osteoporosis, susceptibility to infection, medical emergency after unplanned cessation, skin thinning, hair loss, bleeding, etc). And they decided providing MTX on diagnosis was a scientifically logical choice.

Yes, methotrexate is still used as a chemotherapy drug in some circumstances - but at doses significantly higher than is being prescribed. Picking a common dosage of 7.5mg once a week for autoimmune issues, compare that to the lowest dose for stage I lymphoma - 70mg - or for later stages which require more aggressive treatment, 1,750mg, plus iv steroids (more if the patient is heavier). The dose for dealing with an overactive immune system attacking your joints, connective tissue, organs or skin is about 4% of that given to somebody weighing 15 stone having treatment for cancer. I look at it in terms that whilst eating 1700 stewed prunes is going to make you feel extremely unwell, having 7 isn't - but you might have to run to the loo in the morning - it's a question of scale.



It's perfectly within your rights to refuse, but I think you should at least doublecheck exactly what was meant, so that you can make your decision with the full facts, as what you've said just doesn't sound right in the slightest.

For what it's worth, I'm going back on them in the next few weeks because I had a huge flare and couldn't function - but the first time I took them, within about 3 months, despite feeling a little nauseous the day after and finding the hair right on my hairline was more baby hair than before, I didn't really look any different, except for the fact my disease activity went down to practically zero and I remained in remission from symptoms for five years after stopping it, so I was able to move around, get exercise, lift and carry and do everything everybody else takes for granted with no pain, but had been completely impossible for me for about ten years.

Have a look on the Arthritis Care/Research pages for their information booklets about diseases and treatments - just googling the drug name is always going to give the scary information before anything actually useful, especially when you're under other stresses - and untreated inflammation also affects people's moods quite badly, not just because of pain or tiredness, but just the mood itself - which could be making it harder for you to cope with everything.




I've looked at the garden and noticed over the wall that there is a big digger in there. Oh well, that'll be a load of houses blocking every scrap of daylight and sky this place had for next Spring.

At least I can use the fact I'm still in work and making some important people quite happy right now, as that might help me in seeking work out near the moors.


Miffed already at the thought of not having moved by this Autumn/Christmas. The prospect of being here as those houses go up and we're plunged into darkness, so all I see is concrete instead of sky and trees, is very depressing.