My wife is on methotrexate 15 mg per week, we have tapered it doen to 15mg every two weeks. in addition she also takes 10 mg of prednisone per day. she seems not to respond to methotrexate but seems to do better when only 10 mgs daily is administered. is ten mg prednisone excessive?
Pregnancy and the RF test
Can hormones effect the RF test? I tested with an RF of 43 and am also pregnant. Is it possible that pregnancy effects the outcome of this test? Thanks!
What kind of specialist treats dermatomyositis?
My wife was diagnosed with dermatomyositis two years ago. We want to see someone at Johns Hopkins while we are in DC, but we are at a loss as to which specialty is best suited to help us — is it rheumatology, orthopedics, or dermatology?
Osteoarthritis and elliptical exercise machines
I am 53 years old and extremely overweight with OA in my right knee said to be “bone on bone”. My medial meniscus is gone as is the stabilizing tendon on the front of my knee. I do NOT have constant pain or much pain at all on a consistent basis, but when trying to climb stairs, hike, or exercise, the knee swells up and is very unstable, and I also experience a “catching” feeling apparently from bone spurs. I’ve recently had the 5 week treatment of hylagen injections and want to know if using an eliptical machine is a good from of exercise after such a procedure as opposed to “impact” exercise.
lupus
I was diagnosed w/ Lupus about 20 years ago and have never since told any of my doctors. This combinded w/ an auto accident, which severly injured me has caused further sickness. I have not told my physicians as I have managed to get by without doing so. I recently had to have a MRI of my brain and it was discovered that I have bleeds in my brain. Might this be a resulting factor of the lupus? The overlap factors of the auto accident and the lupus are often indistinguishable. Thank you for the information on this site.
TNF inhibitors and lupus
I have been diagnosed with RA and AS. Three years ago I was prescribed Enbrel. I had to discontinue the drug after 3 months due to elevation of liver enzymes. Within a few months I developed a “red face,” not a rash but bright redness on my cheeks and bridge of my nose. My doctor said it was probably vasculitis due to RA, but my new doctor is suggesting I should be evaluated for Lupus. Can Enbrel trigger lupus?
