SWALE, please help...

diesel85

New Member
i sent you a rather lengthy email through your website, didn't know i could post here. hope you dont mind, im going to post it here.

i have recently been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, last thursday actually, even though my blood work was normal (sed rate, rheumatoid factor). however, i have some concerns that this may possibly be a misdiagnosis, so i would like to give you some background info on myself and see what you think, since you are a doctor who knows ALOT about A.S. use.

at the end of November, last year, i ended a 12 week long cycle that consisted of 4 weeks 40mg dbol, and 750mg enanthate/wk with 400mg deca/wk throughout. i didnt have my PCT in hand, so i failed to do the proper post cycle recovery. i did finally get some clomid, but it was about two months or so later, and ran it for about 30 days, along with about 12 Nolva that i had left over (20mg/day). another note, i basically quit working out, and became sedentary (b/c of school and work), and my diet became pretty crappy. i drank alot, and took quite a few NSAIDs, muscle relaxers, and pain killers for my low back pain during the past few months. i started feeling some very weird aches in my legs...i would be laying in bed, and adjust my legs, and they would burn, almost like there was lactic acid buildup, but i hadn't worked out! it moved to my arms/shoulders, but not as bad, until about 4 weeks ago, i began to have tingling/numbing in my left hand, index and thumb. since then, it has progressed to widespread swelling and joint pain/stiffness all over, hands, fingers, wrists, feet, ankles, knees, elbows and shoulders. my xray showed good space between my joints, but lots of soft tissue swelling.

so, my question is this:
do you think that the inflammation i'm experiencing could be due to my body shutting down after my last cycle, and my failure to properly do PCT? i can't find any signs of anyone on either side of my family having this disease. have you ever heard of someone who uses steroids, two or three cycles a year (mild), having this kind of reaction/problem? i know this wasn't a very heavy cycle, but it was for me. usually, i run about 100-150mg prop eod, with 100-150mg eq eod, for about 10 weeks or so, and that's about it. i've always managed to do proper PCT, but this time, i really dropped the ball. and the sudden halt of working out, and eating like crap, and drinking and taking meds...what do you think?

i really appreciate your help. it's hard to find a doctor who truly understands steroids and their use. i hope you can give me some advice. thank you so much for your time.

also, if i do have RA, i read somewhere that they are experimenting with hormone therapy...do you think i could benefit from something like that, to help with symptoms, etc., or have you heard anything on this front?
 
For some people Rheumatoid Arthritis lasts only a few months or a year or two and goes away without causing any noticeable damage. Other people have a moderate disease where they experience flares or periods of worsening Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms that come and go.

Still others have a severe disease that is active most of the time, lasts for many years, and leads to serious joint damage and disability.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms are characterized by morning stiffness that often lasts longer than 2 hours.

Other common Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms may include:

Inflamed joints that are warm, swollen, tender, painful and difficult to move.
A general feeling of being sickness, fever, loss of appetite, fever and lethargy.
Lumps beneath the skin (rheumatoid nodules), often over bony areas exposed to a force of pressure like the elbow.
Anemiaa decrease in the number of red blood cells.
Inflammation of linings that surround the heart (Pericarditis).
Inflammation of linings that surround the lungs (Pleuritis).
Inflammation of lung tissue itself.
 
Thanks dj75. You are quickly making a place for yourslef here with the others who are my unofficial assistants.

Certainly TRT (recovering from a state of hypogonadism) mediates levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. I would expect someone suffering from RA would experience an exacerbation of symptoms while hypogonadal.
 
For the vocabularial challenged, such as myself, this is from medterms.com:

Exacerbation: A worsening. In medicine, exacerbation may refer to an increase in the severity of a disease or its signs and symptoms. For example, exacerbation of asthma is one of the serious effects of air pollution.
 
dj75--thanks, but since being diagnosed, i've researched my butt off, so i'm pretty informed on the disease.

Swale--i was just recently diagnosed, and only showing symptoms for about a month...my question was, do you think these symptoms could be the result of my previous cycle, and my failure to do proper PCT (and therefore, causing a misdiagnosis for RA)?
 
If the joints are a problem.. how about trying MSM??? It has been a God send for me...Although I don't know how it will work for those with RA...... just a thought..
 
I tried MSM a few years ago for sore joints. I thought the affect was nothing short of amazing. I stopped it though cuz it seemed to make me sleepy.
 
Fish Oil has been found as effective as Celebrex

for symptom relief in Rheumatoid Arthritis ..it just took 2 months instead of one to work. It has been mentioned in the context of lipids in other threads and so is an all around beneficial supplement addition.

In addition I found an excellent supplement for joints containing hyaluronic acid, chondroitin, and glucosamine. Its called Kolla2 Immucell..try this site

http://store.yahoo.com/harvesthealth/koim120cako2.html
 
Here is a good one a Dr. told me not to take chondroitin and glucosamine that it will interfere with my TRT. How many of you take this and Testosterone.
Phil
 
as you get older and still "juice" there is no quetstion during your off periods you will experience body pains. you are not alone ask anybody how they feel after 4 weeks off.
 
pmgamer18 said:
Here is a good one a Dr. told me not to take chondroitin and glucosamine that it will interfere with my TRT. How many of you take this and Testosterone.
I don't see ANY biochemical way this could possibly be true. Glucosamine and chondroitin are substances your body already produces. I don't think that doc knows what he's talking about.
 
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