Other Autoimmune Conditions

[cavansmom]

I had allergies and asthma as a kid.  I haven't had an asthma attach since about 1992, but still have some milder allergies.  I did develop (after my RA diagnosis) a severe allergic reaction to MSG, which can involve trips to the ER (yuck!)

I hope you all are healthy, but wonder especially if there are other autoimmune diseases that you deal with.  Drop a line!

Lori (CavansMom)

[juliez]

An MSG allergy must be hard!  I noticed it is in such weird place (doritos light) and other snacks!
I have Crohn's and actually got drug induced lupus from Remicade.  My dr thinks it has mostlikely cleared up now, but my breathing has never been the same since.


This is a very interesting topic.  I would like to talk to the others that also checked off Crohn's disease.  I was very healthy as a child (other than chronic strep throat & lots of antibiotics).  3 other kids in my school got Crohn's the same year I did.  I lived in NJ at the time.  Maybe it is coincidental, but maybe not.

[cavansmom]

Hey Julie,

My grandmother had crohn's.  She was supposedly born with it, and they didn't expect her to make it to her first birthday.  Of course they didn't know it was crohn's until many years later.  She had a difficult life and always seemed to get blockages a day or two after a big holiday.  She lived to be 90 though!

I never heard of drug induced lupus.  Before I got my RA diagnosis, they were testing me every other month for RA and lupus.  They thought I had lupus as I had more signs of that (the face mask and such), but that all cleared out eventually.  Very strange I thought.  How does Remicaide cause lupus?  And interesting about the other kids getting crohn's.  My grandma (and I0 grew up in PA, not far from NJ)  Very interesting!

Take care!

Lori

[juliez]

HI Lori

I guess no one should move to NJ!  Your grandma is amazing to live until 90 with a bad case of Crohn's from birth.  So far mine has been under quite good control ever since the second bad flare.  (NO surgeries)  The worst side effect of it is RA (if you could classify that as a side effect!)

   
Apparently I was on waaaaaaaaay too much Remicade (I am convinced my GI dr. works for the drug company) and the never did any blood tests while I was on it (which I didn't know was odd at the time.  My rheumy could not believe this had occurred).  I am not good with the biology of it but my Anti-tna(or TNF?) blood test was 1:2500 which is supposedly crazy out of normal range.  That is caused by Remicade and indicates Lupus.  I had all the symptoms of Lupus (skin problems, inflamed lungs, and heart arythmias).  There were other blood tests which I just don't remember that indicated it.  After being off Remicade for appx. a year, the symptoms passed and I no longer test positive for Lupus.


Julie

[cavansmom]

Wow!  What a story!  I'm glad it was reversable.  I've known a few people (one I work with) who have had bad reactions to Remicaide.  My rheumy said if I still wanted an anti-tnf drug and change from Enbrel, he'd rather I go on Humira.  I'm not real clear why.  He did say something about it being safer for pregnancy than Remicaide.

Lori

[mlichtenfeld]

Wow, that is crazy that Remicade could cause so much damage. That really sucks what your doctor was doing. Sorry you had to go through all that. I realize now so many things my doctors have done wrong in the past. It is hard how much we have to be in charge of our care in order to make sure we are treated right...

I have Fibro, which I think caused me to have Legg Perthes (Lori, I couldn't check more than one option on your survey). I also was diagnosed with RA in '04, 1 year after my daughter was born. I had elevated ANA, which I have not had since then. Also, I haven't had bad RA flares like I did then. I also have chronic fatigue. Although it is listed as a separate disease a lot of the time, I and many others believe that it is part of Fibromyalgia. I'm not sure, though, if you can have it and not have Fibro...

Miriam

[cavansmom]

Ok Ladies,

I really really would love some more insight on this topic of other auto-immune disorders.  Did you hear there is a much higher risk of autism in children of women who have RA?  That scare me a lot!

I have to tell you.... I now have RA, Grave's Disease, asthma, allergies, and my stomach has been doing some crazy things that are scaring me.  My grandmother had Crohn's Disease.  Do autoimmune diseases run in your family?  I want to hear more!!!  Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[irish]

Hi Lori

I now have Behcets disease, psoriatic arthritis, secondary syorgen's disease as well as irritable bowel syndrome and i have had pericarditis.  on my dads side there is thyroid disease, diabetes, lupus and behcets disease.  my mum's side there is ankylosing sponditlits.  my brother and me both have psoriatic arthritis and behects disease.  oh and i also have hayfever.

Denise

[cavansmom]

Wow, that's a lot Denise.  I have allergies on both sides of the family, my great grandmother had RA, and my grandmother had Crohn's.  Low thyorid is huge in my family (dad, grandma, uncle, brother), but I'm not sure if that type of thyroid problem is autoimmune or not.  Assuming it's not, neither my brother nor my parents have had any immune system stuff.  Why did I get it all?

I'm heading off to the gastrointerologist (sp?) in a few minutes.  Nasty story, but I stopped pooping!  How weird is that?  And when I say I stopped.... they gave me the nasty 4 liters of colonoscopy stuff you drink before getting scoped, and I only pooped out water (I only got through about 1/3rd of the stuff before I started getting shakes and chills).  Did major enemas and just water came out.  Here's the other weird thing.  When I was on a liquid diet and had cleared my system out (as much as what would come, which wasn't much), my RA pretty much vanished.  No meds for a week or longer on some.... and NO symptoms.  As soon as I started eating solid food again, it came back.  I think I'm just weird.  I hope there's nothing seriously wrong with me.  My primary care doctor seems to think I dehydrated myself by drinking green tea (apparently, it makes you flush water out of your system).

Anyway, gotta go (or at least I hope I go!)

Lori

[cavansmom]

Well, I got potentially bad news.  Because I am the queen of autoimmune disorders, I may add another to the list.  The gastroenterologist examined me and thinks that Crohn's disease is very possible.  Nothing is certain yet.  I have to go for a CT scan and a colonoscopy.  More when I know it.

Hope everybody is well.

Lori

[irish]

Oh Lori - it just keeps coming!   you get to the point where you think you can't add anything further to the list and then wham!  maybe it is just a temporary thing with the diet and all.  my brother went on the liquid diet and got a uti and then had reactive arthritis and was in hospital for a week - hes the one that is healthy!  i think it triggered some autoimmune response in him and maybe thats what the diest has done with you although this time not with your RA but your bowel.  let me know how you get on with your CT, etc  -you must be so uncomfortable and in pain you poor thing.

Denise

[cavansmom]

Thanks, Denise!  CT scan on Thursday and colonoscopy on the 16th.  Wish me luck!  Wish me poo!!!

Lori