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What's New?

Question of the Week:
How do you cope with having to say "NO" when you don't feel up to going somewhere or doing something because of arthritis symptoms or medication side effects?
community/question  

Disease Index
Fingers blue? Might wanna read Raynaud's phenomenon.
Feel like learnin'? Go read about Behçets disease.
medical/disease  

Advice for Better Living
I have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in April of this year. It all started with a bad fall. The doctor said it wasn't the fall, that it would have occurred at sometime. I was prescribed a fairly new drug called VIOXX. I also took quinnies, or the pharmacy sells as quinine. It helped the restless legs but did nothing for the pain in the hips and legs. The drug also killed my immune system. I began getting spots all over my body and tiny blood spots and a lot of bruising. I notified the doctor who in turn sent me directly to emergency hospital where I was given a solution intravenously called ICIG. They the doctors did a history on me and had never had anyone have such a reverse reaction to the drug. That was in April 2001. I was taken off any pain medication or anti-inflammatory drugs. I am in terrible pain in my lower back and I can only walk for a short period of time.
I was wondering if anyone knows anything about acupuncture? I am at a loss.
living/advice  

Gardening
More beautiful photos
And tips too!
living/gardening/  

Photo Album
A new baby and a wedding!
community/photo/  

Member Stories
Panda updates the Pain Clinic Journal and Theresa begins a Lupus Journal.
community/stories/  

For Our Friends & Family
Tracey tells us that loving someone with arthritis isn't always a bed of roses!
living/family/  

Members CAN
Karen CAN write! Check out her poems.
community/can/   

What do you want to see on Arthritis Insight or in the Newsletter? Let us know and we'll do our best to accommodate!

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Arthritis Insight Chat community/chat

Mark your calendars! Two great chats coming up:

August 6th: Dr. Thomas Lee, author of Conquering Rheumatoid Arthritis : The Latest Breakthroughs and Treatments will join us. Dr. Lee, who has rheumatoid arthritis, will talk about the latest treatments and what the future holds.

August 20th: Karen Choate, a legal aid lawyer with RA, will discuss disability insurance, family law and answer our questions.

For the complete schedule see:
community/chat/schedule.html

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Cooking with Char
Char LeFleur
Char@arthritisinsight.com

Hello everyone!  Well, we had a brief cool down here in Iowa, but the heat and humidity are back with a vengeance.  Monday we had heat indices in the 110 degree range.

So for the time being we are going to concentrate on things you can make on the grill or that require little or no cooking.

We have lots of fresh produce available right now.  The tomatoes are ripening in the home gardens and the zucchini are coming on strong.  And the sweet corn is bursting with sweetness.  Plus there are fabulous fruits available in the grocery stores.  Cantaloupe, bing cherries, watermelon, honeydews!  With all of the bounty that is available, you dont have to cook, or need to do very little, if you dont want to.

Fried Zucchini

Slice zucchini in about 1/4 inch slices.  Put into water.
Heat your skillet to a medium high temperature, 300 to 350 on an electric skillet, with a very small amount of cooking oil in the bottom.  (Just enough to cover the bottom.)
Remove zucchini slices from water
Dip in flour
Cook in skillet until tender and golden brown.
Salt lightly and serve.

A bit more cooking than I like to do in this weather, but the taste is worth the heat.

Southwestern Grilled Chicken

1 cup  Picante Sauce
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic, minced
4 boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp. chili powder
6 cups salad greens torn in bite-size pieces
1 can (about 16 oz.) black beans, drained
2 medium oranges, peeled and sliced
2 green onions, sliced


MIX picante sauce, 2 tbsp. oil, lime juice and garlic.
SEASON chicken with chili powder. Brush with remaining oil.
GRILL chicken 15 min. or until done, turning once. Slice chicken into strips.
PLACE salad greens on 4 plates. Top with chicken, beans and oranges. Sprinkle with onions and pour picante sauce mixture over all. Serves 4.

This recipe is from Dale.  Dale you are eligible to receive a "Cooking With Char" mini-cookbook, as soon as I get my printer problems taken care of.

Zucchini Spread

3 cups zucchini shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
4 Tbsp. fresh cilantro chopped
8 oz. cream cheese softened
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend well. Chill
for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with crackers, bread
rounds or fresh vegetables. This time of year zucchini are in
abundance and it is nice to have lots of recipes that use this
versatile veggie. This dip is very tasty and can also be spread
on thin slices of French bread and served on individual plates.

If you have questions or suggestion about this column or you have recipes you would like to share, send them to Char@arthritisinsight.com.

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Arthritis Warriors!

warrior/ 
JULY ARTHRITIS WARRIOR:

Sue Kurak aka Swimmer
Judges:
Char, Tracy, Ron, Donna, Case and Gayle.

Sue, your nominator had this to say:

Did you ever feel lucky just to know someone? That's how I feel about Sue.

She is truly the most positive person I know. When she is in pain there is always a smile on her face, a kind word for anyone, and she's willing to help where ever she can.

Now I'm not saying she's pollyanna either. When Sue doesn't want help...wild horses couldn't get her to take it.

If there is truly a description of an Arthritis Warrior here it is...Sue had ankle fusion surgery on a Wednesday morning...she called me that afternoon to tell me that she was ok...listened to me talk about my infertility woes...and comforted me.

I'm hoping that someday I can be as strong a person as she is!!! She is Arthritis Warrior Material!!!

And another nominator said this about Sue:

I can think of quite a few people who are arthritis warriors, but only a couple who always come to mind when I think of people who have persevered for many years with arthritis and still have a sunny outlook on life. I wanted to nominate someone because there are so many people here who I admire and respect. I couldn't let a chance to honor someone.

I don't know Sue as well as some of the other AI members know her, but from chatting with her, reading her postings and spending time with her at the gimpfests, it's obvious that she rises above the limitations of RA. Anyone who can suffer with RA for 20 some years and still have a positive attitude is an arthritis warrior! Sue always has a smile and words of encouragement for everyone. I admire her for keeping up with 2 little ones and for her positive attitude that RA is really not that bad. And what amazes me is that she doesn't seem to have to remind herself that having RA isn't the end of your life...I still have to remind myself and think of people who are worse off in order to keep my spirits up. I think that's the difference between someone being a true warrior and someone who's still trying to decide which battle to fight. Sue fights the real battle...to not let the RA get her down emotionally. I fight everything! LOL
Sue deserves to be named an Arthritis Insight Warrior!

And our judges said:

I have never seen a more heroic person in the face of severe activity limiting arthritis.  Even though The arthritis has robbed her of her ability to pursue her passion of swimming competitively, she has accepted this and has gone on to find other things to fill her time.  Sue has never met an arthritis symptom she couldn't lick.  She is stoic and yet a realist.  The perfect example of what a warrior should be.

Making this choice is really tough.  I know most of the people on this list.  And admire them all.
And looking at the list, and reading each entry, I want to name them all Arthritis Warrior.
But my final choice has to be Swimmer (Sue).  With her indomitable will and her amazingly cheerful outlook on life, she is truly an Arthritis Warrior.  You can tell by the way she walks and moves her body, that she has to be experiencing intense pain, but she has this wonderful smile on her face, that says "I am glad to be alive."  And that feeling can be contagious.  When you are around her, you are glad to be alive too.
She is an amazing lady.  Fight on Arthritis Warrior!

Sue will receive (another) 'Gimpfest 2001' T-shirt and a special gift from Debi and the wonderful staff at Needabasket.com.

http://jraworld.arthritisinsight.com/warrior/ 
And the winner is......

JULY JUNIOR ARTHRITIS WARRIOR:
Ashli Anderson!
Ashli, your nominator had this to say:
Ashli is 9 years old and was diagnosed with JRA 3 years ago. Her arthritis is mainly in both knees, ankles and feet. As many of our children has, she's struggled through many doctor appointments, tests, medication changes and disappointments. Ashli also has baker's cysts on the back of both knees and the possibility of fibromylogia. This past 3 months have been extremely trying on Ashli. At the end of April, she broke her left hand while trying to roller blade for the first time (Celebrex working well and doctor said she could try it). Her hand was splinted for 3 weeks. She got the splint off and was just started to play at recess again, take gym and begin softball when she fell playing and broke her right pinky finger. This time she needed a cast (in May) and couldn't play softball or begin her yearly swim classes. In June her cast came off and we went to Houston for the AJAO Conference. Two days after the conference Ashli came down with 104 fever that stayed for the week we !
were there. Many Houston doctor visits, tests and medications later and the diagnosis was ear infection, strep and possibly mono. Came home to Ohio, started to feel better, got permission to try picking up her softball, but had to quit swimming due to her ear infection. Three weeks later and Ashli started having these "episodes" of loud, painful noices in head creating unbearable headache pain followed by dizziness and drowsiness that last about 1/2 hour. Had to take her to a pediatric neurologist and they are thinking a rare form of migraine "Basilar Artery Migraine" or some form of seizures or a problem with her arteries/veins in her neck/brain (which some people with rheumatic diseases can get). She is now scheduled to have a MRI, MRA and a sleep deprived EEG. Through all of this when the doctor asked Ashli yesterday how her summer was going, instead of complaining, she said, "GREAT! I'm taking drawing and pottery classes, I got to go to JRA conference and made a new best f!
riend in Florida, I went to West Virginia to see family and I get to play in my sprinkler!" I was so proud and so thankful and started to cry because she is, like all of our children with this disease, a Junior Warrior!

Our judges said:
And for Jr. Arthritis Warrior, my choice is Ashli Anderson.  This little one, despite her trials and tribulations, injuries and flares, says that her summer is "Great!" because of the things she CAN do.
Little one, you amaze me.  You are an Arthritis Warrior.

After reading the JR RA stories (and wiping away the tears), I wanted to close my eyes to pick one. It would have been much easier.  I finally decided that Ashli Anderson's attitude about all her problems made her deserving of the JRA award for "/warriorof the Month" For a little girl to say she had a wonderful summer after all that had befallen her, gives her my vote.

For your Jr. Warrior, I am going to go with Ashli Anderson.  My choice is mainly because the poor kid has had such a hard three or four months and she's probably not even been through the worst of it with all the "wonderful" tests that she now has to undergo.  She sounds like such a fighter and at the same time a sweetie pie!  She seems like a kid with a lot of courage and I'm sure she's an asset to the JRA World. 

Ashli will be receiving a $25 US Savings Bond and 50 assorted sports cards. Keep on battlin' Ashli!


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Notes and Insights:

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Penny-Sue, Alice, Cathy-Cow, Carol DelCorso aka Del, Katrina Wall and Carolanne!! Check out all the birthdays at community/birthday and make sure to send them an arthritis-friendly e-card: cgi-bin/postcards/postcard.pl 

Wanna help?
Having surgery? Starting a new drug or treatment? Filing for disability? Keep an Arthritis Insight journal so all of our members can share and learn from your experience. If you want to keep a journal just let us know. Write an article! We always need articles on all subjects relating to arthritis.
C'mon folks, we can't do this without you.

Donate! Arthritis Insight will always be free for anyone to use, we will never charge any fees. We try very hard to keep our operating costs as low as possible, but running a website as large as Arthritis Insight can be expensive. To date we've relied on our few sponsors for support and have paid for many of the expenses out of our own pockets. No one on our staff currently receives a paycheck for their hard work and dedication. Although you are not obligated in any way, if you are financially able to help support Arthritis Insight, it would be greatly appreciated. In exchange for your donation you'll receive some thank you gifts, a tax deduction and the satisfaction of knowing you are partly responsible for the entire Arthritis Insight Community.
about/donate.html 

Ken Akers Cheer Fund
Donations to the Ken Akers Cheer Fund will be used to send flowers and gifts to those community members who are hospitalized, flaring or just in need of some good cheer.
community/kenscheerfund

Arthritis Insight Wish List
We realize that many of you are unable to contribute financially to Arthritis Insight. But we need more than money. Please check out our wish list and see if you can help. http://arthrit</font><font face="Verdana">isinsight.com/wishlist.html

Thank You!
A great big thank you to our "Diamond Level" Corporate Benefactor, allaboutarthritis.com. Please stop by their site and say hello! http://allaboutarthritis.com

And a huge thank you to Waynette Porter for her generous donation!!

And another big thank you to NeedaBasket.com (http://needabasket.com). NeedaBasket is now Arthritis Insight's official gift basket company. They are giving us a great discount and donating baskets for our Arthritis Warriors. Stop by and tell them thanks for the support!

Special Offers for Arthritis Insight Members
Whenever possible we will try get to our sponsors to agree to discounts and the like for our members. Here are our current special offers: Sore No More gel (http://sorenomore.com)will send a free sample of the pain relieving gel to any Arthritis Insight Community Member who emails them at dma@glogerm.com

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The AI Help Desk
Linda Peck

COMPUTERS 101:
Q:  I sometimes get a message in my e-mail with a little red exclamation mark next to it. What does that mean?

A:  When you see a red exclamation mark or another similar flag, it means the person who sent the e-mail tagged it as being high priority. That's all.

Usually if you see this it's because the sender feels the e-mail being sent is very important, but that doesn't prevent the high priority tag from being overused and misused.
Oh, another type of priority is low priority (usually a down arrow).

Yes, you can actually tag an e-mail as being kind of unimportant if you like. Nope, doesn't make much sense to me either. I mean, why send the message if it's not at least of average importance?
As for setting your e-mail priority, that's easy. Most e-mail programs have a priority button of some sort on their compose e-mail screen.

If you want to try it with Outlook Express, just start a new message and hit the Priority button. It will automatically set the message as high priority. If you want to set another priority, hit the button until the priority you're looking for comes up.

If you would rather work with a menu or maybe don't have a priority button on your toolbar, hit the Message menu, Set Priority. You'll get a sub menu that you can set the message priority from.

Again, the instructions above are for Outlook Express, but most e-mail programs work in a similar fashion.

Q:  What's the difference between Save and Save As?

A:  I get this one ALL the time, so here you go:
When you use the Save command, you save your work under its current file name. If you've never saved whatever it is you're working on before,then you'll get an opportunity to name it.
When you use Save As, you get a chance to save what you're working on as a new file.

Here's an example. Let's say you're working on a word processing document. It's a new document and you decide to save it. A box comes up that lets you give it a name. Now, let's say you add something to it. If you use the Save command again, it simply saves it with no questions asked under the existing file name.
OK, now let's say you make a modification to the file, but you want to keep the original version as well. This is where you use Save As. When you use the Save As command, it allows you to save your current file as a new file with a new name. Now when you go to open your files, you'll find you have both the original version and the new, Saved As version.

TIP OF THE WEEK:

EZ Printing
Need to print a recently used document? Don't waste time opening up the application you created it in, I've got a faster way.
Click the Start button, Documents. Right-click the document you want and select "Print" from the resulting menu. The document's application will run, open the document, then print it for you. All automatically.

If you don't see the document you want to print listed in the Documents menu, click the little My Documents folder you see at the very top of the Documents list (assuming the document you want to print is located in the My Documents folder). Then you can follow the steps above for right-click printing.

Source: Computer Tips & Techniques - http://www.worldstart.com  - Copyright 2001, Worldstart - Reprinted with permission.

THIS WEEK'S LINKS:
Loads of inspirational, romantic and humorous links - all at one site -  http://www.geocities.com/babybird2rd/BBRDLINKS2.HTML

Recipes from your favorite restaurants - http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/ 

Expert Advice On Improving Your Home  - http://www.todayshomeowner.com/ 

P.C. SMILES:
http://www.lablaughs.com/gtoons.cgi?20010606-buffg 

Your computer's "hidden" settings: 
http://dailymegajoke..com/toons.php?00030275   

"We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere."  --- Tim McGraw

linda@arthritisinsight.com
Help Desk Archives: living/help/index.html

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Weekly News Summary
Karen Sears
kaekae@arthritisinsight.com

Calcitonin May Help In Treating Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Intranasal salmon calcitonin shows some beneficial effects on bone resorption and pain relief in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
Dr A Challa, Child Health Department, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Greece, followed the changes in bone mineral density and biochemical markers of bone metabolism in 10 children with severe juvenile idopathic arthritis aged 7.5-17.5 years . The patients received three years of therapy with salmon calcitonin and calcium. The trial was not a placebo controlled trial. All patients were functional classes III and IV.   
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/
8525697700573E1885256A87005488F0?OpenDocument&id=
48dde4a73e09a969852568880078c249&c=Arthritis%20Other&count=10 

FDA Advisory Committee Recommends Approval of Fortéo for Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women
Eli Lilly and Company announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee unanimously recommended that the FDA approve Fortéo (teriparatide injection, rDNA origin) as a treatment for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.    
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/
news/50D0A55134F736A385256A9900543523?OpenDocument&id=
48dde4a73e09a969852568880078c249&c=Osteoporosis&count=10

Anti-Tumour Necrosis Factor Down-Regulates Inflammatory Cytokine Expression In Rheumatoid Arthritis
A single dose of an anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) antibody produces a clinical improvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and down-regulates certain elements of the inflammatory cytokine network.
Researchers from the Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, treated 39 patients with RA with a single dose of D2E7...
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/
8525697700573E1885256A8E0068F8DC?OpenDocument&id=
48dde4a73e09a969852568880078c249&c=Rheumatoid%20Arthritis&count=10

Adapted Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life Scale Well Received
New versions of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life questionnaire have been well received in Canada and are suitable for inclusion in clinical trials.
The questionnaire was developed in the United Kingdome and the Netherlands to measure quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. According to investigators based at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, it has been successfully adapted for both French and English languages and cultures in Canada.   
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/
news/8525697700573E1885256A8F00635BE3?OpenDocument&id=
48dde4a73e09a969852568880078c249&c=Rheumatoid%20Arthritis&count=10

Snacking, Meal Skipping Can Boost Calorie Intake
Skipping meals may seem like a sure way to cut calories and lose weight, but study findings indicate that it may lead to increased snacking of sugary foods that can pack on the pounds in the long run.   
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010731/hl/calories_1.html

Managed Care's Image Tarnished but Improving: Poll
Americans still have a ``bleak'' impression of the managed care industry, but at least that image has not worsened, according to the results of a new Harris Interactive poll.Results indicate that the backlash against managed care may have run its course and that the industry's image may be perking up slightly.   
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010731/hl/managed_1.html 

Molecular Duo May Be Involved in Immune Disorders
Scientists have uncovered a previously unknown connection between two molecules that may be involved in some forms of artery disease and autoimmune disorders, which cause the immune system to turn against the body's own tissue.    
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010727/hl/molecular_1.html  

HMO Lawsuit Could Represent 50 Million People
A small group of HMO subscribers asked a US judge on Tuesday to certify their fraud claims against the nation's largest managed care companies as a class action that could represent in excess of 50 million people.    
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010727/hl/lawsuit_1.html

Holmium:YAG Laser Effective for Arthroscopic Synovectomy in Some RA Patients WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) Jul 30 - Arthroscopic synovectomy performed with a holmium:YAG laser appears to be effective in treating knees and ankles in the early stage of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a report by Japanese researchers.    
(free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/
prof/2001/07/07.31/20010730clin012.html
   
Small Businesses Warn Patients' Rights Means More Uninsured
Fears of Lawsuits Discussed as Compromise Seems Near
Not all insurance horror stories deal with patients. At a Capitol Hill news conference Tuesday, representatives of the small business community expressed their fears that a patients' bill of rights could force them to increase premium costs for their employees or drop coverage altogether.    
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1728.85219 

New Options for Severe Depression
Drug Used in Europe Now May Help People in the U.S.
For people with severe depression, it's not always easy finding the right antidepressant. They try one prescription after another, as their doctor searches for what works best.    
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1728.84455

FDA Issues New Warnings on Painkiller OxyContin
Doctors Prescribe Drug Too Liberally, Agency Says
The FDA announced Wednesday that it had put its strongest possible warnings on labels of the potent prescription narcotic OxyContin. The agency is concerned about continuing abuse and illegal diversion of the pain drug, which the FDA says has an "addiction potential similar to that of morphine." The changes were made in cooperation with the drug's maker, Purdue Pharma.    
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1728.84954 

Another Study Suggests Inflammation May Trigger Diabetes
Blood Test May Predict Risk for Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is fast becoming one of the major public health problems of the 21st century, with an estimated 15 million Americans already affected and new cases being diagnosed daily. Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are known risk factors for the disease, but now a new study points to another important risk factor. The immune system and inflammation may be factors causing type 2 diabetes, and this information may lead to new approaches for testing and treating this disease. 
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1728.83982 

50 Million Americans to Pay More for Health CareCost of drugs, new technology are driving prices up   
About 50 million Americans insured by health maintenance organizations (HMOs) face premium increases of 16 to 22 percent this year, reports ABC News. Greater demand for expensive health care, costly new technology and higher demand for high-priced prescription drugs are driving the increase, says the report.    
http://healthscout.com/template.asp?page=newsdetail&ap=1&id=500742    

Arthritis Insight Newsletter Copyright 2001

Staff
Page last updated on August 2, 2001