Melvin Franklin

Posted on by Grayson

You might not know his name, but you’ve no doubt found yourself jamming along to some of his songs. Melvin was the bass in the hit Motown group The Temptations.

I couldn’t find a lot about his battle with arthritis, so this paragraph from his wiki page will have to do:

In the late 1960s, Franklin was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, the symptoms of which combated with cortisone so that he could continue performing. The constant use of cortisone left his immune system open to other infections and health problems; as a result Franklin developed diabetes in the early 1980s and later contracted necrotizing fasciitis. In 1978 he was shot in the hand and in the leg while trying to stop a man from stealing his car. On February 17th, 1995, Franklin lapsed into a coma and died six days later on February 23 of a brain seizure, at the age of 52. He is survived by his wife, Kimberly English, and his four children: David Jr., Davette, Felicia, and Niqous. Franklin is entombed in an outdoor crypt at Forest Lawn – Hollywood hill Cemetery.

He was in a wheelchair at one point as well. The article above doesn’t seem completely accurate, as most people don’t have side effects from cortisone injections. Most likely, the immune system problems related to arthritis were more of a culprit in Franklin’s health than medicines used to treat it. Whatever the case may be, Melvin’s privacy about his condition can definitely be understood.

Gabi Rojas

Posted on by Grayson

You might be saying who? Gabi Rojas was featured on So You Think You Can Dance earlier this year.

(For the record, my dream was always to become a ballerina. The chronic nature of my arthritis along with the fact that I’m very uncoordinated has squashed that dream, but I still love to dance)

At the age of 12, Gabi’s mother noticed that her index finger was pretty swollen. As more swelling appeared, a doctor’s visit and tests revealed that Gabi had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Because of the pain, she often used a wheelchair at school and had to stop dancing. Like many diagnosed with JRA, she had many sleepless nights and tried anything she could to ease the pain. Finally, the doctors found the right mix of medicines for her and Gabi was able to begin dancing again.
She wasn’t picked to go any farther than her audition on SYTYCD, but that hasn’t stopped her dancing career. She has joined a dance company and continues to work on her movement. She is definitely someone to look up to.

“When I dance I can feel my spirit being lifted,” she says. “When I dance I’m reminded about breath because when that point of ultimate exertion arrives I have no choice but to take in more breath to keep going,” she says. “It’s at that moment I remember my breathing hard isn’t just a moment of recovery but a beautiful reminder that I’m alive, I’m present and I’m me.”

More information can be found at Arthritis Today.

Famous People With Arthritis: Sandy Koufax

Posted on by Grayson

I wanted to start featuring stories about famous people with arthritis and how they’ve dealt with the change in their lives. Normally I will try to focus on people with Still’s Disease or the like, but it’s always fun to start out with the sports stars.

Sandy Koufax was one of the best pitchers of all time, of all time! But seriously, when you reduce the list to left-handed pitchers, he tops them all. Sadly, his career only lasted six seasons because of his debilitating arthritis.
The end of his career began with his 17th win during the 1964 season. The Dodgers beat the Braves 5-4 in August, thanks to Koufax. Not only did he pitch a complete game, but he scored the run that started the winning rally in the fifth inning. When he tried to avoid a pickoff throw at second base, Koufax jammed his pitching arm. After he won his 19th game, Koufax’s pitching arm was so swollen that he couldn’t straighten it. Clearly, this wasn’t good.
Koufax was diagnosed with traumatic arthritis, which is caused by repetitive movement. They pulled him from the remaining games in the ’64 season so that he could rest what had become a very valuable arm. He returned to the team during spring training in ’65. After Koufax pitched a complete game during training, he woke up to a black and swollen elbow. He was told to take it easy, prescribed drugs to help with the swelling and pain, and heavily used buckets of ice as well as different balms. The ’66 season would prove to be his last. Sandy Koufax retired at the age of 30.
Most of the information was found at Sports Illustrated.

Not Necessarily Still’s Related

Posted on by Grayson

People who have compromised immune systems tend to have more than one auto-immune disorder. Allergies are usually a big part of the situation too. This makes sense when you examine what an allergy is.

If you’re allergic to something, your body tries to fight it off. A ‘normal’ person might not have this same reaction to, say, coconuts. So someone with an allergy would then try to avoid coconuts right? Well, what happens if you’re allergic to cold medicine? I tried not to take any cold medicine, except that I was getting progressively sicker. Finally, I gave in and started taking some Tussin. Unfortunately, the allergic reaction that my body is having seems to be making me sicker than I was in the first place.
For the record, this sucks. I have been sick since December 16th-ish. Thought I was getting better until I left the apartment and came to work today. I’ve been debating off and on trying to go to the doctor. I think maybe this next week will finally be the deciding factor on that.

Knee

Posted on by Grayson
So I was talking about the pimply nodules that can appear on the knee in a recent post, and it just so happens that I have one right now on my left knee.
It might look like just a pimple, but it is not. It is one of the most painful things about Still’s Disease. You want to pop it, because anytime anything touches it, it feels like a knife into your kneecap. This also makes you want to just stay away from it. Unfortunately, these can last for quite a while. While you probably shouldn’t pop it, it is best to do so after icing the nodule and using a sterilized needle in addition to your classic pimple-picking skills.
It has snowed all day today here in Southeastern Wisconsin. With all that moisture, one would probably expect to experience a lot of pain. I am achy all over, but that could because of the bronchitis stuff that I am just starting to shake.
Also, if you’re looking for a good indicator of the relationship between weather and arthritis in your town, check out Accuweather‘s arthritis index.

Delicious

Posted on by Grayson

I wanted to expand more on the dietary stuff surrounding Still’s Disease.

The site that I put up a while ago talked about diets for those with chronic pain ailments, including arthritis. The ten things they list are:
  • Thou shalt have no foods but fresh
  • Thou shalt not become a caffeine addict
  • Thou shalt not treat all vegetables equally
  • Remember omega-3s, and consume them liberally
  • Honor thy yeast, and use it sparingly
  • Thou shalt not eat too much dairy
  • Thou shalt not commit carb overload
  • Thou shalt go easy on aspartame
  • Thou shalt not bear a diet with additives
  • Thou shalt not covet thy coworkers junk food
Obviously, this is not an easy diet to maintain, especially if you are a college student. Heck, I’d love to eat Taco Bell and drink Mountain Dew everyday for the rest of my life at this point. I had mentioned in an earlier post that the only “commandment” here that I really follow is the one regarding aspartame, which I’m allergic to. For more on the main ingredient I’m allergic to, go to my other blog.
Eating anti-oxidants are good for the body, so fruits like apples and strawberries as well as green tea are good things to keep around. Vitamin E, calcium, and proteins are also essential to get in your diet.

What’s the Worst (Continued)

Posted on by Grayson
In my post yesterday, I mentioned the problems that can occur in the eyes of people afflicted with Still’s Disease. If you were looking for more information on the subject, I found a very interesting and detailed article.
Also, this is a good article on different treatments for Still’s Disease, including diet alterations, alternative therapies, and knowing your limits. Some of the information on other pages of this site is not correct, however, so don’t believe everything you read.
There were a few conditions that I forgot to list yesterday.
Swollen lymph nodes can be very painful. These nodes are stations in your body that help to clean the lymphatic system. Still’s Disease uses this network to travel all throughout the body, so it is very common to have swollen lymph nodes when one is experiencing a flare up. Here is a map of the lymph nodes.
These areas can become inflamed whenever someone is ill. Most often this occurs when something is wrong in the general vicinity of the node – a sore throat will bring swelling to the cervical nodes, for example. If the nodes stay swollen for too long (2 weeks the site above says), or if they become hard, you should go to the doctor. However, it is normal for someone experiencing a long flare up to have nodes swollen for a longer period of time. You cannot always believe what you are reading regarding your body, because most articles are not arthritis-specific.
Nodules can also form. If you’ve ever experienced these, you know that they are extremely painful. A nodule is a collection of tissue in a ball- or knob-like form underneath the skin, generally in more bony areas. These can limit the ability to move, especially if grown near a joint. There can be other complications, including ulceration, neuropathy, and infection. While surgery can be performed, it really doesn’t do any good since the nodules can just grow back. Steroids can also be used as treatment. This picture is a little hard to see, but you can definitely make out the extra bumps on Angela’s hands. I tend to get them in the knee area, where they also can develop on top of the skin. This results in a pimple- and then scab-like substance, which can be picked, though it can be extremely painful.
There is also deformity to worry about. My fingers have already begun to turn and, on occasion, lock up.
My pinky fingers are curved. Both index fingers are, in the top knuckles, turning towards the middle fingers. My fingers are always swollen, but today seems to be a better day than I have had lately.
There are also emotional problems associated with the disease. Concern and fear of how the arthritis is affecting you is always a big problem. It is easy to become angry and frustrated with the fact that there are ‘able-bodied’ people who can do whatever they want whenever they want and who, very often, take that ability for granted. One can feel utterly helpless. Traditional medicines for Still’s Disease can be very dangerous to the rest of your body and there is no cure. Sometimes it seems futile to even try. Sometimes it seems like no one else understands you or cares that you are going through this. There are even times when you think that the people around you don’t believe that there is really anything wrong with you and just think you are a lazy bum. Isolation and depression are constant factors as well.
If you have a good support system, these feelings can be lessened, but still pop up from time to time.

What’s the Worst That Can Happen?

Posted on by Grayson

Being diagnosed with any disease can be scary. There are some that are obviously more notorious for their effects on a person – cancer, HIV/AIDS, etc. I’m not going to try and downplay any of the pain and suffering that people afflicted with those ailments experience.

Still’s Disease does not get a lot of attention. It is not a disease that can outright kill you or immediately change your life overnight (in most cases). There are, however, some very scary things associated with it.
Hepatic (or liver) Disease
The liver is an essential part of your body, one you cannot live without in some way. It cleans and filters the toxins out of your body as well as creates proteins and aiding in digestion (creating bile). There are a number of other tasks that this integral organ performs, but they are too many to list here. All in all, it is a fascinating organ.
The term ‘liver disease’ covers a number of different problems that can affect the liver – hepatitis, cancer, cirrhosis, and more. It is not quite clear what falls under this term when discussing Still’s Disease, but medicines taken for pain are also known to cause problems with the liver. It is important to try and take as little (over-the-counter) medication as possible in order to save your liver from serious problems later on. I will be the first to admit, however, that this is a very hard thing to keep in mind when one is in pain. In the past few months, I have tried to chronicle when I know I am taking too much medication somewhere, just in case. If you are someone with this same problem, it is not a bad idea to follow suit.
Splenomegaly (Spleen Enlargement)
When one looks at the other possible causes, it is easy to see why Still’s Disease would be included on that list. While this seems to be a painful problem, treatment involves treating the cause of this symptom and not the symptom itself. If the spleen cannot be saved, it can be removed. However, because of the spleen’s function regarding the immune system, this can cause problems down the road.
Pericarditis
The pericardium is the name of the sac that contains the heart. This is mainly exhibited as chest pain, but can also be misdiagnosed as a heart attack. If this is not treated quickly, the problem can lead to congestive heart failure. Generally, steroids and antibiotics are used to treat this malady, but it can also require other medicines and surgery.
Pleuritis
The pleural cavity is the one surrounding the lungs. If you’ve ever had the feeling that you breathed in too deep and caused pain in your chest, this could be the culprit. Coughing, shortness of breath, and rapid breathing (as well as turning a nice shade of blue) are the main symptoms of this problem. Normally, over-the-counter medicines are used as treatment, but doctors can also remove any fluid on the lungs and give a patient steroids if they need to. If the condition isn’t treated, other respiratory problems can occur. And I wonder why I have bronchitis…
Other problems:
  • The swelling of the kidneys and other related problems
  • Endocarditis, or the inflammation of the inner layer of the heart
  • Atherosclerosis (more prone)
  • Increased tear production (generally happens one eye at a time)
  • Inflammation of the outer white part of the eye (scleritis) can cause blindness; so can uveitis, the inflammation of the middle layers of the eye (I had this as a youngster, misdiagnosed as pink eye because the rash was present on my eyeball)
  • Anemia. Yes, we’ve talked about it before and it doesn’t seem to be a huge problem. However, behavioral problems in young people can be explained by this disease. It can also affect the heart and tolerance to cold. Living in Wisconsin with anemia sucks.
  • Damage to the nerves and nervous system (peripheral neuropathy and mononeuritis multiplex)
  • Atlantoaxial subluxation, or basically a fracture or other problem involving the first few vertebrae in the neck
  • The above two problems can also lead to quadriplegia
  • Osteoporosis (more prone)
  • Lymphoma (more prone)
  • And the piece de resistance, swelling of the brain. This can lead to dementia as well as, oh, death. Yeah, nice right?
So now you know a little more about the problems facing people with Still’s Disease. There isn’t just a fear of ending up in a wheelchair or being unable to move one’s fingers normally. As one can imagine, staring all these issues in the face every day is not pretty or fun. Even if someone can come to terms with the fact that these things are a possibility, trying to explain all of the above to people you care about can be pretty scary.

Chronic Pain and You

Posted on by Grayson
So, I’m finally free from the hardcore arthritis pain that I was experiencing. After my last post, I ended up getting a hugely swollen upper lip while my boyfriend and I were shopping in Madison. Talk about a mood killer.
Sorry about the crappy quality. Taking pictures in a Red Robin with the camera phone is a little awkward.
Speaking of boyfriends… Could your chronic pain condition be affecting your relationships? That is, of course, a trick question. The majority of people do have a problem, at least from time to time, feeling supported or knowing how to handle pain together. Sara Nash, of The Single Gal’s Guide to Rheumatoid Arthritis, discusses the dangers of dating with RA.
There is also the question of the role of diet in chronic pain conditions. Want to know more? Just click here. I can tell you though that the only rule I follow is the one on aspartame, but that could just be because I’m allergic to it. I do try to stay away from a lot of additives and, when it’s plausible, I do try to eat more organic foods.

Another Day, More Rash

Posted on by Grayson
Here are some more pictures of rash:
This is my right knee as of this morning. You can see now the pimply nature I was trying to discuss yesterday.
This is just above my left knee. The rash that was on my knee has spread upwards again. It seems as though this spot is gaining in size as the morning goes on.
Oddly enough, rash does tend to show up in such odd places as lips and in the mouth. Here you can see my lower lip is swollen to almost twice its normal size and is dark red compared to the upper lip. Last night, the rash began on the underside of my chin and on the backside of my left hip.
I do have another large spot on my left thumb joint, but my cell phone fails to see the importance of uploading the picture. As long as I have the rash this bad and I get them up, expect to see more pictures.