Author Archive
Five Reasons Why Methotrexate Isn’t As Bad As You Think
Saying that my heart sank when my rheumatologist gave me a prescription for Methotrexate doesn’t do the experience justice. My heart didn’t just drop; it fell out of my arse and lay beating right there on the doctor’s floor.
I’m no medical student, but I recognised the drug name as soon as I saw it. Methotrexate [...]
Why are there so many different treatment options for Still’s Disease?
If you have diabetes, your doctor gives you insulin. And if you have asthma, you are prescibed ventolin. Easy, right?
But why are there so many different types of medications that are used to treat Still’s Disease? Why isn’t everybody just on, say, Methotrexate or Plaquenil or Enbrel? Why is there so many treatment options available [...]
Five tips to help loved ones come to terms with Still’s Disease
Still’s Disease will almost certainly have a large impact on your life. There’s no doubt: living day-in, day-out with pain, the loss of your previously good health and battling with medication is not an easy thing to do.
But what about the other people in your life? As people that care deeply for you, your friends [...]
The Taking Charge of Still’s Disease Report
At www.takingchargeofstillsdisease.com you can find a balanced and informative perspective on Still’s Disease and how you can manage the illness without just having to rely on the medications that your doctor prescribes.
If scrolling through websites is not your thing, and you would rather a PDF document that you can view, print out andd distribute, the [...]
How does a doctor respond to Still’s Disease?
Continuing with the case study of Jonathan Zarin, a 26 year old New Yorker recently diagnosed with Still’s Disease, this interview features Dr. Ed Parrish andd looks at the disease itself, how Still’s can manifest itself in different patients and some of the advances in the development of effective treatments.
I love to see how posistive [...]
A case study in Still’s Disease
Have you ever started reading an article or website about Still’s Disease and think: “Is this person even talking about the same thing that I have?!”.
The experiences of Still’s Disease sufferers are certainly not cut from the same cookie-cutter. While Still’s Disease sufferer’s share similar symptoms as one another (rash, joint pain, fever and so [...]
Generic drugs are dangerous and inefffective
Or so many people think.
In actual fact, generic drugs are every bit as good as the more expensive brand name drugs. Here is an extract written for the FDA office of generic drugs discussing generic drugs versus their brand name counterparts:
I am often asked if generic drugs are really as good as their brand-name counterparts. [...]
Is taking Methotrexate the same as starting chemotherapy?
Methotrexate is a drug that forms a part of the DMARD family of medications. While it is generally well tolerated, there are some important things that you need to know before you start taking Methotrexate for Still’s Disease.
Can you communicate with your doctor?
Doctors can be a funny bunch. All too often specialists an come across more as scientists who view your illness as a fascinating problem to be solved rather than caring, empathetic healers. This is not to say that every rheumatologist is to be tarred with the same brush, but regardless of which doctor you see, [...]
The Five Stages of Coming to Terms With Diagnosis
Grief is a process that any one with a chronic illness goes through. This post describes the five stages of grief in relation to an illness like Still’s Disease.
