I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis, scoliosis, and a spondylolisthesis about 10 years ago by my family physician. I started using OTC drugs and then it eventually got bad enough that I had to start taking a prescription NSAID called Celebrex. Unfortunately, (and as listed in their pamphlet of side effects) I developed an allergy to Sulfa after prolonged use. I was then given Vioxx which was shortly taken off of the market, and so I got angry and stopped taking any kind of medication. When my arthritis began to mimic a rotator cuff injury, and when physical therapy didn't work, and the MRI didn't show an injury, my family physician was at a loss because the only noticeable difference in my blood was an elevated sed rate; which only means that there is inflammation in the body. I was referred to a rheumatologist who did her own blood tests. Once again, only an elevated sed rate was present; no HLA-B27 to warrant a diagnosis of rheumatory arthritis. That was over a year ago. My rheumatologist said that even though HLA-B27 wasn't present in my blood, she felt very certain that I had a form of rheumatory arthritis called psoriatic arthritis (even though I don't have or ever had psoriasis). The rheumatologist attacked the inflammation and pain with methotrexate and Lyrica, which I have been taking for over a year now. Although my shoulders began to improve with the medication I was given, my hands began to worsen. Not only were they achy and sore by the nodules in the joints of my fingers but they would swell, throb and burn after using them for short periods of time. There were actually times that my hands would hurt so much that I would just sit and cry from the pain. It didn't feel to me like the methotrexate or the Lyrica were doing what they were suppose to do and I was then told by the rheumatologist that I also had neuropathy and Reynauld's phenomenon. I met Janine at the Crystal Lake Business Expo and I'm very glad that I scheduled the initial consultation and began treatment. After 3 acupuncture treatments, I noticed that I was able to do things with my hands that I hadn't been able to do for a year (i.e., mixing cake batter and kneading bread dough) and my left hand felt 95% better. My right hand was a bit more stubborn, but after 4 acupuncture treatments I can honestly say that it was 88% better and the pain in my wrist and thumb had subsided to a bare minimum. To me that was a remarkable improvement; an improvement that western medicine couldn't accomplish in the time that I allowed them to 'practice' on me. Today will be my 5th appointment and I hope to speak with Janine about continuing treatment on my right hand, and about further treatment to help my other medical problems that can benefit from acupuncture.

Cheryl
Lake in the Hills