So I got me some curcumin. I read on examine/com that its absorption is lousy. Any thoughts from those taking it?
well here is a blast from the past…sorry about the arthritis deal…hope all else is good for you…
I always read that absorption is terrible with curcumin but I take 3 grams during the day and 750 mg to 1500 mg when I wake up in the middle of the night and it works great for me. The 3 grams is split into 1-750 mg cap at 4 different times during each day. I got the tip about taking that much curcumin from Dave Tate(I think).
Arthritis is not a diagnosis. It is just the name for a symptom meaning “joint inflammation.” There can be hundreds of different causes for this symptom and you should get a diagnosis from a rheumatologist so that it can be treated correctly.
For example, if it is gout there is one treatment. If it is osteoarthritis there is a different treatment. If it is psoriatic arthritis there is yet another treatment. And so on.
Silverblood, thanks for the links. No, I did not know of most of them. Having read about the major types, I’m starting to wonder if this isn’t gout. Does anyone here have experience with gout?
Derek - No specific test was done for uric acid. But I have my appointment with my GP Nov 6 (it is ridiculous how long it takes to get appointments in this city… I swear the high senior population is a massive burden on the health care system). I’ll ask specifically about uric acid (I’m assuming you’re recommending this because of gout?).
Goat - Yeah I’m still around. The picture that follows shows a bit of what I’ve been up to lately.
Gorilla - I’ve heard the same about Curcumin having crappy absorption, and the Theracurmin is supposed to be the solution to that. But I’m having a devil of a time sourcing any in Canada. The border with the US was always difficult since 9/11, but it’s gotten nearly impossible to move anything that can even be remotely perceived as a drug. I’ve read pepper extract (peperine) is supposed to help with absorption but I can’t find that either.
Seekonk - Point taken. As mentioned above I had to book an appointment with my GP 3 weeks in advance, just so I can get a referral, which usually takes about 4 weeks to process, and then I’ll probably ending up waiting 2-3 months for an appointment. And to make things EXTRA SPECIAL, the nearest rheumatologists are a 3 hour drive away.
fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck
Well, as I sit around waiting for doctor’s appointment to line up…
I joined the forums at the Canadian Arthritis Society. All I can say is those folks need to learn a thing or two about discussion forums. Compared to this place it’s a total snooze-fest. I tried my usual over-the-top hijinks to drum up some discussion and the sound of the crickets was deafening.
I think arthritis sufferers are very subdued people.
Well, I haven’t posted in awhile because there wasn’t much to say. I was in a literal holding pattern until I get my appointment with my GP, which was November 6th.
Her word was that a referral to a rheumatologist without some kind of positive x-ray or blood work would be a waste of time, because the wait for an appointment would be 1 to 2 YEARS!!! So to help me out she sent me for a series of hand films and around 30 different blood tests. I got all that done within 24 hours, but my doctor is so booked I couldn’t get an appointment to discuss the test results until DECEMBER!!!
If I have an actual diagnosis then my wait to see the rheumatologist (which may I remind all y’all is a 3 hour drive away) might only be six months. And if nothing shows up, I don’t have any options other than to suffer with my discomfort until it turns into something that requires medical intervention to restore function.
This is a maddening situation for me. I have no support from “the system” to PREVENT a medical condition that is costly to treat and has a major negative impact on my quality of life. But once I’m actually incapacitated I can get in.
This is back asswards if you ask me.
On the flip side I’m finally making some small gains on my chest, which has been a lagging bodypart since the beginning of time.
And just because, here is a picture of my daughter stealing her older brother’s leftover cereal. Here extreme cuteness combined with her fondness for taking her top off does not bode well for the teenage years.
Hi Canada.
Though a nurse (ex now) and suffer some simple arthritis myself i know very little about the subject so can’t offer you anything technical on the help side. On the sleep and stress side that does seem to be a big problem generally, part of what made me leave my job and take early retirement was near insomnia due to an appalling shift pattern.
All i can add is that i hope you get sorted.
Just back here myself and getting used to the feel of iron again.
You were looking pretty damn good in the first pics in the thread btw.
Glad to read you’re exploring your options. 3 hours to the doctor is an insufficient excuse.
There are several forms of rheumatoid arthritis, and that stuff is a lot different from the normal arthritic pain most people might develop. I understand the forms of rheumatoid arthritis are from the body’s autoimmune system attacking parts of the body, like lupus (organ degeneration) and the myositises (muscle wasting). I can’t spell the other forms.
The pain in stretching your fingers open is partially how I was diagnosed, along with reduced lung capacity, for one of the myositises at 49. In reflection I also was tripping occasionally, a result of leg muscles breaking down. I never would have linked those conditions. A rheumatologist can get one into remission, or at least keep the condition controlled, if you have that sort of condition. Don’t let disabled looking folks in the rheumatologist’s waiting room scare you out of your skin, especially the ones with breathing machines… I see mine once a year to verify my remission, and the waiting room still does that to me after 14 years.
Once in remission I bounced back to being a gym regular. My doctor said once in remission, the stuff doesn’t tend to return. I didn’t work out during the 3 years of drug treatment. Not the kind of steroids some people here like.
There was a woman with rheumatoid arthritis posting for a short time about a year or so ago on the Indigo form. I was impressed she was working out at all. She stopped after about a month or so.
I once did a will for a guy who went 3 years before he was diagnosed with my same condition. I worked out with his stepson and heard it all. He kept tripping on the job and on the golf course, and that finally caused him to see a doctor. He was diagnosed too late to be helped effectively. When he signed his will, he was at home in a hospital bed; his wife had hooked up a motorized sling to get him from the bed to the toilet and the shower. He was in his late 50s and still sort of looked like he had once lifted weights. He still had his tough guy personality which probably kept him from seeing a doctor sooner. I probated that will about a year later.
Good to see you back , I have also been away. I also think you need to make the three hour trip to rule out RA. I have to do the same, I have put it off until winter. look forward to your log.
Cute kid! I see a bit of you in her.
I hope you’re doing well, man.
I tried the theracumin but it didn’t do anything for me so I’m sticking with the Tumeric(Curcumin). Theracumin is way to expensive and not worth it in my opinion.
Well my follow-up appointment with my doc is today. I’ll report back if we get anywhere. I’m not hopeful and am expecting to be left on my own. It’s a weird health care system that I can’t get professional support to keep me OUT of a treatment facility. I can only get professional support once I’m admitted. Which is WAY more costly, and harder on the individual.
As a fun little exercise I cut out all my supplements for a couple weeks. Lo and behold I had more hand pain. So back in goes the fish oil, the ALCAR, and the Curcumin.
Gorilla - Thanks for the feedback. I still couldn’t source Theracurmin in Canada, and getting supps across the border has become so ridiculous I don’t even try anymore. So I’ll stick with Curcumin for the moment and feel good about it.
Dr. P - I’m glad about my back too. It’s a week point I’ve been working hard to… oh wait that’s not what you meant is it?
Snap - Yeah my daughter is a stubborn, sawed-off little terrorist. It’s a good thing she’s cute.
Dude - If I can’t even GET the referral tot he RA I’ll drive as long as it takes for the appointment. But like I said, without some kind of lab work or films leading to a definitive diagnosis, I won’t get one.
Biker - I appreciate the pep talk. Again, as above, the 3 hours drive is inconvenient, but I’ll do it if I get the referral.
Nurse - I’m still amazed at how strong and how immediate the impact of too little sleep actually is. That’s a major, major challenge.
FUUUUUUUUUCK!
All my tests came back normal. All my films are fine. I have no markers for any arthritis. Which means all I get is advice to use Advil for pain management.
fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.
To demonstrate the depth of ym frustration, there was no copy/paste action in the line above. It was hand typed.
That sucks
[quote]Canada_K wrote:
FUUUUUUUUUCK!
All my tests came back normal. All my films are fine. I have no markers for any arthritis. Which means all I get is advice to use Advil for pain management.
fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.
To demonstrate the depth of ym frustration, there was no copy/paste action in the line above. It was hand typed.[/quote]
OTOH, many arthritic syndromes are profoundly life-altering–they can be debilitating (or worse), and may require a lifetime of treatment with toxic immunomodulators. So there is an upside to your workup results.
I am taking an absurd amount of joint stuff- if you are interested in any of it.
curicumin
Glucosamine Hyaluronic Acid Chondroitin MSM
FlexNow Quadruple Action Joint Formula BSP Pharma 90 Softgel
Nordic Naturals fish oil
and something of a probiotic called
wobenzym n
and a bucket load of vitamin d.
you can google the different supps - they are pretty basic
the Flexnow and wobenzym seem to really help