pars planitis and another autoimmune disease?

[Mike Bartolatz]

I hope you get over the flu quickly. did the doctor give you antiviral meds?

Take care,
Mike

[Blondienbrunnette]

Yes he did he gave me tamiflu..but he didnt swab me though...I feel alot better now. Little headaches here and but VERY manageable...Motrin seemed to help alot..Wondering if it was the flu or not..he didnt swab me but said it was the flu..I started feeling bad saturday out of no where. Today I feel alot better. Weird sometimes you never know unless they TEST!!!!

Took my 4 year old to the doctor today..ear infection and was diagnosed with mild asthma. Every time he gets sick it turns into bronchitis. They finally DIRECTLY told me today he does have mild asthma...Because I had to come out and DIRECTLY ask them!! UHG, sometimes doctors don't explain themselves well at all!!! Whats the deal? No wonder when he had the influenza B when I had my second child he was SICK!!!! I mean he got very ill!!! Would have been nice to know that BIG detail then.

I will let you know how my husabnds opthomology appointment goes tomorrow...

[Mike Bartolatz]

http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/ ... l/48/3/210
above is an article on Vitamin D3 and RA and SLE but it actually impacts MANY conditions including uveitis as it suppresses TH1 and TH17 cells which are implicated in MANY autoimmune disease processes.
today supplementation of Vitamin D3 is being suggested for many individuals. serum Vit. D 3 should be done to get a baseline so that one doesn't take too much. I take 2,400 units a day.

wish your family the very best,
Mike

[Blondienbrunnette]

this is a supplement of vit d in pill form? From a local grocery store or prescribed? Whats if for? Sorry kinda confused.

[Blondienbrunnette]

I havent researched AT ALL of vitamins or vitamin intake...Dont you get vit D through consuming milk?

Sorry if I sound ignorant on this matter...My husband drinks ALOT of milk. I mean our household goes through 1 gallon a milk a day. Maybe even more on the weekends. On average I can't tell you how many ounces or glasses he drinks a day..But I would be afraid of over dosing him on vitamin d...But, like I said I don't know how much you consume in a glass of milk. But we have always joked about how much milk he drank. Never really thought of it on a vitamin level.

[Mike Bartolatz]

I get mine at Costco, a club store with pharmacy. you have to get the right one, Vitamin D3.
milk does supplement to some degree but those of us in northern climates don't get enough from sunshine as D3 is manufactured in the skin. the suggested daily supplementation by the FDA is way too low. it was developed for the amount needed to prevent bone disease, ricketts which is much lower than needed to control the immune system to prevent autoimmune disease to include Multiple Sclerosis, SLE, Scleroderma, RA etc. you can get more information on daily intake for kids and adults at the vitamin D Council. google the vitamin D council and you'll get their information on this topic. I've been following the research through pub med search for several years now and i've posted some articles on this in variious forums.
you can get it at any drugstore but ask the pharmacist for the best one as Vitamin D3 has to be taken along with calcium and magnesium to be of benefit. just D3 won't get into your system properly.

google vitmin D3 and MS for example and then go to .org websites to avoid commercial sites which are often misleading. D3 may also help prevent one from getting Swine flu as well (article posted this site).

wish you the best,
Mike
http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/ ... l/48/3/210

[Blondienbrunnette]

Wow that is definately something to research more on. That what I did, I googled vit D and ms..Here is something else to think about...

My husband worked nights for like 3 years and didnt go in until 4:30 pm and then didnt get off until the next morning depending on how many hours he works. So he wouldnt wake up until noon the next day. He finally got on days 2 years ago and now he is on a reg sched. Even on the weekends he would keep is weekly routine..so hardly ANY sunshine!!!! That is something to think about to...

I will keep researching and find a local store with the supplements..couldnt hurt!

[Mike Bartolatz]

you must get a Vitmain D3 serum test to see how much is in your bloodstream as in some conditions the body cannot handle additional D3 as is the case in MANY sarcoidosis patients.

if your body can take the supplement it can't hurt but too much is a topic that is in limbo as there is allot of disagreement on this.

parathyroid disease results from too little Vitmain D 3. it is actually a hormone the body makes through the skin being bathed in sunshine. it also helps with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which is very common here in the northern parts of the USA and in all of Canada, Alaska and northern Europe.

mike

[Mike Bartolatz]

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionso ... index.html

article on Vitamin D3 from Harvard

[Blondienbrunnette]

Thanks Mike for all the info! I will definately be reading more on it today and maybe go see if I can find some somwhere.

Today is my husband's opthomology appointment. Is there any certain questions I should ask the dr? I got to do it because my husband won't!! lol..I know I was going to ask why he had his "white out" and if it was related to ON.

I will post back asap when we get back from his appointment so I can update you on that part. I have been REALLY wondering it it was ON so this appointment is going to be very helpful!!! I will also mention to him about what happened last week at work.

My husband is getting alot better about talking to the doctors. He is learning alot through me. lol Which helps because the doctors hate when I talk for him!!!!

[Blondienbrunnette]

Also, something is going to have to happen quick..meaning they are going to have to get him into a neuro. His legs hurt sooo bad again from spasticity. His pain level was about a 7 and thats high for him. He could barely walk it hurt so bad. This is week FOUR now!! Everyday but one day he has had pain!!!!

[Mike Bartolatz]

The MRI will hopefully provide additional information as to why his legs hurt so much. has he gotten a referal to a rheumatologist or are you waiting for MRI of the spine to see if there is something blocking nerves to cause the pain?
the opthalmologist could order the NMO IgG antibody test to see if neuromyelitis optica is a possibility.

wish you the best,
Mike

[Blondienbrunnette]

Mike, I was just letting you know how my husbands opthomologist appointment went.....

Still in the same boat. Don't know ANYMORE then we did this morning!!! He was not hepful at all this time. His office was too busy for him to care and it was at the end of the day. I asked him why my husband has his "white out" and he said I don't know. That will remain a mystery because I don't know!!!! That was that. But, his pars planitis is not active at this time and he is good to go for cataract surgery (when we can fit that in and afford it) His vision was better then it was in august!!!!!!

I guess we just wait and see what the mri says now..hopefully this new doctor will pay attention and care enough to help my husband find out what is causing his problems!!!! Because he isnt getting better in the mean time.

[Mike Bartolatz]

you need to get your attending physician to refer to a neurologist, if possible a neuro opthalmologist usually located at a TEACHING hospital at a University medical school. this is way too complicated for most doctors to comprehend and to order proper tests. an ocular immunologist appointment would also be appropriate at a University Medical School. DR Joseph Tauber is in Kansas City, MO if I recall correctly or it might be in Kansas. just across the river.
DR Rao is at Washington University St Louis,
contact information is on the SPECIALIST list at http://www.uveitis.org in THE PATIENT section of the site. the hotlink to the list is in RED on the left side of the page if I recall correctly.

wish him the best please,
Mike

[Blondienbrunnette]

Mike, I really just don't understand anymore. These doctors are getting VERY frustrating to say the least. I cried all the way home. All I want is a doctor to CARE and to take the time out and listen and get my husband where he needs to go so he can try and feel better. But each doctor for each symptom is making that very hard for us. I guess if he had a morning appointment maybe he would had listened then!!!

I mean he is an eye specialist why was he not able to tell us why my husband's eye sight went completely white and why his vision was worst last time, I bet he didnt even put the 2 together. Atleast we do know now that his vision was worst when all that happened in August..which we didn't know. Its hard for my husband to know the difference because he has so many problems anyways.