When I got RA, my immune system went haywire, then the doctors threw in some drugs that suppressed my immune system and that made my body go even more haywire. I bruise if you even look at me hard, I can twist an ankle just by walking, I can have sore gums from eating popcorn and I get infections from hangnails.
But the absolute worse thing that happened is warts. Warts are disgusting and horrible. I have them and I can't get rid of them. I have been trying for so long my dermatologist and I are on a first name basis. I bring vacation photos to show her staff. I have started to expect a birthday card from them! I have tried almost every known medical and holistic way to rid myself of the warts to no avail. I have tried duct tape, various medicines, and liquid nitrogen. Despite using all these methods, the warts are able to party on down, grow and spread. Being on Enbrel, which suppresses my immune system, allows the warts the ability to thrive in this environment.
 |
| photo from Wikipedia |
Now you might ask, "Why don't you have them surgically removed?" Great question. That posses a whole other problem for those of us using Enbrel. Enbrel opens it's users up to infections. I am unusually susceptible to infections. Any type of infection. Therefore surgery, any type of surgery, is out of the question unless it is life threatening.
So, I am stuck visiting my dermatologist once a month and getting the warts burned off until my immune system suddenly wakes up and decides to fight the good fight. Then I will be wart free! Yay! Until then, I will continue to hide my feet.
Oh the many joys of ra. This disease never ceases to amaze me at how many ways it can impact those of us with ra and how varied these impacts are for each of us on a daily basis. Hopefully in time your body will heal itself of the warts and you will again be able to walk wart free. We can hope!
ReplyDeleteI have used leaves from the aloe vera plant successfully to treat stubborn warts. It is a long slow process. Every night, scarp the wart with a sharp blade to remove as much dead skin as you can, without actually cutting yourself, then take a piece of aloe big enough to cover the wart, slit the skin off one side, but the "juicy" side against the wart & secure with tape (duct tape works great) leave overnight. Repeat. Depending on the wart & you, it can take days, week or months, but it has worked for many of my friends and family. Eventually, you will see the inside of the wart turn black, and will be able to pick little pieces of it out. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAre there any things about RA that are pretty? Physically, probably not. Emotionally, yes. For me, it has been a wonderful lesson in compassion. Anyway – I can relate to your physical symptoms especially the bruising – my body often looks tattooed because of how many I have. After a trip to the amusement park a couple summers ago, I had bruises up and down my arms and legs and since it was summertime, I was displaying the artwork. Until they healed, I was wearing long pants and long sleeves for the remaining month of June. Twisting ankles – check. Sore gums – check! Hangnails – check! Really dry skin is another one I deal with. Isn’t it nice commiserating? :-) However, I have been fortunate on the warts sides but something tells me I should keep the meds for it on hand. Good luck with this one – sorry that you are dealing with it dear. Yes, RA has an ugly side and a compassionate side. Maybe, we have to tell ourselves it has a funny side- it might make things a bit easier. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi wovensong--
ReplyDeletethanks for the suggestion. I have not tried the aloe vera plant method yet. If the current medication doesn't work after a significant attempt, I will buy an aloe vera plant and try it. Thanks!
Lana,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your commiserating! I love to hear other people's stories.