Can you read this drug label?

How confident are you that you take prescription drugs correctly? The instructions on the bottle's label may not seem to be hard to follow, but more than 500,000 Americans misinterpret them every year.

We wanted to do a "spot check" and see for ourselves how different drug labels, bottle warnings, and consumer drug information leaflets compared with one another. So Consumer Reports Health staffers filled prescriptions for 5 milligrams of warfarin at five chain pharmacies near our offices in Yonkers, N.Y.: Costco, CVS, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart. The drug warfarin, also known by the brand-name Coumadin, is a commonly used generic blood thinner, which can cause dangerous bleeding if taken incorrectly.

The rest of the article is here.

What I have to say:

This particular problem could be dangerous when you have to take strong medications to keep your immune system under control. If you can't read the directions, make sure you talk to the pharmacist (or call the doctor's office.)

Also check your meds before you take them. Make sure the labels are correct and that you are taking the right amounts of the meds. If there is anything strange, take it back to your pharmacy. Even though the meds are prescribed, they are dangerous if taken in the wrong way or the wrong amounts.

Rhino-sinusitis: Causes and medical treatment

Mr James W Fairley BSc MBBS FRCS MS
Consultant ENT Surgeon

What is rhino-sinusitis?

Rhino-sinusitis is the combination of rhinitis and sinusitis.

• Rhinitis (Rye-NIGHT-iss) is inflammation of the lining of the nose.
• Sinusitis is inflammation of the sinuses.

As part of the same air passages, and lined by the same mucous membrane, the nose and sinuses tend to be affected by the same problems. Rhinitis is commoner than sinusitis, and causes similar symptoms. Most cases of sinusitis start off as rhinitis, so we usually get rhinosinusitis rather than pure sinusitis. Nearly all cases of sinusitis are in fact rhinosinusitis.

The rest of the article is here.

What I have to say: Rhino-sinusitis is a common indicator of Wegener's Granulomatosis. When I was first being treated, my nose would drip with a thin secretion. Since inflammation is a part of Vasculitis, and inflammation can cause rhino-sinusitis, it seems to go hand in hand with our disease. This article has some really useful information to keep you nose and sinuses in good shape.

 

New treatment of subglottic stenosis due to Wegener's granulomatosis, Acta Oto-laryngologica, Inform

The abstract is here.

What I have to say: This is some good news for those who have this type of problem. I don't have this problem specifically, but I have heard that it is very scary when the throat closes and the patient can't breathe.

Stress triggers disease flares in patients with vasculitis

Study shows psychological health important to controlling Wegener's granulomatosis

In patients with a devastating form of vasculitis who are in remission, stress can be associated with a greater likelihood of the disease flaring, according to a new study by investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS).

This is the first study to suggest that mental health is a risk factor in patients with vasculitis, a group of autoimmune disorders characterized by the inflammatory destruction of blood vessels. The study, in a form of the disease known as Wegener's granulomatosis (WG), will be presented on Nov. 8 at the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting.

The rest of this report is here.

What I have to say: The patients have been saying that stress is a factor in flares since I got the disease nine years ago. We have been telling each other to keep the stress under control so I am glad to see that the HSS is now giving credence to this idea.

Vasculitis PSA - Angel of Mercy

Radio Interview about Vasculitis Foundation Canada

The link to the interview is here.

What I have to say: Vasculitis strikes many different types of people in many countries. I am always pleased to hear about the efforts of other foundations to help people with these diseases.

The impact of vasculitis on patients` social participation and friendships

CONCLUSIONS:
The unique circumstances associated with a rare chronic illness like vasculitis can create significant barriers to friendships, including loss of these relationships. Interventions designed to help patients cope with the social impact of vasculitis are implicated, especially if they increase patients` ability to engage in dialogue about their illness with their friends.

The abstract is here.

What I have to say: This conclusion about illness and friendships (or even marriage) is something we see every day in the Vasculitis groups where we talk about our families and how friends and family deal with the disease. Many times these people are in denial about how much a WG patient can be social. It is an auto-immune disease, and many times it can be dangerous for a WG patient to be in large groups of people who carry all sorts of viruses and bacteria.

Even worse this study would have the same conclusion for all sorts of injuries and diseases. It is a sad fact that most people don't want to be reminded of their mortality.

The internet with social groups have been a blessing to us, and to others who can get together and talk about the problems caused by disease.