This is an inspiring patient success story that was published in a direct mail health consumer magazine. I hope it inspires you.

1. my health | my life
SUMMER 2011
FIVE PAINS YOU
SHOULDN’T
IGNORE.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Conquering Rheumatoid Arthritis 8
Events Pullout Calendar 11
Q&A: Carotid Artery Disease 20

2. remember my first symptoms of
arthritis. I’d walk up the stairs, or
lift something, and feel achiness
in my joints,” recalled Debora Baird, a
resident of St. Louis. “Shortly thereafter,
I was on a cross-country driving trip
with a friend. By the time we reached
Kansas the aches in my joints worsened, I
couldn’t make a fist and I wasn’t sleeping
well. I chalked it up to physical stress,
so I took aspirin. At one point it got so
bad, I feared I’d have to fly back home.”
Baird’s symptoms escalated. “I had dif-
ficulty grasping a cup — then my steering
wheel,” Baird remembered. “Next, my
right index finger mirrored the stiffness
in my left, and I wasn’t able to bend my
thumbs. It seemed impossible that I was
experiencing these symptoms because I’ve
always been very active. I didn’t under-
stand what was going on with my body,
so I called my primary care physician.”
Her physician diagnosed rheumatoid
arthritis (RA). She was just 32 years old.
Baird’s doctor explained that there are
nearly 100 types of arthritis and many
treatment options. “I decided I wasn’t
going to take any medication – I’d work
through the pain,” says Baird. “But when
the inflammation spread to other joints,
becoming even more inflamed, I decided
to try medications. Some worked for a
while. Then, they didn’t.”
Then, it hit her wrists. “That’s when I
visited Dr. Steven Lauter, a rheumatolo-
gist on staff at Missouri Baptist Medical
Center,” said Baird.
“I couldn’t zip my dress or button a but-
ton without excruciating pain. Dr. Lauter
proposed two options – a non-invasive
approach of sleeping in wrist braces,
using cold packs and getting me on
the right medications, or permanently
fusing the bones of my wrists with sur-
gery. I chose the non-invasive option. It
worked. Then the rheumatoid arthritis
moved to my feet. I was exhausted and
unable to continue dance classes, which
was depressing since I loved it so much.”
Arthritis continued to attack her mo-
bility. “I couldn’t make it through the
grocery store,” said Baird. “I’d get there
and couldn’t walk the entire store, so I’d
shop a few aisles, then I’d have to leave.
That’s when I applied for a handicap tag
for my car.
Climbing the Hills of
Rheumatoid Arthritis.
A personal story of victory.
“I
8

3. “When the disease began to affect my feet,
I told Dr. Lauter I could get through
most symptoms, but I needed my
feet. He recommended trying a newer
biologic medication.”
NEARLY IN REMISSION.
Baird said, “I’m now 95 percent pain-
free. I’ve been on this treatment for eight
years and it’s working fabulously. I feel
like a new person and have a brighter
outlook on life. In the last year, I’ve
become extremely active. I’ve lost
32 pounds walking and going to the gym
five days a week. Not too bad for 57!
”Recently, I spent three weeks in Spain,
where amazingly, I was able to get on
and off buses and trains with my luggage,
walked over 50 miles, and hiked down
to the Rock of Gibraltar.”
CAUSES OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS.
Although the cause is not yet known,
researchers do know that the body’s
immune system plays an important role
in the inflammation and joint damage.
The Arthritis Foundation reports that
the body’s own immune system mistakes
cells found in the joints as foreign cells
and wants to attack them to protect
the body.
SYMPTOMS.
• Persistent joint pain, swelling,
warmth or tenderness.
• Loss of range of motion or flexibility.
• Extreme fatigue, loss of appetite,
low-grade fever.
• Nodules may appear under the skin,
often over bony areas exposed to
pressure, i.e. around elbows, fingers,
over the spine or on the feet.
ARTHRITIS
9
“I’m now able to travel again,” said Debora Baird, who is conquering RA.
www.missouribaptist.org

4. 10
Dr. Lauter said, “Always visit your pri-
mary care physician at the onset of any
discomfort or stiffness in the joints and/
or muscles, because many symptoms are
due to other conditions, such as viral or
bacterial infections, including hepatitis,
or to metabolic abnormalities, such as
thyroid, calcium or potassium irregulari-
ties. Appropriate screening tests often
help make the correct diagnosis.”
DIAGNOSIS.
“When patients are first diagnosed with
arthritis, they typically know something
is going on, so they’re not surprised,”
Dr. Lauter explained. “Often, there’s an
element of depression. But I tell patients
that even though there’s no cure, highly
effective treatment is available and they
can be fully functional – if they’re com-
pliant with their treatment plan.”
TREATMENT.
“Today, we understand the need for
keeping active to ensure a good range-
of-motion in joints,” Dr. Lauter said.
“A patient’s normal response is not to
move the joint, creating more stiffness
and weakness. I encourage my patients
to keep joints and muscles active – keep
moving.”
Starting a treatment plan early is key
to long-term success. This helps to con-
trol symptoms, and prevent deformity
and disability. Careful monitoring by a
patient’s rheumatologist is important to
prevent adverse side effects.
Steven A. Lauter, MD,
is board-certified in
internal medicine and
rheumatology and on
staff at Missouri Baptist
Medical Center. He re-
ceived his medical degree
from Wayne State Uni-
versity in Detroit and
completed his internship
and residency in internal medicine at Barnes-Jewish
Hospital. He also completed a fellowship in rheuma-
tology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
He is an assistant professor of Clinical Medicine at
Washington University.
BAIRD’S ADVICE.
• Go to your primary care physician early.
• Be your own advocate.
• Keep a positive attitude.
• Discuss coping advice with your doctor
and family.
• Keep moving.
• Take your medications.
• Try other medication, until you find one
that works.
• Know the latest research.
• Useareliablesource,suchaswww.arthritis.org