vanny

Dear all,

I am having joint problems, which I am almost 100% sure are due to the
pantoprazole (aka protonix) that I am taking. It is listed as a rare
side-effect: http://www.drugs.com/cons/pantoprazole_systemic.html

I have Crohn's arthritis, but
since January where I took 80 mg a day for a couple of days and then 40 mg
routinely to get me through a really bad bout of colic I have had new pains.

I have been on Nexium for almost 2 years and no longer tolerate it. I was
doing find on Protonix, which I started in Dec. 2004, until this year. I
tried going without yesterday but only made it for 36 hours and then I had
to take it because my stomach started burning (GERD is really bad due to
short bowel syndrome) and the pains in my ankles and wrists increased.

Omeprazole (aka Losec) is also not good for me. I
am going to try lanzoprazole (aka Zoton) and rabeprazole sodium (aka pariet)
http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_informa...oton_pump.html ,
but what do I do when those don't work? I am beginning to despair because I
am on so many medicines and I am very chemically sensitive. I have eye
problems and occasionally blood in the urine, which my urologists attributes
(rightly in my opinion) to some of the medicines (3 of my medicines have
this side-effect including protonix - a rare phenomenon)

I cannot afford to go for fundoplication because I need to be able to vomit
should I have a blockage due to Crohn's. The GERD seems to be getting worse
and not better despite adhering strictly to the required lifestyle changes
http://www.gicare.com/pated/ecdgs39.htm and
http://www.reutershealth.com/wellconnected/doc85.html

I have been operated on 8 times and have a 6th laparotomy hanging over me
due to my gall bladder playing up. They cannot operate laproscopically
anymore due to adhesions.

Anybody have any ideas? It also does not help that I am lactose intolerant
and a lot of tablets have lactose as part of the formulation.

Vanny