mixed connective tissue disease and life expectancy

Sorry about your diagnosis I've had this disease 40 years. I have been working as a contractor most of those years. By self medicating between morphine and oxycodone. The military purposely had my medical condition. So maybe it's pretty hard, but you will learn to live with this. It is not a death sentence, but can be. The best thing you can do for yourself is to reduce stress. Stresses anything from environmental, to stress of family. When you have aches and pains from the stress of whether it be lack of proper eating or if our family problem. This will aggravate your medical condition, creating more scar tissue and damage to your body and organs. Stop trying to explain to everybody what your medical problems are, if they love you will look it up for themselves. If they don't let him go as a family member or friend. I've learned to do this reduces my stress. If you need to ask more questions go ahead and ask my. I'm actually talking to you instead of typing because my hands I like clubs. p. brasseur

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I've had MCTD since 2007, whle there is no cure, there is some research regarding the cause being done. Dr. Thomas McPherson Brown researched RA for some 40 years, he discovered Mycoplasma, and he prescribed antibiotics from the Tetracycline group of antibiotics. I am taking one of them, the generic Minocycline and I've been in remission. He died in 1988 but there are hundreds of testimonies that his antibiotic protocal put many people with autoimmune diseases in remission.

I was a nurse and I never heard of the disease either. I'm 68 yrs old and I was 60 when I was diagnosed. My doctor told me it is a rare disease. I looked it up in the Merck Manual, it said that the life expectancy is 10 years. I thought that I could find a share group on the internet so I went to a rheumatology website and I found out about a book written by Dr. Thomas McPherson Brown. I read it and then I went to my doctor and my doctor said that Minocycline couldn't hurt me, so he prescribed it for me. That was 2 years after I'd been diagnosed. Boy was he surprised when I got all better. It sounds like you have more than MCTD because I never was bedfast. First, I had Raynaud's disease (your hands and feet get extremely cold and turn white or blue), then I got carpel tunnel (numbness and weakness in the hands), and then I had a tear of the rotator cuff in the shoulder. By two years later I had swelling in my hands and feet. If you can find a doctor who will give you antibiotics (you might need IV antibiotic medication first) instead of the regular medications that they give now, you could get better. You've just got to study the disease and understand it, then you have to find a doctor who will listen to you and will want to help you. I suggest you start out by reading Dr. Brown's book, The Road Back. I would like you to register with this website and get a name so I can follow you. I wish the best to you. Carol

I was diagnosed last year as well I have been taking methotrexate since and I have all the overlap symptoms ? Does anyone else take the same medication and has anyone heard or seen a person dying from MCTD?

I have MCTD too, it is so rare that I went to the internet to find a share group. I found the Road Back. Even on that website, I couldn’t even find anyone else who has only MCTD! I thought that MCTD is the disease itself but recently I was told by my rheumatologist that MCTD has overlap diseases, like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. This is so confusing to me, I hope that I’m not confusing you. I had Lupus like symptoms. I took Methotrexate for a month and I had horrible side effects. I’ve had MCTD for 9 yrs now and I am in remission because I take minocycline. It is an antibiotic that can be taken indefinitely without any ill effect or consequence. The Merck Manual that I use as a reference book said that the life expectancy of MCTD is 10 years. I say that I am living proof that the antibiotic has put me into remission.
Hoping the best for you, Carol

Hi Sandra, I’ve had MCTD for 9 years. I hardly know that I have it. I was lucky enough to find a share group on the internet, The Roadback. I found out about Dr. Brown who studied the disease for 40 years and treated over 10,000 patients. I take Minocycline every other day, I have to continue taking it indefinitely because I have relapses if I don’t take it. I think everyone should study the disease as much as they can and try to find a doctor who will prescribe an antibiotic for the disease. The medications that the rheumatologists are prescribing these days are detrimental to your health. I am in remission because of taking the antibiotic. I wish you well, Carol

I have the disease now and was diagnose last year in Feburart. Since then I have without work. Will I die without my meds

echowarrior8
I have MCTD, I've been studying Rheumatid arthritis on the internet and I've found information that will save your life and put you into remission. The current medications that rhematologists prescribe for you are detrimental to your health. These autoimmune diseases are caused by an infection and only tetracycline antibiotics like minocycline will put you into remession. Ask you doctor for a prescription of minocycline. Tell your doctor that mino... can't hurt you. They give it to people for achne for unlimted time. It's not like the antibiotics that can only be taken for a short time.
I hope you will find the answers and get well!!!
Carol

garrik

I have MCTD, I am in remission, I take Minocycline 100 mg on MWF. I've been taken care of by my primary doctor at Kaiser but now he has retired and I was sent to see a rheumatologist. The rheumatologist said she wouldn't prescribe my mino...and she said she wouldn't order a RNP which is a blood test to monitor MCTD, (Ribonucleoprotein). I gave her pages of articles, testimonies, and doctors who believe that certain auto immune diseases can be put into remission by taking Tetracycline and 2 books. I'm hoping that she will read the information and at least try it. At the minimum I hope she will continue my medication that has put me into remission. I hope that you will find your way to remission.

Carol

I was on Minocycline for 3 years due to acne and now I've been off of it for a year and just been diagnosed with MCTD could I've had it for longer and it was just in remission due to the minocycline?

Wow, I don't know all the answers, but I bet you were in remission because you were taking the minocycline! I'm sure that I had MTCD long before it was diagnosed. What I have experienced is that my disease completely reversed because of taking the antibiotic.
How I wish that I could tell you about the web sites that saved my life. I recommend that you read the book, The Road Back by Dr.Thomas McPherson Brown or The New Arthritis Breakthough which includes the Road Back and goes beyond it.

What I can tell you is that the complications of MCTD are horrible and by catching it early on you can live your life feeling like you don't have any disease at all. Unfortunately you will need to be on guard for very unusual symptoms such as migrating little pains, I get them in my feet occasionally. It is difficult to understand and live with an invisible disease.
I'm glad I've had the chance to talk with you! Carol

Hi Brasseur,
Try massaging your hands with Bag Balm for several minutes as many times as you can per day, that has helped my brother who is a diabetic.It amazes me that you've had MCTD for 40 years. The Merck manual says that the life expectancy of MCTD is 10 years. I think I am so lucky because I was diagnosed early. I went to the internet to find a share group and I found The Road Back which I think saved my life. I found out that taking a tetracycline antibiotic such as minocycline reversed my disease. My doctor was amazed by the result of my taking the minocycline, he prescribed it to me because I believed it would help me, He said that it couldn't hurt me. I do hope that you get well too. It is difficult living with an invisible disease. Carol

I read in the Merck Manual that the life expectancy for MCTD is 10 years. The disease is so rare I've never met anyone who has MCTD. Methotrexate and Plaquenil are immuno-suppresants, I took Plaquenil and I had bad side effects. These medications only treat the symptoms they don't cure the disease. Look on the internet for a web site about rheumaoid arthritis and a web site called The Road Back. Many people give testimonies of being in remission from these autoimmune diseases (such as MCTD) because they have taken antibiotics for the disease. I am living proof that the antibiotic has put me into remission.
Don't give up, Read the book, The Road Back, Carol

Hi Cat269,
I have the answers that can put you into remission, I was diagnosed in 2008, my doctor said it was very rare, and I wanted answers, so I went to the Merck Manual and it said the life expectancy is 10 years. Then I went to the internet, I found good answers there at The Road Back and also at a rhematology web site. They both sent me to Dr Thomas McPherson Brown, he studied and treated autoimmune diseases for 40 years, he died in 1988. Cortisone came along and replaced all of his research and success in treating his patients. I've seen a multitude of testimonies that his approach with 'tetracycline' antibiotics such as what I take, minocycline, has put people into remission. All of the symptoms I was having went away for good, that included Raynaud's disease and lung symptoms. My advice is to learn all you can and then say to your doctor, Minocyline cant' hurt me so why not try it. That's very reasonable. If you have only had MCTD for a year, you will not suffer what someone else does who has had it for more years. It's difficult having an invisible disease. I wish the best for you!!! Carol

Hi Ramubatula,
How long have you had MTCD? I have been in remission for about 5 years. I take a 'tetracycline' antibiotic, minocycline, it keeps me in remission. I learned about the antibiotic approach from The Road Back web site and from a rhematoid arthritis web site. My doctor said, well minocycline can't hurt you, they give it out indefinitely for achne to kids and adults, he was a amazed when my lab results came back to normal! My rheumatologist said it would never be normal. But I'm working with a new rheumatologist, I hope she will see that I am living proof that antibiotics get rid of the disease. I hope this will help you! Carol