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https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/oth...67a52eae&ei=43
>>>>>Rockabilly electric guitar legend Brian Setzer has announced he has been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and is currently unable to play guitar.
The Stray Cats guitarist first noticed the effects of his condition late last year while on the road with the band. As the trip reached its end, he says, “my hands were cramping up.”<<<<
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02-14-2025 11:05 AM
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Sounds like rheumatoid arthritis, the earlier that treatment starts once symptoms have appeared, the better the outcome.
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Terrible! When I first saw the Thread, I was thinking it might be the same thing Peter Frampton suffers from, but this is different.
Brian's a great player and I wish him all the best.
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Get on Methatrexate as soon as you can if you have RA. Having sufferred from it since the early 80s, by 2017 guitar playing was almost impossible. Started the DMARD treatment beginning 2018 and it's been a 'miracle '!
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That's terrible! My wife and I have seen his Christmas Show a few times and it is really something to see. I hope this is a temporary thing!
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If he's experiencing muscle weakness (as distinct from pain), it might be myasthenia gravis, though it more often presents via problems with eye, face, and throat muscles, which is how it came on with me. I've not read about it affecting hands, but from what my neurologist has told me, it's a tricky disorder. The diagnostic process I went through included blood tests and EMG (lots of poking with a pointy electrified probe to see which muscle/nerve groups were affected). MG is treatable but not curable, though my neurologist says that it just goes away for about 20% of her patients. I'm not in that group, but the mild immunosuppressant drug she prescribed tamed it down below the threshold where it's noticeable. (I've stopped using the immunosuppressant, and blood tests says the MG is still lurking, so I've probably not seen the last of it.) There are also drugs that address symptoms--cholinesterase inhibitors, for example--though they have the usual range of side effects, and my doc recommended them on an as-needed basis. (I don't need them right now.)
I suspect that Setzer has access to a very high level of help with his problem, since, like me, he's an adopted Minnesotan.
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Methotrexate alone or with other drugs? Any side effects? My wife has come down with something similar I fear, but she won't do steroids...
Originally Posted by garybaldy
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I did have a short course of steroids at the start of the treatment. Now it's Methotrexate and some Folic acid. Ofcourse your immune system is affected so you can be prone to catching stuff that is difficult to shift. Lucky in the 9 years I've been taking them that has only happened to me once. So I had a week off the Methotrexate and a week on antibotics. Originally Posted by princeplanet
I have 3 monthly blood checks as liver function can be affected.
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I first thought that the announcement was a hoax, but I’ve read it on numerous sites, including the always reliable (LOL) Guitar Player website.
Not enough information to say what he has, but it probably isn’t rheumatoid arthritis, since he would be having pain in his hands as well as other joints. BTW, I’m not a rheumatologist, but I see a ton of patients with RA who have infectious problems of one sort or another. Methotrexate does work for a lot of people, but can have serious side effects. The real game changer is the biologics like Remicade. They have a side effect of depressing the part of the immune system (tumor necrosis factor production) that helps control tuberculosis and fungal diseases, hence the reason I see a lot of patients with RA. Nowadays probably 80% of patients with severe RA I see are on biologics, only about 20% methotrexate.
There is a condition called cheirarthropathy which mainly involves the hands. This is usually associated with diabetes and is characterized by pain and swelling and stiffness. I don’t know that Brian is diabetic.
I doubt myasthenia. Myasthenia causes motor weakness, not sensory loss, as he describes.
He may be describing an autoimmune peripheral neuropathy. This can be associated with lupus, Sjogren syndrome, polyarthritis nodosa, ANCA-associated vasculitis, etc. He doesn’t mention other organ involvement like kidney disease. Non-autoimmune peripheral neuropathy can be caused by heavy metal poisoning like lead. Amyloidosis is a blood condition that can affect the peripheral nerves, as well as heart and kidneys.
Another possibility is a predominantly sensory demyelinating polyneuropathy. Guillain-Barre is mainly motor, but there are some variants that are sensory in nature. There are other autoimmune demyelinating neuropathies—some triggered by infection like Campylobacter. (Very common in Pakistan apparently.)
Finally near and dear to my heart—Lyme disease. He is living close to prime Lyme territory in Minneapolis. I lived not far away and had Lyme myself about 20 years ago. Occasionally it will present with a polyneuropathy. It is quite easy to diagnose, though. No doubt his doc tested him for this right from the start.
There is no doubt that the Mayo Clinic is the best place in the world for him to be evaluated and treated. They literally wrote the book on neuropathies. (A famous neurologist for whom the condition Eaton-Lambertson syndrome—a form of myasthenia caused by malignancy—was named was still on staff while I was there.)
Hopefully whatever is causing it can be identified and treated to the point he can return to the incredible guitar playing he is known for.
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Here’s a little Brian for Saturday morning…
And playing Sweet Lorraine on a vintage L5:
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Yea! BS is not considered to be a 'jazz' player, but when he does it, it's exactly how i want my jazz to sound. He swings like a mofo, and there is no bullshit in his music. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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Brian is hip
love his stuff
get well soon Brian
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Almost all of my favorite guitarists are jazz guys these days. But of the rock guitarists I still listen to most, Setzer is definitely one of my tops. Other rockers that I like mostly have/had some jazz sensibility too, like Jeff Beck, Jerry Garcia, Robben Ford, and Amos Garrett.
I love Setzer's big band, quite a live show. The first time I saw him though was early days of the Stray Cats in the early 80s. I went in to this little University gym where he was playing in a small/mid size town, expecting some good tunes but wondering a little about their bouffant hair dos and all the tattoos.
It was the most fun show I ever saw though. I've seen lots of good ones too. Energy level at 11 the whole time, I was still young, and I about jumped out of my skin with the rockabilly good times and watching his mastery of the axe. He was young, slender, had blue hair dye in his locks, quite original, and a real pistol then too.
I hope he fully recovers.
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I have been getting cramps in my left hand on and off for quite a few years when I play guitar but especially with double bass. It has recently started in my right hand even when writing. Luckily my Rheumatologist was a DB player. She referred me to a hand specialist. Apart from hand exercises, I have these 'Thermoskin' fingerless gloves. I have only used them with the bass. They give great support and are in no way restrictive. I haven't tried them with guitar but I don't think they will work.
Last edited by garybaldy; 03-09-2025 at 09:01 AM.
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Bonus--they look great for a night out at the opera! Originally Posted by garybaldy
I have been getting cramps in my left hand on and off for quite a few years when I play guitar but especially with double bass. It has recently started in my right hand even when writing. Luckily my Rheumatologist was a DB player. She referred me to a hand specialist. Apart from hand exercises, I have these 'Thermoskin' fingerless gloves. I have only used them with the bass. They give great support and are in no way restrictive. I haven't tried them with guitar but I don't think they will work.
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Today I've just seen a short video of me wearing them whilst playing bass at my last gig. My hands look massive! Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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I've been seeing headlines that Brian is on the mend. Anyone know what treatment, if any, he's been having?
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Don’t know any details. Yes he posted that he’s getting better and hoping to tour soon with Stray Cats. Originally Posted by garybaldy
I admire him for being open about health issues, but the original post sorta made me think he didn’t have an incurable condition that would keep him from playing guitar forever. Thank goodness.
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I have a similar condition which isn't curable but can be managed up to a point. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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