Hurty Gertie

Shot Monday is delayed by my not paying attention. It’s a lot of things, me mostly not being on top of the details.

First month of shots- samples from doc. Got a thing in the mail that looked like an ad, buried on the last page was my preauthorization for the next set.

Even looking at it now, I don’t see where the docs were supposed to do anything or I was.

So I go to my appt and they ask if I have meds and I say no. They call, are told there is a letter they don’t have, but it has prices for local and mail order co pays. Fine. They call it in and I go to pick it up.

But I don’t because the fragging thing is not eligible for in store pickup, only mail order, no matter what the paperwork says.

Augh!

I must suck at listening. So starting monday I’ll call and call until I can get a delivery date for these meds. Good thing I can stay home to meet it.

Note to self: make big sign for delivery company: YES I AM HOME.

For a few days last week I nearly believed it was just vapors. Except for some tiredness, it was almost a dream.

But I’m back – left hand, some toes, some ankle.

My shot is now every other week and I’m still a few days out. Dr Local thought it odd that I felt “ucky” after my shot and suggested I move it to Sunday nights instead of Monday mornings. So, we’ll see. (more…)

So when I went to see my Cool PA the other day (hey, that rhymes!) because of my shortness of breath, I didn’t mention the open sore on my thumb. He didn’t really notice it either – and it hasn’t killed me yet, so, whatever.

Hopefully.

I wouldn’t have even gone if I weren’t on the TNF Inhibitors and been out of my breathing medication. I probably would have just used the breathing treatments unless something got dramatically worse. Luckily it didn’t, but still … I’ve got to stop putting my health on hold. This is my job now. (more…)

But not our minds. :)

At least not in regards to my health. It made me laugh, like the first time I read the phrase “Spontaneous Vaginal Delivery expected” one one of my charts, like the baby was just going to pop out like toast at the end of all that labor stuff.

Patient had [xyz procedure] and ironically ceased having [random] symptoms.

But I guess I’m just full of medical ironies. If we’re even using the word correctly. A new one is that allergy medicine I started, prescribed by the Cool PA. Two days later the swelling was gone. I put on my wedding ring again (took it off in the fall when I thought I broke my finger).

The exhaustion has been letting up quite a bit, too. I’ve felt good enough to do stuff, not just drag my carcass to the gym and work out. I’m still not near 100%, but even 50-60% makes a huge difference. Hard to remind myself till I simply run out of kitty juice that I’m still not 100%, but that extra is still so buoying.

I’m getting near the end of my last week of my “stack” month, where I take a TNF shot once a week. And this week has been weird because (more…)

I know what PsA and RA can do, so I wasted no time in cleaning out my kitchen once diagnosed. I haven’t yet rid myself of my cast iron (nooooooooooooooooo!) but I’m extra careful with it.

What I did get rid of were a lot of other heavy or unusable things. Electric can opener (yes, really). Corn handles. Almost all of my cutting boards. Big ol soup pots. Heavy bowls. Ziploc bags. My sugar bowl. Veggie peeler. Cheese slicer. I didn’t get rid of the cheese shredder though I haven’t used in nearly half a year.  (more…)

It’s really frustrating in some ways, adjusting to my new reality, shooting myself in the thigh with powerful drugs (yay for auto poker sticker things as I don’t think I could handle REAL needles), or making the kids do stuff I can’t, or reaching for scissors instead of tearing bags open.

And in a weird twist, my non-dominant hand is becoming my dominant hand for a number of new tasks. Very weird to go “lefty” after all these years. Luckily I spent time doing it for fun.

I write cursive like a third grader on good days – with my left hand. On bad days I don’t bother. The ability to write left handed came in handy when it was time for my eldest to learn to write; we could write at the same pace and our letters looked similar enough to discourage frustration at how much better mom’s handwriting is. (more…)

Craving ice, which according to Dr Google and the adult opinions around here is anemia. That would explain the feeling better without feeling better I didn’t know how to quantify. I’m less … dragged by a giant anchor though still not as buoyant. A morning out with the kids didn’t wipe me, either.

Adding back in my prenatal with iron to the vitamin mix. Either my meds are kicking in, it’s the allergy medicine, or both. But I “feel” perky, even if I don’t think I quite have the energy for it …

Actually, both are true. I need to lose at least 80 pounds, though I’ll be happy with 60. And the mattress is twice as old as my eldest kid.

But I’ve put up with being stiff and sore in the morning for several years, since shortly after the birth of my last kid. No, I take that back, it’s got to be longer than that – I’ve been buying new pillows every few years for at least eight years.

Like my allergies, it’s just been something I’ve gotten used to, sleeping in until the last minute, tossing and turning, and taking a huge shower in the mornings to “get going” for the day. But the last couple of years it’s been worse. I figured it was first job ennui and then job loss ennui.

Thanks, PsA. Not.

Even without the writings of Kelly Young, before my diagnosis I had a bit of an idea, from a few diagnosed RA friends, what their days were like. The research they do on treatments, the ways they get through the day.

But reading isn’t feeling. Though the entry linked above made me glad I did finally listen to my body shouting at me that something was wrong. Maybe I’ve “caught” the PsA diagnosis early enough (and the treatment methods now let doctors treat before joint damage sets in) that I can put off the degenerative part of this disease as long as possible.

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