Rheumy Visit...

I saw my dr today.  I really do love her, despite the fact that her staff is made up of idiots.  She spent a good amount of time with me.  Frustrating little tidbit of information, all of my bloodwork came back perfect yet again, so MTX isn't causing any ill side effects that would warrant stopping it.  One of the things they test is your inflammation level, and my level was < 1 .  That's less than one!  I can't even imagine how a person must feel if their level comes back at greater than one! Because I was climbing the walls, restless and in so much pain, at that low level.  I just can't even imagine!
Rheumy was happy to hear  and I was happy to be able to report that I have gotten some relief after last week...pain on a scale of 1-10 at a 4 today , when just days ago it was at a 35!  (no joke, it was awful!) 

We have decided to higher the dose of one of the RA drugs I am on(sulfasalazine), keep the MTX where it is, and in the next 4 weeks we will be adding in a Biologic - all while slowly tapering off the steroid..which I can't wait to be off of!  She just wants to give me a couple more weeks to have the MTX build up and be closer to therapeutic.  Biologics come in two forms, either a self administered injection, similar to the MTX injection I am currently on, or an infusion via an IV, which would take place in the doctors office.   There is no "if' with this, this is happening.  I am very happy to continue to be aggressively treating this, and though I had some tough times last week - I do still have hope to get this disease into remission!  I'm too stubborn to give up just yet!  :)

be well,
mb

MTX, shoot me up baby!

All joking side, I have started to become a teeny bit anxious about my upcoming MTX injection.

I spent an hour or so late last night/early this morning, as I was restless and sleepless, reading up on many people's experiences of self administering their doses of MTX , and they took the time to share their story, answer questions, etc.  I have picked up my prescriptions of needles and meds, and have to say, I am very intimidated by the needles.  I am not a needle phobic person, but for some reason, looking at them - freaks me out some!  I believe they appear to be these large needles, but after all my reading, everyone has said how they are small, and really not that bad.  It's a mental thing, I am sure.  I just keep reminding myself that I will feel better!
 
I spoke to the new NP  this morning and got the results of my MRI I had last week, it "proved existence of Rheumatoid Disease, or Inflammatory Arthritis" ... as if I had any doubt!  When I hung up the phone, I felt a sense of relief at the news.  For some reason I keep looking for justification of all this pain I am in.  It leads me back to the first dr I saw, who was making me feel like I was crazy for all the symptoms.  The dr who told me "your ankle pain is not related to RA, it's from old basketball injuries" - and brings me right back to the day when I left his office, feeling hopeless and defeated, which was later followed up by determination and stubbornness!  I refused to accept that that was it for me, a life of pain, and "resting" to make myself feel better.  I don't have time to rest!  I am so glad I sought out another dr, and refused to settle into the life the first told me I "had' to live.

I have become a fan of another blog, which is written by a women who also has RA.  She is beyond educated in the disease, and I could never compare to her in regards to her knowledge, etc.  What I can compare to is, when she writes about how she feels, when she gets personal, I feel like I am reading my own words.  I could be the person "saying" everything she is saying. I thought I would share a recent article that she wrote, where I feel like after my experiences lately, I could have written it word for word.

http://rawarrior.com/what-would-the-car-mechanic-say-if-you-didnt-look-sick/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RheumatoidArthritisWarrior+%28Rheumatoid+Arthritis+Warrior%29


So, as I mentioned - tomorrow is the big day.  My first MTX injection.  The first day of the rest of my life, Wish me luck!

Be well,
MB