Just a few things I want to remind myself each day. A motto, if you will, to live by!
It’s Never too late to live Happily Ever After!
“Anguish of mind has driven thousands to suicide; anguish of body, none. This proves that the health of the mind is of far more consequence to our happiness than the health of the body, although both are deserving of much more attention than either of them receive.” ~ Charles Caleb Colton
My last visit to the Rheumatologist consisted of more drugs, a new diagnosis and more blood work.
He took one more look at a chronic rash on the back of my legs that’s supposedly producing plaque and told me he is almost certain that my autoimmune arthritis is NOT RA, but rather psoriatic arthritis.
Psoriatic arthritis is treated exactly the same way as RA and is similar in its manifestation. You can read more about that at http://arthritis.about.com/od/arthqa/f/psoriaticrheum.htm
My doc upped my dosage of Methotrexate from 4 to 6 pills a week, gave me a cortisone injection in my right shoulder, gave a a strong dose of prednisone and put me on Tramadol for pain.
He also prescribed Enbrel. This basically means I will be administering my own shots every week along with my other meds. o-0
Not looking forward to this one bit! I will give myself my first shot tomorrow morning.
He kept my folic acid, Vitamin D and Levothyroxin (thyroid meds) dosage the same.
For now, I am battling extreme fatigue because the steroids have kept me up all night for a week and I believe the stronger dose of methotrexate is also making me tired.
Good news: I was PAIN FREE for an entire 4 days!!!!! I never realized exactly how much pain I’m in each day until I found myself running up the stairs with NO PAIN!!!! Unfortunately, it was short lived.
Now that the steroids are gone – my flares have returned.
My elbows, wrists, knees and shoulder are all aching and burning.
I was so stiff yesterday that I couldn’t bend my fingers and today I am restless all over my body.
I am also experiencing numbness and tingling all down my arms and legs.
It was AMAZING to have no pain for a few days. I had forgotten what it feels like, but it makes it all that much harder to get back into a routine that involves chronic pain.
It’s a lose-lose.
I’m excited about the prospect of Enbrel making a difference and hoping that it will eventually allow me to ween off the methotrexate.
Also, if you read my work blog, you’ll know the juicing experiment was a total failure, however, I’m incorporating more raw foods and micro-nutrient foods in my diet and hope to maintain the lifestyle while adding juices too. (So it’s not a total failure I guess)
On a sunny note:
Things are going well with school. I am doing well in my Italian class and my spring break technically starts NOW!
My boys are well and active and actually choose to hang out and talk with mom even though they’re teens (So I figure I’m doing something right).
And my boyfriend is super supportive, understanding and continually blesses me. Even in my super hectic schedule we find time to just be together and talk, sometimes cry (depending on my mood that day, lol) and laugh uncontrollably!
So what I lack in “health” I have gained in blessings.
Until next time friends,
~allie
You can read my professional Blog HERE to see why I chose to stop my juice fast :/
“The groundwork of all happiness is health.” ~ James Leigh Hunt (1784 – 1859) English critic, essayist, poet and writer
I have much joy in my life, but with day-to-day living lately, my happiness is sometimes put on the back burner.
In 2011/2012 I went through an emotional divorce, moved, changed jobs, had three surgeries (one of them a complete hysterectomy), started dating again after 15 years — Needless to say, I have been through some major changes over the last year or so and although a lot of it is “good stress,” my body has taken somewhat of a beating from it.
My eating patterns are one thing that has changed significantly, mostly because my time is very limited and convenience is important when trying to work, go to school and still have time to sit down for dinner with my boys every night.
Recently, my son Trevor and I stumbled across the documentary “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.“
WE WERE INSPIRED!
Joe Cross, the man who made the film finds himself on a 60-day juicing fast after going through the treacherous process of receiving an autoimmune-disorder diagnosis. (Man, could I ever relate)
I have been on fasts before, usually for spiritual reasons, but it finally clicked that a juice fast may be exactly what my body needs.
I have come to wits end. I am lethargic, have thinning hair and nails, have a Rheumatoid Arthritis flare nearly daily, my thinking is clouded at times, I am so sore in the mornings and evenings I can barely stand to move — and I’m not even 40 yet.
To top it off, I have put on about 40lbs since the divorce/hysterectomy. Grant it, I could probably stand to put on 20 of those pounds, but the other 20 — not so much.
I suffer from migraines also and I am on some of the same medicines that Joe and his buddy (Phil Staples) is on — methotrexate and plaquenil. Not to mention a daily regimen of Tylenol for pain.
So — I bought a juicer.
Me with my new breville juicer
I have a plan – a 30-day juicing fast where I choose fruits and vegetables that pack all the nutrients my body needs and also several that pertain specifically to RA and reducing swelling.
I will also drink water, hot tea and hot water with lemon.
My start date was supposed to be Sunday (first day of Lent), but my juicer came early and I got a head start. Soo — today is my first day instead.
I’m pretty excited about this, but it’s also a little daunting to be honest — but like I said, I’m at wits end. My meds don’t seem to be working and I feel sicker and sicker every day. I’m hoping this plan will help me to gain energy, reduce swelling, lose weight, aid in stronger/longer hair and nails and a slew of other things.
I also hope to wean off the Tylenol and eventually, possibly the stronger medications. I plan to discuss this with my Rheumy when I go in for my liver check next week.
I’m supplementing with over-the counter vitamins such as a bone and joint mix, omega 3s and magnesium.
Here are some more pics from my first time making/storing my juices, which I plan to do every other day. I’m storing them in the fridge in air-tight mason jars to keep them fresh.
Fruit juice with 2 apples, three pears and a hand of strawberries
Mean Green with 4 celery stalks, 1 cucumber, 1 lemon (peeled), 4 bunches kale and two pieces of ginger root
Breakfast drink with pineapple, half lemon, three oranges a handful of blueberries
The finished product
And here I am : Day 1 — without COFFEE!!! haha!
So I guess I’ll try to update everyone from time to time. I’m pretty stoked about this and the main thing for me is to start feeling better!!!! I am tired of all this autoimmune stuff ruling my day-to-day life. If this is what it takes, then so be it!!
Until next time friends,
~allie
Just a photo I took last spring.
“When I say it’s you I like, I’m talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.” ― Fred Rogers
I am super busy. I work full time. I have Italian class (every day except Friday) at UGA and my two boys are more active than ever with sports, band, church and other activities. By the time their homework is done and mine is done, dinner is cooked, dishes cleaned, laundry started and other chores mind you — I am so tired I can barely move.
To top it off, my autoimmune issues drain me. I think people tend to forget my body is in a constant battle against itself.
I have been on methotrexate for about 5 weeks now. So far, the only side effects I have noticed is an occasional bout with nausea and mouth sores.
I go back to have my liver checked in about a week. Hopefully all will be ok. I’ve tried to drink more water. My main concern is the fact that I’m in so much pain with my hands and arms, I take about three ibuprofen each day. Not sure if there is an alternative that’s easier on the liver or not, but plan to ask my rheumy when I go.
I also invested in some compression gloves. They actually seem to be helping quite a bit. I have been trying to wear them at work (I’m a writer and the daily typing can get painful and leave my hands throbbing at night). I also slept in them for the first time last night and that went over pretty well.
Here’s a pic of those — I tried to get ones that were practical for daily use — that maybe didn’t look too much like a medical thing …. I think they’re pretty cute ….
Ma new accessory
Although I stay super busy, I am finding the time to stop and smell the roses, per se.
I am so blessed and in the midst of chaos, I am finding that peace-of-mind trumps EVERYTHING.
I am treasuring the little moments. Moments like the other day, when my teenager hung out in the bed with me, laughing until we almost cried while looking at photo-bombs online.
Moments like when my 12-year-old tells me he loves me and offers me a big bear hug.
Moments like when all my hard work pays off and I end up with an A on a test I worked really hard to study for.
Moments like when I’m having a rough day, and my sweet boyfriend realizes it and leaves chocolate and Diet Dr. Pepper (I have a mild addiction) at the front desk of my office unexpectedly.
I am blessed. And it’s because the people that God has placed around me.
This is how peace rules, friends …
“To look life in the face, always, to look life in the face, and to know it for what it is…at last, to love it for what it is, and then to put it away.” ― Virginia Woolf
So, as life throws it’s mountains at me. Pain, RA, doctors’ bills, homework, breaking news to cover, lethargy … I am taking it all one day at a time — and enjoying every minute of it!
Until next time friends,
Allie
There is a difference between outright abuse and covert abuse.
Here’s a great article about those differences for anyone who is trying to decide whether their relationship is dysfunctional/unhealthy. However, if your gut is telling you it is, it probably is.
If you:
Walk on eggshells
Always take the blame or apologize, even if it’s not your fault
Have anxiety/depression
Can’t quite put your finger on what’s different about the person
Find yourself ALWAYS questioning your own motives or character based on the other person’s reaction
Feel trapped
Can’t make basic decisions without having to run it past the person (Controlling)
Feel like your voice is taken away
Are constantly told you’re crazy or over-react to things
If they twist conversations
If they refuse to take responsibility for their actions
– all of these are red flags! Please seek help from family, friends or a counselor!
And here’s a link to the article HERE!
Until next time friends,
~allie
Meh!
I took this photo when several camels came to visit Athens in December. Then, my friend Bryan Center made this meme. Priceless!
“The most wasted of all days is that in which we have not laughed.” ~Nicolas Chamfort
“So many tangles in life are ultimately hopeless that we have no appropriate sword other than laughter.” ~Gordon W. Allport
“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.” ~Irish Proverb
“A day without laughter is a day wasted on nonsense.”~Allie Jackson
Grumpy Brad
