Well, the shot lasted roughly 2 weeks and the pain is slowly coming back. I'm just so glad for the relief I had. Hopefully this level will last for longer and not get worse.
The Cymbalta is working well, too. My skin isn't on fire or painful to the touch, and my depression is more manageable. I knew it would work nicely for the depression, but didn't realize how it could help fibromyalgia.
I go back into the rheum in a few weeks. I think she is pondering changing my meds a little, because the inflamation rate just won't go down. I am glad she doesn't believe in giving me a steroid on a perm basis.
I have noticed, though, the longer I'm on MTX and Sulfa, the more dry my mouth gets. I'm going through water like it's.... water *giggles*
I wrote a poem about RA and the pain I feel, and how _I_ feel daily. Kelly Young, a great advocate for RA put it to music. Here is a link to her blog:
http://rawarrior.com/isolation-of-ra-pain-poem-video/
Enjoy.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Amazing relief
So, 1 Mar, I went to my rheum. I've been feeling wiped out and in more pain than I would ever admit. My family knows if I admit ANY pain, than I'm above my threshold.
I talked to her about the pain I had, how it started nearly 5 weeks ago with the RA pain, and within the past week to 2 weeks, my skin started feeling as if someone was taking thin, sharp needles and running them along my legs. I also told her my depression was coming back and it has been 7 months since I've been on an antidepressant or fibrmyalgia medication.
She didn't change my Methotrexate or the Sulfazine. We added Cymbalta to the mix and I received a steroid shot. I think all the weight lifted off my shoulders after seeing her, because I was utterly exhausted. I got home and took my first Cymbalta. I figured between the shot and the Cymbalta, I'd feel relief in a couple days.
Well, the pain, for the most part, was down 90% by 2 Mar. I swore I was imagining things. I was still sleepy, because for some reason, with the steroid shots (only my 2nd), my brain goes on overdrive, no matter how exhausted I am. So, every time I needed to turn over, I ended up tweeting in my dreams. *rolls eyes*
The night of 2 Mar, instead of tweeting, every time I woke up, I was singing a new country song in my head, so I guess I was a DJ of sort.
Yesterday, I walked slow, but I wasn't in intense pain, only little stabs of pain here and there, and my skin...doesn't scream at me anymore.
Who would have thought I could feel decent? I hate being dependent on medications to feel well, happy, etc. But, I think I learned my lesson. When my next flare decides to rear it's ugly head, I will be calling the doctor to see what she can do to help, because feeling this way is just...awesome.
I did, however, forget to ask a few questions. I need to remember to write these things down.
OH! So, I did the RAFit Kit survey online to get a "customized" workout. I wish I had asked my rheum in December, because she would have told me what I learned the other day. The exercises were NOT tailored at all for me. And when I told her about it, we both said at the same time, "It was just to get me information about a biologic."
Well, time to get on with the rest of my day.
I talked to her about the pain I had, how it started nearly 5 weeks ago with the RA pain, and within the past week to 2 weeks, my skin started feeling as if someone was taking thin, sharp needles and running them along my legs. I also told her my depression was coming back and it has been 7 months since I've been on an antidepressant or fibrmyalgia medication.
She didn't change my Methotrexate or the Sulfazine. We added Cymbalta to the mix and I received a steroid shot. I think all the weight lifted off my shoulders after seeing her, because I was utterly exhausted. I got home and took my first Cymbalta. I figured between the shot and the Cymbalta, I'd feel relief in a couple days.
Well, the pain, for the most part, was down 90% by 2 Mar. I swore I was imagining things. I was still sleepy, because for some reason, with the steroid shots (only my 2nd), my brain goes on overdrive, no matter how exhausted I am. So, every time I needed to turn over, I ended up tweeting in my dreams. *rolls eyes*
The night of 2 Mar, instead of tweeting, every time I woke up, I was singing a new country song in my head, so I guess I was a DJ of sort.
Yesterday, I walked slow, but I wasn't in intense pain, only little stabs of pain here and there, and my skin...doesn't scream at me anymore.
Who would have thought I could feel decent? I hate being dependent on medications to feel well, happy, etc. But, I think I learned my lesson. When my next flare decides to rear it's ugly head, I will be calling the doctor to see what she can do to help, because feeling this way is just...awesome.
I did, however, forget to ask a few questions. I need to remember to write these things down.
OH! So, I did the RAFit Kit survey online to get a "customized" workout. I wish I had asked my rheum in December, because she would have told me what I learned the other day. The exercises were NOT tailored at all for me. And when I told her about it, we both said at the same time, "It was just to get me information about a biologic."
Well, time to get on with the rest of my day.
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