A Crescendo of Pain.......

The past few days or really more than a week I have this unbearable pain aching my body to the point of physically stressing me out and making me so tired. I know its time to see my rhuemy again as my immune system had gone overboard or in my rhuemy terms 'overactive'.

My worst time is early in the morning lying in bed with numb hands and upper back that feels like being run over by a truck not to mention the pain in each movement to get out of bed. Still I need to do some exercise to bring myself to work my limbs so that blood could really flow through my veins again. 

Tomorrow I will have to travel on a 4 hours trip to get my blood test before I can see my rhuemy on Friday. I think I would need to take back my MTX  for some relief. I am worry about my kidney as I felt some discomfort on my right side the last 2 days.

Wait N See Attitude......

Its 2 months since my last posting here. You may be wondering what might have happen to me for the disappearing act. In fact no news here is good news to me. I started this blog to release and share my pain as well as keep a sort of record of  ups and downs of my battle with  RA.

So far I can say I am coping very well and my bouts of dizziness has improved  to the point of forgetting when the last one had occur. I had stop taking my MTX for the past 6 weeks as it makes me really sick and inflammation is just around the elbows and wrists in the morning. So its a wait n see attitude of when to continue taking my MTX a as well as to see my rhuemy which is long overdue.

A positive mind with some exercise and not to forget my diet is what keeps me going at present. The last 3  weeks saw myself doing some travelling plus feasting non stop along the way is really heavenly for me. Hope my waiting for another big flareup will not happen so soon.

Getting Back On My Feet........

Last Monday, after an appointment with my rheumatologist, saw some improvement in my arthritis pain. This is because she injected me with steroids ( I don't know how much as I forgot to ask) into my buttock muscles after syringing out 2 tubes of  fluid from my swollen right knee. My CRP(C-Reactive Protein) after a blood test  is 35.5mg/L which is shows inflammation at its worst for me so far. My usual one was only between 7 to 10mg/L. No wonder I was suffering so much the past few months.

After the steroid injection and  a dose of 5mg of Mtx ( was suppose to take 10mg) I felt so good for the next 5 days and til last Saturday I had some stomach discomfort and dizziness . My blood pressure was quite low for the next 2 days with some chest dicomfort and weak pulse rate. I did not take my atenolol yesterday. Early this morning I took my weekly dose 5 mg of Mtx  after much thought  whether to take and  get better of the pain and inflammation or NOT to take because of its side effects and toxicity on my weak body. After all the CT scans and Xrays (I did go for the scans and barium xrays wh I regret later)  last month my body had not fully recovered . I fear for the harmful radiation that could do more damage to my cells.

 But  the good news is the results comes out clean and my abdominal pain miraculously disappear after some self massage and prayers. And doc diagnose it as POSSIBLY due to my gut sticking in some raw area of my abdominal wall which could happen to hysterectomy patients. He should have told me earlier and not after all the test. I assume all doctors are only human and not God, They can only conclude after all the test to get to the end result.

So I am praying and hoping the next few days and the days to come I will be back on my feet again to enjoy my life to the fullest. Maybe if God willing I can  give back my 2 cents worth of energy to sing in my Church choir which I have been missing the practise for the past few weeks.

Come To Me.........

Jesus said " Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest " Matt:11:28.

Last Saturday I was glad for a moment when my doc told me my colonscopy results comes out clean. So the the next step is to go for a CT scan to get to the bottom of my abdominal pain.They did a blood test again to check my kidney and was ask to come back early morning today for my CT scan.

Last night I browsed through the internet to get some info on how a CT scan is done and I found it to be quite harmful to our body. The radiation from a CT scan is much higher in hundred folds than an Xray. So this got me worried whether or not to go for a scan and after all it is only an abdominal pain. I could not make a decision. After twisting and turning in bed for hours I ask God to give me an answer and went to sleep.

This morning I woke up with a very swollen right knee and a painful left shoulder plus 2 swollen wrist. That really makes me totally immobile and difficulty in gettting out of bed. Every movement I made is done with some oohs and ahhhs from the intense pain. A massage on my swollen joints were done by my maid to get the blood circulated. Plodding myself down on my toilet seat with a thud is what I have to do in this condition.

I take each stride with care so as not to fall flat on my face and having the courage to absorb all the pain which I know would subside at the end of the day once I pop in a Celebrex an anti inflammatory pill. So this is could  be God's answer for me not to be able to go for my CT scan for which I am glad I did not have to go.

A Different Kind of Pain...

For the past eight weeks or so I had gone through another type of pain in addition to my usual joint pain. Towards the end of January I had a very disturbing lower abdominal pain and lower backache which was wrongly diagnosed as indigestion by my physician. Then after another week I went to a clinic and was said to have UTI or Urinary tract infection and was prescibed 4 days of anti biotics. On the 4th day before my last dose I had high fever and chill. Went back to hospital to see my physician and was admitted for intravenous antibiotics for 3 days after some blood and urine test which shows infection.

Was back home and on 4 more days of antibiotics. But the pain was still there after spending nearly 3k on my medical fees which sadly I had no insurance claim. Check with the same physician again and he did not give me any urine test but further prescibed another type of antibiotic for 6 more days. On the sixth day I had a very severe abdominal pain early in the morning and went to emergency ward to check. My physician after checking did a urine test which shows no more infection in urine and prescibed 2 more days of the same antibiotic and a single dose of Monurol 3g which I found out to be antibiotic for acute bladder inflamation.

All the while I had been thinking I had UTI only, so for the last 2 weeks I drank some Cranberrry juice to help clear what I thought to be some bateria still in my bladder. But the pain had not ceased the last 2 weeks. So yesterday I decided to see a Urologist which is also a General surgeon and to my suprise he said I seems to have umbilical hernia after checking my abdomen. But to be precise on the first step of clearing any doubt of any other diseases he wants me to have a colonscopy before dwelling on my hernia. I hope and pray this time I will get the right answer to my abdominal pain.

Today I will have to be on soft diet for breakfast and lunch and 3 pm onwards will be laxatives drink and more liquid diet to prepare for my scope tomorrow morning. I hope my molar tooth which was refilled on Monday will not give me further pain.

Last night I did not sleep well due to my abdominal pain but luckily my joints were doing well except for some stiffness and I need not worry too much on housework as my maid had flew back 2 days ago.

The only thing on my mind now is the discomfort I had to go through the coming days. Maybe a CT scan and a surgery is needed if I really had hernia. Anyway I am looking forward to the end of this different kind of pain which is so disturbing and mysterious.

Getting Things Done....

Today is a better day. Last night before I went to bed I decided to pop in a Celebrex, an anti inflamatory drug which I do not often take. Just to be sure I got better mobility and less pain the next day. The wonder pill really works and I could get some things done much to my delight and much raised self esteem. I clean up the bathroom and giving it a better shine and disinfect the toilet bowl which is what I think is a much better job done than what my no careless maid could do.

But I had a much difficult night as I took the celebrex just before bed time and I had some chest discomfort which I think could be the meds reaction with my cells giving it too much 'work' while I should be resting. I will remember to take any medication early next time.

I still continue to take Cranberry juice for my UTI (urinary tract infection) as I have a feeling the bacteria whatever type it is still present inside my bladder.

With less pain in my joints I am just as happy as any normal person living my day to my best.

To be cont'd...

My Left Hand Takes Over.....

Woke up with the usual stiffness and pain. Look at the clock. its 7.o5 am. This morning the 'monster cells' had attack my RIGHT hand rendering it swollen from the elbow down to the wrist and fingers. Nevermind, as i console myself. My left hand which was disable yesterday was at least spare the rod today. So it will be doing everything with mr left today. forgive me for the missing capital letters here as its too painful to hold shift while typing with my left finger.

Just so looking forward to the 15th of this month when my maid will be back from her 3 weeks break back home. Today it will be another slow and painful day just to do everything with my left hand from pulling down my pants to ease, holding the cup to my lips drinking my Milo, holding the saucepan to make some oats AND MANY MORE TO GO. just wondering how am i going to wash my face and comb my hair and brush teeth in a while. That makes it more difficult for a right hander like me. Anyway that's life for me as an RA (rheumatoid arthritis) patient. I just pray that this agony will disappear as the day goes by.

For now it will be another long day trying to get my left hand to do the job while waiting for my right hand to recover. cheerio to myself and to my mr left today.

Note:. i took 2 tablets of my 2.5 mg mtx after a month break last night and have yet to see some results.