Re: Lurker coming out of the shadows
- From: "Navy" <medical23SkidooFISH@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2007 21:39:58 -0500
Don't forget the whine that everybody brings at one time or another. LOL
--
Navy
Take out the FISH to email me.
"Carole" <SeattleCarole@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5tq6anF1ecjveU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi Carol,
Sorry you have to be here, but it's a good place to be. I don't know how I
would have gotten through the last few years of my life without all the
wonderful people here. This is a place where we laugh and cry, and get
hugs and support when we need them.
We also have a virtual sandbox (can't remember who is in charge of what),
but the only thing we ask is that you bring virtual chocolate :))) We are
definitely a bunch of chocolate lovers :)))
Hugs,
Carole
Mrs. QH wrote:
Hello Everyone,
I have been lurking here for a couple of weeks and felt it was
time I introduced myself. I came here, as many do I'm sure, looking for
knowledge. Having recently been diagnosed with RA, I have spent a lot of
time googling the disease. While the information I've found has been
very helpful, I still felt I needed to be able to connect with folks who
would understand not only the disease but the impact this thing has had
on my life and the emotional rollercoaster it has set me on. I'm not new
to the newsgroup scene, as there are a couple of others to which I
belong. It dawned on me one evening that there must be a newsgroup out
there that dealt with this disease and found this one. So I started
lurking, selfishly I might say, to see if this was a group into which I
could fit. What I have found seems to be a group of caring folks who
have been where I am. This gives me hope that I can fit in here.
So that you may know me better, let me tell you a little bit about
myself. Basic stats are, live in Battle Creek, MI, 52 years old, wife
of 34 years, 3 grown children (1 girl, 2 boys), grandmother to a
delightful 4 year old girl, have 2 dogs, a quarterhorse that we board,
love being creative (too many interests to list), work in an injection
molding factory and was positively diagnosed as having RA a month and a
half ago.
My journey to this diagnosis was not a long one. Two years ago, I
left a job with a company that I had been working for almost 10 years.
District level management was changing, and the new DM was one of those
whose feelings were that if you weren't male, you belonged behind a cash
register or in the home decor department, not working on the recieving
dock, or any other area where women don't belong. Hard fighting that, so
after a stressful two years I left. I can't tell you how free I felt, my
stress level disappeared and life started being fun again. I went to a
temp agency and was placed in the factory I'm currently employed by. I
love the work. It's very physical and my co-workers are by and large a
great group of people. I have been there almost two years now. My
problems started this last March. I left work one evening with a bit of
pain in my right arm between the elbow and shoulder. I was having a bit
of difficulty raising my arm. I thought I had stressed it a bit too much
at work. I suppose I should let you know that by a bit of pain I mean
the level was between 6 and 7. I know, but I'm one of those that if the
pain doesn't drop me to my knees, I'll be fine. I took an Aleve, applied
some linament and went to bed figuring all would be better in the
morning. Not to be. By the next morning I was nauseated, blacking out,
could not move my arm at all and getting worried. I called my doc who
sent me to the emergency room. The good news was not a heart attack! At
my follow up with my doc, he noticed the bones of my neck were not right
and sent me to therapy and a chiropracter. Seems I have bones in my neck
that don't like to stay where they belong. I was a good girl, did as I
was told and soon enerything seemed to be back on track. I was careful
at work, as I didn't want to go through all that again. Then in May and
June I started having problems with my wrists and hands. I thought I was
working on another repetitive stress injury, as I'd had one many, many
years ago. I went out and got new braces and wrist wraps and things
seemed to be getting better. The pain and swelling would go away then in
a week or so be right back. I was to the point by August where when my
hands blew up, as I put it, all I could use were my thumbs and baby
fingers, with no strength or mobility in the rest of the hands, and
swelling in the wrists that made working difficult. I know now I really
should have gone to my doc, but I thought I knew what I was dealing with.
What finally sent me to my doc was in the first weekend of September my
right foot and ankle blew up as big as my foot in a shoe. Red, hot and
hurt something fierce. I thought maybe I had a stress fracture in the
foot or had somehow twisted my ankle, though I had done nothing that
could have caused it. X-rayed the ankle, all OK. X-rayed the foot,
again, all OK. A week of rest and things were back to normal, almost.
Just a bit of swelling left. By the end of the month, my hands were
acting up again. I was at a family gathering for my Dad's birthday and
was having a bit of difficulty. My hands were sore, a little swollen,
fingers tight and such. My older sister, who is a reitred nurse and
retired as a commander from the Navy, started in on me. I'm sure those
of you who have been in the service know what I mean when an officer
starts in on you it's "yes, ma'am-no ma'am". She was thinking one of the
arthritis's or maybe lupus. I promised I'd call my doc. I know, I know.
I didn't. Denial is a very strong emotion. Two weeks later I was back
up north at my mom's to visit. One of my other sisters was there, she
runs the office for a neurologist in Ann Arbor, MI. Wouldn't you know it
my left foot decided to blow up and by that night I couldn't walk. So,
now I have her on my case, on the phone to my older sister, and my mom
all giving me heck, for not calling the doc. This was the second weekend
in October. So first thing the following Monday, I called my doc. My
older sister told me to specifically ask about RA, so I did. My doc
checked me over real well, ordered 4 tests, x-rays of my hands and my
left foot. The a few days later he called. I've never had a doc call me
personally, that was a bit scary. Of the blood work, the sed rate test
was three times over the normal rate and two of the other were twice
normal, the fourth test was negative. He had me into the office to
explain it all , started me on Lodine and sent me to the RD. It took a
couple of weeks to get into the RD, but once there he looked at my labs,
gave me a good going over and told me that I have RA. This doc has a
great sense of humor which really helped me, though he didn't sugar coat
anything and was very straight forward and open with me. He felt we were
catching it early, which he said was important. He ordered more blood
work and an MRI. On the upside, my joints are showing no damage so I'm
encouraged by this. I am now on prednisone, plaquenil, and the lodine.
I have my hands back! There's very minor acheiness, hardly noticible and
I'm getting the dishes done as it feels so good to soak them in the warm
water. :) The downside is my stomach is bothered by the meds but I'm
learning what to do about that and am having fewer problems each day.
I know this is a long post and for that I ask your forgiveness, but
this is me, where I'm at and how I got here. I'm still having days where
I want to cry and say someone has made a terrible mistake. I know that's
counterproductive and I chide myself for it but I get overwhelmed by the
uncertainty of it all. My husband has been a real blessing and support,
which helps alot. He lets me cry on his shoulder and reminds me we are
taking this one day at a time.
Well, I guess I'd better sign off now and hit the send button, or
I'll be tempted to go back into hiding. Thank you all for listening!
Toodles,
Carol Lee
.
- References:
- Lurker coming out of the shadows
- From: Mrs. QH
- Re: Lurker coming out of the shadows
- From: Carole
- Lurker coming out of the shadows
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