Category: things to make you smile

YAWN!

Posted on by Grayson
A cure for arthritis might not be as far away as once thought. A new antibiotic combination has been used to treat people whose arthritis was caused by Chlamydia. For most of us, this isn’t the case. Still, the fact that this drug is really helping people go into complete remission gives me hope for the future.
Also, here’s the story of a brave 13-year-old girl with RA.

Rash: my face, as always – UGH. Makeup doesn’t even help. This is super annoying. I always assume people think there’s something wrong with me or that I’m mad.

Pain: I’m starting to get a headache… and my wrist is still being awkward… and so is my right ankle.
Inflammation: nothing actually seems too bad right now, except the ankle.
Meds: none
Stress level: low
Other notes: I’m ready for the summer, but not for graduation, go figure.
Things to make you smile: one of my favorite websites, ZooBorns

New Shoes!

Posted on by Grayson
Alright, so I’m kind of addicted to shoes that aren’t always the best for someone with RA to want to wear all the time – mostly flip flops and ballet flats… and high heels. When I was in high school, I alternated between wearing flip-flops and high heels every day.
Flip flops are terrible shoes because they don’t provide a lot of support. For someone with RA, this is terrible. You need the right amount of support; otherwise, everything starts to hurt. They’re fine for quick trips places where you aren’t walking a ton though.
I used to love high heels. I’d basically wear a pair until they were beyond done for and then get a completely different pair, with different heights. They helped take the pressure and pain out of my most troubling joints – my knees. They also forced me to slow down my walking pace, resulting in the same effect. Unfortunately, my feet just can’t handle the odd configurations and pressure caused by these shoes anymore.
Ballet flats aren’t too bad. The problem is finding some with adequate cushioning or buying the right kind of inserts. My favorite pair finally had to get tossed yesterday (about two months late). I was able to find, though, two very nice-looking pairs of flats at Sears for a nice low price. Unlike my last pair, both of these have a nice amount of support and cushioning. I’m not even experiencing a difficult time breaking in either of these.

Rash: small amount in the knee region this morning

Pain: headache lasting about two hours
 
Inflammation: able to feel some in the left knee
 
Meds: two Advil for headache
 
Stress level: fantastic, in a non-sarcastic way today even
 
Other notes: it was Jackie Robinson day today so I got really confused watching the Brewers/Cubs game earlier

Doctors and Me

Posted on by Grayson

I don’t think it’s any secret that I’m not the biggest fan of doctors. If you’ve read some of my past posts, you know that I was misdiagnosed at the age of six with leukemia and told that I either needed to start chemo right away or I would be dead within six weeks. My mom says that’s why it’s called practice – sometimes doctors don’t know what they’re doing. For a good two to three years, I was getting blood drawn and other tests done all the time in an effort to figure out what was wrong with me. All in all, I’m pretty doctored out.

Wednesday, I had my first real doctor’s appointment in like forever. I really only went to get a referral, but the doctor only touched me twice – to look at both of my knees. There was no blood drawn, no peeing in a cup – nothing. I obviously don’t remember going to the doctor when there wasn’t anything wrong with me, but it just seemed really odd.
I have my first rheumatologist appointment in forever on March 9th at the medical college. I’m really hoping that it goes well. I’m sure that it will, but I guess I’m just nervous. No doubt you’ll hear all about it.
I have so many things that I feel like I need to talk to the rheumy about and I just have no clue where to start.
As a side note – there are still two celebrities to cover with arthritis, but I probably won’t be posting on that subject until mid-March. I’ve got a string of projects due for school, including my capstone project that I have to focus a little more on here. Also, since I’m already going off on tangents, I got into the University of Wisconsin’s graduate school in Madison. I start in the fall and I’m pretty ecstatic about it.
Oh and your smile-bringer today? Just a little self-promotion.