I have been hovering in the background for a few weeks as i have been very tired and sore . I don't think the rituximab has kicked in yet which has not helped and lymph nodes are enlarged again . In the meantime i have been to see the consultant about my bulging discs and he has recommended 4 facet joint injections under x-ray guidance which i am going to have on Friday. I have had steroid injections this way in sacroiliac joint so i hope this is similar . I have been particularly sore this week so I took one of the emergency tramadol , im not sure if it made much difference so roll on Friday. Im not my usual self at all at the moment , i hope the injections work as i plan to strengthen my back and become more mobile as I can't let the sjogrens and the joint pains take over and control my life . Its very easy to be become obsessed and think of nothing else , im not going to let that happen as i have done a bit lately I think due to the pain . So positive outlook from now on . Best wishes to all 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Facet joint injections and tramadol 🤞🏻🤞🏻 - LUPUS UK
Facet joint injections and tramadol 🤞🏻🤞🏻
HI WV, sorry you are feeling so cruddy still. I also get tired of thinking on my issues and being a bit pissed off that I'm in this situation but I try to remember that everybody has some type of situation and there are worse kinds than mine so I try to be thankful for that. I try to accept that I'm never going to be the person I was before these problems began and I must find a way to live with them and still enjoy life as much as possible. I do hope your treatments help and with less pain, you'll be at peace.
Thank you 🌸 I feel better getting it off my chest a bit . We are all in the same boat here so its good to talk to someone who understands. We have to make the most of what we have now and live for the moment as we cant turn back the clock. I hope you are as well as you can be at the moment 😀 Best wishes and thanks for your kind words xxx
I totally agree it helps to have support here. I always know when I post my problem I'll get a reply from you especially and a few others here even if you don't have an answer for my problem because you know how it feels to live with these problems. I call you my AI friends. 
I have friends at home and family but they don't quite know it's like as we do. I think you and me would get together and chat and laugh if we didn't live so very far apart.
Right now I'm dealing with some skin cancer. I've had over 30 places removed in the past 15 years and about 4 in the past few months on my upper body. Now I have a few more on my face and I'm trying to decide to choose between surgery which has the best outcome for complete removal or radiation which is about 95% effective but also carries a risk of causing future skin cancers because it damages the skin the same way the sun does. I'm only considering this option because it leaves minimal scaring and it's my face! I'm not a vane person really. I don't even care to wear makeup anymore. My husband is stuck with me no matter what happens LOL but I don't want people to see my scars and feel awkward and look away trying not to stare. I'll be self conscious having meetings with people at work so it's a hard decision. The cancer is non life threating so that's the silver lining here that I don't have to worry about death as many people with other cancer types do. I try to keep that in mind when I start to feel sorry for myself and think I am still better off than some. I also think it's ok to feel bad for yourself a little and it's actually good for you but not too much. We've all got better things to do that feel bad, don't we?! Keep your head above water my friend.
I am sending all my positive thoughts and wishes to you. This is not something i have been through but I think i would go for the best treatment and look at the scars as being a positive part of your life that will heal . Please let us know how you get on as i will be thinking about you . Best wishes and good luck xxxz
If you have never had a skin cancer removed from your face,& it is not too big don't worry too much about scarring.
I had one removed from between my nose & cheek...(very common location apparently) ...I had 7 stitches, & after a few months even I couldn't see the scar.
But beware the wound can bleed quite a bit. I drove myself there & half way home it started to bleed.....so I had to drive one handed applying pressure to stop it! But all was well & it stopped quite quickly.
Thanks for your reply. I've had several removed from my face. One on my nose that required cosmetic surgery. That was 10 years ago and most people can't see the scar. Other places were just removed and healed ok. I also had two that were treated with radiation which I wasn't told at the time could cause future skin cancer. I'm actually pretty used to having them removed. Just a little depressed because I've had so many and I'm only 43 years old so I know I have many more to look forward to. There are a few syndromes where people have a lot of basal cancers but I don't fit the other symptoms. Do you know if yours was caused by sun damage? One of the syndromes I read about said certain people can't repair the UV damage correctly.
Yes I'm pretty sure mine was caused by the sun. In my youth we used to use oil to sunbathe....... long before SF numbers! Although I did take Mtx for 7 years.
It was a basal cell carcinoma & wasn't really very noticeable but it itched ....I only mentioned it to my GP in passing & he sent me to get a biopsy straight away.
I think I've got another one now just in front of my ear......suppose I'd better get it looked at...these days I feel as if I should have a season ticket to see my GP I'm there so often.
Hope your procedure goes well....it's such a shame you are having to deal with all this being so young.
Oh dear you poor love. I have nothing to say that might help you because I don't have this glandular type of Sjögren's - as you know mine is all neuro symptoms and thyroid related and fatigue. I do hope the Rituximab kicks in soon - it must be horrible having swollen glands all the time. Could you be trying to fight off an infection perhaps?
I do have a lot of problems with degenerative arthritis of the lower spine and elsewhere and am presently curled up in bed in the afternoon freezing to the marrow and summoning the energy to run a hot bath for some warmth. This is bad enough and it depresses me that my Mycophenolate isn't doing enough to improve my quality of life more - that it just is as it is.
I know what you mean about not letting our disease take over - this is a hard one for me too because it is very isolating. I saw a woman my age walking up the street this morning in a sleeveless t-shirt and jeans in the sunshine and said "oh she's mad - it's freezing!" to which my hubby replied "no it's not - you're just ill".
Hating that comment!
But sometimes we just have to go with the flow and enjoy what we do have rather than focussing what we don't. In my case a hot bath followed by a big cuppa with something sweet. Oh yes and some new noir on tv - did you watch Rellik on tv last night? Or Dr Foster and her melodramatic revenge fantasy unfolding?!
Take care W 🤗😎😊
Twitchy I'm freezing 11.5 months out of the year. I've learned to love sweaters and fingerless gloves and a small heater that sits under my desk at work. :).
Ha ha well I can't even wear fingerless - I wear ski gloves to paint and iPhone friendly gloves for the rest of time! X
Hi tw , thanks for replying ! I would love to get into a hot bath with a good book but id never be able to get out off it 🙄 I make do with a big cuppa and a jam tart ! Yes i did watch dr foster which i love , i cant watch to see what will happen . Rellik is intriguing , similar to dunkirk which kept rewinding, brilliant film . I was having breakfast in a cafe during the summer when the main character sat down across from us, i would love to have told him how much I enjoyed fortitude but he was enjoying a coffee and a book so didn't disturb him . Have you seen anyone about your back/hips yet , the consultant told me that the inflammatory process of autoimmune disease increases the severity of the wear and tear of our joints. Best wishes and i hope your son has a wonderful time in India, my youngest is settling into Holland, missing him which doesnt help the mood , but he's happy which is all that matters xxx
I hope your treatment goes well weathervane and that you'll soon be feeling a lot better than you do now xx
Thank you flossy , i feel better just chatting to you all , its great support. I hope you are keeping well at the moment, best wishes 🌸🌸🌸
I agree with what you say about overly focusing on our illnesses - I find I sometimes do that... Then I give myself a talking to!
It's all about perspective - a small object can eclipse a larger one when we focus on it.
You sound like you have your share of things to deal with right now, I'm sure that your positive attitude will definitely help.
Take care. 🌻
Thanks , its is important to focus on the good things as much as possible. My husband is very good at that and if i get into a bad place he helps me out of it , he knows instantly when hears my voice if things are not so good , its one of his super powers 😀 I hope you are keeping well , best wishes 🌸🌸🌸🌸
Hi Weathervane,
I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing a lot of pain at the moment; I hope that the pain will calm down and you will be back to your usual self soon.
We published an article on our blog about pain management which I hope you will find useful: lupusuk.org.uk/pain-managem...
Good luck for your upcoming appointment, please let us know how you get on.
Thank you for that information, i will post how it goes on friday . 🌸🌸
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