I barely slept all weekend, worrying about finally seeing the Rheumatologist on Weds. I had a GP appointment tonight and was worrying about that too. I had to drive over to a meeting with a new client I needed to impress, so was stressing out about a long drive on no sleep and worrying i'd go brain-blank in the middle of talking to them. Then back in the office just after lunch time I then spent the day packing and putting up flat pack furniture as we moved office this afternoon.
To say I feel exhausted would be a bit of an understatement.
The GP i saw this evening was very understanding, he said that due to so many joints being affected a course of steroids would help, so I finally have a prescription for some. Given my Rheumy appointment is so close he didn't want to make too many changes, which is fair enough and makes sense.
So, for now, more pain meds and a course of steroids. It's a start.
Thank goodness today is over, excuse me whilst I collapse in a heap!
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ShellyWelly
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As if we haven't enough to cope with and then poor sleeping and added stress. Relax in the bath or flop on the bed with a very large glass of vino or large G&T. A good nights sleep is what you deserve. Hope you get it.
Hey Footdoc - sounds awesome!! I've not picked up my prescription yet so could be my last chance for a tipple of a wee while Determined to get a decent nights sleep tonight!! THanks my lovely x
Hi Shelly- I am so sorry to hear that you have had no sleep. I know what that is like as well... flipping and flopping all night trying to find the right place to have less pain... but I seem to never find it. I was thinking of you today and wondering if you have decided to go with the MTX or not. I am to go back on Aug 4 and am still scared to death. I do know that is has gotten worse and with the Fibromyalgia with it... no end in pain. I one day decide... I will try it... the next day I say... I am not. Ugh...
We have made plans to go camping in Sept for a week and two weeks in Oct... we love camping as well and I use to hike all the time... I can no longer do that of course at the moment. Praying one day to start again... I am concerned if I start the MTX and away from home... what if... what if... then I become very anxious and have to calm down. Then I wonder about the unknown... will it make me sick, will it cause me so much fatigue I will not be able to enjoy our away time???
Then I have friends here, friends on this site and family that tell me to "try it" and see if it works... but I guess in the back of my mind, I know how my body "acts up" when given a chemical... it usually tells me... I am not doing this and then causes more trouble for me. I once took a steroid shot for pain from previous back surgery and had anaphylaxis shock and was in the trauma unit for 12 hours... see.... told you. So, this is still hammering at me pretty bad.
Hey Proudmom - you were thinking of me? How lovely! No sleep is just the worst isn't it? I don't suffer from insomnia too often, but when my pain and anxiety is high, it does tend to happen.
If I am offered it, I will take it, as i've read a lot of peoples experiences and it does seem to help a lot. So we shall see.
Great to hear you have planned to go camping! It's not the best activity when your joints hurt and your body aches though is it?! I do hope you will be able to enjoy it. I can relate to you worrying and thinking 'what if' all the time. I think taking MTX is going to be a shock to anyones system, it's not like taking an Asprin that's for sure!
Having anaphylactic shock from a steroid injection is pretty scary, no wonder you are so worried about how your body will react.
I hope you feel able to make a deicions soon and are able to face some of your anxiety over it. I guess some people are luckier than others when it comes to side effects and how they react, you never know, it might turn out not to be as bad as you've feared (or try and tell yourself that anyway!).
I hope you have a nice evening - dinner time now, then an early night for me!!
Yes, I was thinking about YOU! I remember reading that you were very worried about taking the MTX like myself and wondered how you were. I too suffer with anxiety and at times have to take meds to help with that. I tend to overload with that at times. But.. I have noticed that many people who suffer with this also have anxiety/depression.. sure from all the pain.
Camping was loads of fun for me at one time, but unfortunately I now find it to be a chore. I push myself to go for my husband and son since my husband especially loves it. He is such a sweetheart though.. he will always make sure we go slow and pitches in to make things as simple as possible for me.
Yes, I do agree that MTX will shock anyone's system.. not just mine. So you have decided to take it then? I pray I can make up my mind before next week...
Have been in loads of pain today.. do you suffer with it in your hips, shoulders, neck and back as well? As I said, I also have fibro, so my rheumy says that I am "complicated"... go figure. So at this point it is hard for her to tell if the hip pain, shoulder etc is the RA or the Fibro.
Cannot do many pain meds and she refuses to give me steroids now.... wonder why? LOL
Hope you have a great night sleep and let me know how things go for you.
I think sometimes it's good to have something that makes us push ourselves and continue doing things, like continuing to camp for the sake of your husband and son. Glad to hear he is supportive and a help, same for me. I find set up very hard so my partner now does a lot of it. I've also had to change my bed as sleeping on a low airbed is too difficult for me to get up off these days!
I do suffer quite badly with my hips and back too. They tend to hurt less frequently, than my wrists, hands, elbows, ankles and feet, but my hips, lower back and shoulders are all affected and always either just achey or very painful.
I have also been diagnosed with Fibro, but aren't so sure, as the fatigue and a foggy head are also a part of RA, but I do get a lot of random Firbo-like pain all over my body, like a bolt of lightening going off inside me. i'm still busy convincing myself it is all 'just' the RA doing it though. I can't be bothered having a second condition to think about! lol
I had a much better sleep last night thank you. I hope I manage to sleep tonight, tomorrow is my first time seeing my Rheumatologist. I just hope he agrees with the diagnosis of 4 Dr's and the diagnostic specialist I saw a few months ago!
So glad you slept last night. I can relate to your apprehension about the apt tomorrow, but hopefully all will be confirmed and you can start. I am a good one for talking.. right? I can find encouragement for others, but not myself.
Really not happy about going for so many labs all the time, but I want them to watch carefully as well.
I am blessed to work from home and am able to do lots of my conference calls using Skype.. if I had to work outside the home, not sure I could do it.
My husband and i were talking last night about our planned trips in Sept/ Oct and the labs... guess they will inform me what to do. But, as one person told me.. I should be on once a month by then anyway if all goes well.
Hoping you have a good day and keep me posted on your visit tomorrow.
Lois
Hi - I'm not sleeping much either. My body is raging with burning pins and needles now - especially hands and feet. I'm not a good sleeper at the best of times but I find 20mg Amitriptyline helps a bit although I may need to raise the dose soon.
Like you I'm worrying like mad about my rheumy appointment on Friday. I'm a mass of contradictions because my RD responds very well to the drugs but the rest of me just doesn't seem to be able to tolerate them at all. So I'm lucky and pretty unlucky simultaneously.
I don't think I've yet had a rheumy appointment that I haven't got stressed out about and I've had about 8 now. I usually feel like I'm back at square one re the drugs - but actually MTX and Hydroxy have made a huge difference to me and I took both for a few years. When I was diagnosed in 2011 I couldn't bend my fingers beyond a few centimetres maximum and wrists were horrific. I have to remember this now in order to say that things can and hopefully will get better for all of you who are at the beginning. I have met quite a few people with RD now and none have been even half as intolerant of these drugs as I have been. Many of them find MTX life transforming. Just because you respond very badly to one drug it doesn't mean you will to others. That's what I'm telling myself too!
Hi Twitchy - not sleeping is just the worst! I've been taking Amatryptaline for years now - it does nothing for pain, but stayed on it as it helps me to sleep. I've recently weaned myself down from 50mg to 25mg. Some nights I still have to take a couple of Nytol on top of that to drop off though, even though I know I shouldn't!
Although it's not good hearing your appointments stress you out, it is good to know i'm not alone in feeling anxious about them. Sounds like you were in a really bad way back in 2011, so pleased that the drugs have helped.
I hope you have a restful night tonight and thanks for the good luck message for tomorrow xx
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Determined to get a decent nights sleep tonight!! THanks my lovely x
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