There are some on here who must have thought I fell off the edge of the planet it is so long since I've posted......there is a reason.....bare with me please.
First a brief history.....have battled RD for nearly 5 years now. Once diagnoised I was put on MTX which helped but due to complications (bad effect on the auld liver) so for the next 18 months I was on pain relief only until I got funding for Bio's. Once funding was approved I was on 4/5 different Bio's...some worked and then stopped, some didn't work at all and the rest I once again had complications with and had to stop using.
I'm also sero-negative so I had limits on what I could tolerate. When I had used up all the Bio's available to me I was put on a tiny dosage of just 5mg of Pred. I started this in the Spring of this year. Gradually over the months my pain grew less and less. I still got tired during the day but nothing like I used to be.
I had an appointment with the darling Dr Armstrong there on the 9th. To say he was amazed is to put it mildly. My Dr Armstrong is soooooooo laid back and lovely I often think he is on something too!!!! But no he isn't and his reaction to my lack of pain was heartwarming. "You have no inflammation in your joints Jean", he said in utter amazement, "I know, what's going on", I asked. "Well", said he, "I'm not entirely sure but on a rare occasion Bio's can start to work even after months of stopping with nothing happening. The Bio's that you were on have sort of 'kicked in' and you are experiencing the results", "Am I in remission", I asked "Well you certinally could be", he said and then I said "Well that's good enough for me" and I nearly danced out out of his office but not before I gave him a big hug and wished him and all of his a very Merry Christmas......(hope I got my almost forgotten primary school punctuation correct).
Now as with RD there is always something that just won't give up, just won't give you a minutes peace.....for me that is my jaw. I could jump over a row of houses I feel so well but for all that my jaw continues to deteriorate. I also had an appointment with my Dental Surgeon on Nov 28th. Had an X-Ray update and saw another lovely young Irish Dr who was so attentive and encouraging.....I seem to get them don't I?
Anyhow the X-Ray showed that there is now a hole where my jaw hing (did I spell that correctly? It just doesn't look right but you know what I mean don't you? I spelt keep with one e last week!) should be. My jaw locks every now and then and it makes so much noise grinding that when I eat or speak I think the person sitting beside me can hear it!!!! The gorgeous Dr Tom froze the side of my face and then put a syring into what is left of my jaw bone and zapped me with a double dose of steroid......boom, pain gone now there too, but no lovely warm crusty bread over the holidays, a small price to pay really, so, yippie!!!
I'm to see him again on the 6th or the 9th of Jan to see how things are. I have one more procedure to have done under anistetic (now I know that is spelt wrong but this site won't give me the correct spelling, sorry) and then I'm off to London (I live in Ireland) for a jaw replacement in the future. I have all this on the left side but I do have erosion on the right side too but it is not at a critical stage and long may it stay that way.
Now I have developed a thingie in my left lung too that is causing all sorts of problems but it is too close to C'mas and I'm not going to go into all that now. Surface to say that my much loved Dr Armstrong has it all in hand and is sending me to another "young, handsome Dr who will sort you out", he told me........could I be in safer hands? I very much doubt it!
This year I put up decorations, for the first time in years, with the help of my lively granddaughter Gemma who went into the attic to get them down for me. Of course she had an ulterior motive as she and her partner have just moved into their first home, money is tight and she was looking to see what was going spare! Sure we've all been there haven't we? I don't mind really as I have a life time of much loved decorations and I like the idea of them going to the next generation. I also have two brothers coming over from the States until the New Year too and I'm hosting a Buffet on New Years Eve for the family too.......so, I'm full of drugs and I'm feeling like I haven't felt in such a long time and I intend to make the most of it while it lasts.
To all of you who may not be feeling so well I do know how that feels, I'm not likely to ever forget it. I do hope that this coming year will bring you relief and that your life will be better. What is happening to me as I was told is rare but that doesn't stop me wishing the same outcome to you no matter where you are on this road.
To all my auld mates on here have a great C'mas and NY and I'll see everyone in 2016......jasus, 2016.......how did it happen so fast? Oh well sure what can you do? Enjoy as best you can. Love to all in NRAS too. XXXXXX
Back to methotrexate...which I'm allergic to?!?!
I'm new here, would say hello to everyone
