A million thanks to everyone for your support and sharing, you don’t know how much it has helped.💕
I saw the endodontist yesterday and he lanced the infection, practically painless, which is saying a lot since I’m such a big baby about medical stuff. He was also reassuring about healing while on prednisone, can affect but not too much. He gave me his cell number in cas of any problems over the weekend. In two weeks hopefully the root canal can be done. He has the most soothing voice and reassuring manner... I think I’m in love!
But then had another contentious call from the rheumy’s assistant. She relayed our last conversation to him about me not wanting to reduce right now, but said “ the abcess and GCA are two separate things and he still wants me to reduce from 40 to 30.” I emphasized of course I do want to reduce the pred, just wait a bit until I feel better.
I’m pretty wiped out. Going to leave the problem with the doctors office alone this weekend, make a big pot of chicken soup and watch old movies, and hopefully not worry that every fleeting head pain is GCA.
Thanks again everyone. ❤️
Written by
Mstiles
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I'm happy you are feeling better! Yes rest this weekend and fight that reduction battle next week. : ( Also don't forget to call Dr "Reassuring Voice" if you feel anything out of the ordinary. If nothing else, you'll feel better! : )
Sounds like things are going well with the dental issues. Good! And it's all very well for the rheumatologist's assistant to say that abscess and GCA are two different issues. That may be, but they're occurring in the same body, so good for you standing up to her. Enjoy your chicken soup and cosy weekend. Here my son has just assembled a large shelving unit in the picture window of my living room, with one shelf reserved for the cats to bask on, all ready to receive trays of seedlings. Spring is coming!
How do you keep the cats from eating the greenery? One of mine keeps eating any herbs I plant. Seems to like chives the best. Ate them right down to the dirt. My daughter says while his breath smells it's better than cat food breath!
You can buy seeds of cat grass. They like eating that. And of course cat mint will divert them. (For susceptible cats, which is most of them, the cat mint gives them a short lived ‘high’)
My staffie eats all my coriander! Coriander breath is nicer than dog breath, so I plant extra.
Last year, the first year we had this giant shelving unit, we made an area for them to lie on just at window height, and that's where they go. The plants were above them and they completely ignored them, until I started taking them outdoors to harden them off, and if I left kale in particular in the porch one of the cats was interested in sampling it. Our cats are a bit odd. We got them when they were four years old, extremely obese, yet when we offered them a scrap of chicken as a treat, which our former cat had adored, they didn't for the longest time know it was food we were offering them. So I think they'd had rather deprived lives. I even bought them some cat grass not long ago and they completely ignored it. So, who knows? I think a cat who likes to nibble greenery is a bit more normal. That being said, I don't grow herbs in the house and I think that's probably a holdover from said former cat who even made herself ill eating a few leaves of a houseplant once, and would go after anything green within reach. Mind you, she also had a fancy for styrofoam and would shred any piece of styrofoam packaging if you didn't dispose of it right away. Must be a texture thing!
Cats are funny critters, I had one who loved frozen peas, another who would kill for a slice of melon, and a pair of brothers who thought Chinese food was a feast. All rescues, so they all bring baggage with them. I figured they knew what they needed.
Your plan for this evening sounds perfect. I just sobbed my way through Atonement. Glad that you are in love with your endodontist, he sounds like a dream. Good for you standing up to the Rottweiler. I bet the actual Rheumie is a pussycat, it’s often the way. Good luck with the root canal. Keep in touch.
Morning M, great to hear your gum / dental problem has improved. Can I suggest please that reducing pred in big chunks is not good for your blood pressure. Those in the know will say 1mg a month reduction, is the way forward. Just saying out of concern.
Morning to you too Oldman. Thanks, yes reducing slowly is better. It’s a work in progress with my rheumy. I’m still on 40 mg after being diagnosed with PMR/GCA beginning of January. Confusing symptoms when trying to reduce.
Glad that your tooth issues seem to be under control that you have confidence there. Also good for you sticking to your guns, always difficult when you feel on your own in these situations but you're not because you're on here!! Yes tackle this after the weekend. Let us know how you get on.
Thank you Jackoh. Yes if you have confidence in your doctor/dentist, it makes all the difference in dealing with this. Never been a very assertive person so this has been a lesson for me!
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