I’ve been absent for a while…Reader’s Digest Version to follow. Though I haven’t been posting, I’ve been reading for a bit, and as usual….” You raise me up,” and I’m grateful.
You may recall I had shoulder replacement surgery in July, and my arm is in amazing condition considering the interruptions in my physio. I had two weeks of treatment in September and then none until last week, but I have great flexibility. I’m quite satisfied with it.
In September, diverticulitis progressed to a bowel perforation. They stopped all my immunosuppressant meds and a few others while I got a few ‘gallons’ of antibiotics IV to clear the abdominal infection. Since I was still on antibiotics for three weeks after discharge…no Actemra for me! At that time, I continued the 1 mg; in retrospect, I probably should have taken more...but~
Not surprisingly, I guess, my head got quite messed up in late October, and I thought maybe I’d had a slight stroke, confusion, and a vicious headache. After 49 months and getting to 1 mg of prednisone, my neurologist and rheumatologist admitted me to the hospital for pulse treatment of 500mg of methylprednisolone for three days, and I was discharged on 60 mg of pred tablets, which I am still taking. I’ll see my rheumy on Friday and see where we go. A neuro-opthalmologist examined my eye, and though my optic nerve of the right eye is pale ‘with a few white spots’; he doesn’t feel I’ve suffered any serious damage. My vision in that eye is blurry….but hopefully, it is all the pred.
Good news…NO stroke! My ophthalmologist said a prescription lens would improve my right eye, but I’ve chosen to wait before buying until I see where the pred goes.
My husband’s dementia is picking up speed, and I do think all these events overwhelmed him and scared him. I’ve been talking to myself and feel I have a plan for the moment and don’t need to borrow from the future.
That is about as short as I could get it…and I'm so happy to be back.💞💞💞