Holly in PA's First Day with Confirmed RA and Fibromyalgia

Dear Friends,

Yesterday was an emotional day and I didn't get to post until late last night so I am re-posting the reply and adding to it:

from last night-

Hey folks!! I am so sorry it took me this long to post a reply. It's been a roller-coaster of a day! I do have RA- the tests my ortho did actually were positive for the Rheumatoid factor- I think that's what the rheumy said. My ortho doc had only gotten the results for the sed rate and some other ones and didn't have the RF test result. The rheumy called for them today. Additionally- Lupus was negative, Thank God, and most of the blood panel was normal except for a pretty high white blood count.. not sure what that's about and the rheumy doc didn't say. I have more lab work tomorrow as well as an MRI and xrays of both wrists. He also gave me a really lengthy & thorough exam and a pressure point test (?) for fibromyalgia and he said I have that too.... IN any case, I HAVE a Dx as well as a Rheumatologist who I really, really like. I am a little overwhelmed but I wanted to get this post off so you all knew. I'm in wrist splints and I think they do help quite a bit. I want to shower now and I'll come back to post and read more.

THank you all sooooo very much for being here!

Today:

I'm not sure if it's the Dx, weather or my accepting things are changing but my mood is amazingly better and brighter! I

even took a 'road trip' to the closest Blick art store and purchased a projector that will help me with my murals and assorted gadgets that will make my painting pleasurable and pain free again. I felt all kinds of guilt doing it because who knows when I can begin to earn my keep with my art, but my sweet Dave told me to get what would help me stay creative and on-track with my business. I loaded the 2 doodles, Dharma and Zeke, gave baby Zeke his benadryl and prayed he'd not be upset and vomiting this time and drove the hour long trip to Blick's. Well, the benadryl didn't work as expected and poor bqaby Zeke got sick and drooled from the minute we left the driveway until we came home. But I kept a positive outlook and even sang along with my praise CD. LOL

Back to my 'condition': He gave RA as the primary Dx, fibromyalgia as the 2nd. Oddly, though, he also wrote something that looks like "polyurthalgia" under diagnosis, too! I didn't see that until I got home and now I wonder what's up with that! ANyone here know what that term means?? So I am trying to adjust my thinking to my new limitations, honest. I slept until 4 AM last night before I got up to take the doodles outside. I read more stuff on here and grabbed a bowl of fresh raspberries. Then I went back to bed and it hit me: I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE FASTING BLOOD WORK DONE TODAY and I had just wolfed down a good cup and a half of berries with cream! So I called the lab and rescheduled all of the tests for Monday AM. I sure won't eat on Sunday night!! sheesh!

My upcoming game plan is this: Monday- labs, x-rays and MRI; Tuesday- first PT using dexamethasone with electrical stimulation. They had to order in these little vials of that stuff- looks injectable, I think(?). Dave picked it up on his way home from work. So we have progress! Does dexamethasone help at all? What can I expect?

Dr. Gutierrez increased my Prozac to 40 mg, prescribed lidoderm patches and cream, wrist splints and told me to continue on with the vicodin 10/660. (Did I already tell you guys all this??) ANyway, I see this as THE most positive day I've had in weeks, maybe MONTHS. I only broke down and cried once while trying to get dressed and THAT alone is a major improvement!

I even feel good enough to go out to dinner tonight with Dave, his Mom, daughter Allison and her boyfriend. I have to go shower now in fact. I'm not back to where I will attempt eye makeup or I'd end up looking like Annie Lennox did after the Eurythmics years ago. But I am going to wear somthing other than shorts and a t-shirt with paint all over it for a change. Look out world- I'm coming back sort of!

Thanks, dear new friends, for being my therapist. I'm ready to roll off this couch now.

Ciao!

~Holly in PA~

Holly, Congratulations! I understand how just having a doagnosis can put someone on top of the world. I searched for years to answers to my problems and when I was finally told that I had Crohn's Disease - an incurable illness, I cried tears of joy and relief. I was no longer crazy! There was a problem and at least then I could get treatment for it.

The word you can't make out is probably polyarthralgia. Loosely translated, it means joint pain in multiple joints.

The dexamethsone should help you. Many years ago, I used a similar steroid in conjunction with ultrasound to push it in through the skin. It's a steroid and will help with any inflammation you have.

I think that you need to discuss the possibilty of Spondylitis with your Rheumy. You've certainly got a lot fo inflammation going on and that's what the high WBC means. You should also ask him to run a genetic marker test called HLA-B27. Although the results of this aren't set in stone, a positive result might indicate the Spondylitis is behind your symptoms. to learn more about Spondy, you can fins all sorts of info from SAA.

I'm so glad tha tyou were able to get in to see him so quickly and without a referral. Sometimes it really is all about finding the right Doctor. Best wishes.