rheumy visit today

I am so emotional right now, I want to feel better and feel normal whatever that is.

I am in a huge flare right now, inflammation is wrecking havoc all over my body, doc put me on pred for 10 days and I am to report to her if it helps my headaches and lower back pain, under my ribs, etc. She also wants me to see a neurologist for the headaches. I had her refer me, my appt is the end of the month.

Had my bone density test and my hips are one step away from osteoporosis, I am only 37!!!!!!! She put me on Boniva once a month and a calcium supplement of 1200 - 1500 mg a day in addition to 50,000 IU of Vit D weekly and eating yogurt, etc daily. The good news is my spine looks good! Also supposed to walk on the treadmill at least 3 days a week.

I am to start taking a multivitamin with iron and a low dose aspirin every day.

She does want me to go ahead with the holter monitor testing this Friday for the tachycardia.

She wanted to know if I could take some time off, I really can't right now. She wants me to at least stay out of work tomorrow.

I talked to her about the way my PCP treated me on my last visit and she gave me a referral to a PCP problem is she is 45 min away and I can't find her on my provider list with my health insurance company.

Thanks for listening

((((((((( Stacie ))))))))))) Thinking about you sis . . . Blessings!

Thank you Ginny and Rosie,

I always put on a strong front or try to anyway, I almost broke down in the doctor's office because of the way my feet and legs look compared to before I got sick. I guess that was the start of it all..... then I had a meltdown while talking to my friend at work, then cried alone for a bit and then broke down on my hubby. Tomorrow will be a better day

Osteopenia, yes that's it. Is yours in your hips too? Do you suffer with a lot of hip pain? Boy I do, the MTX helped a lot until this flare but doc doesn't want to increase MTX as my WBC just came up to 3.7 from 2.8.

Pred is not one of my normal meds but I really hope it helps get this flare under control.

Thank you for listening to me whine.

Hi Stacie,

I too am sorry to hear you are suffering so much! I know what it's like to feel like you can't take time off of work, trust me I've been right were you are at. Thing is I put my work first and thought they couldn't do with out me, my rheumy kept telling me " you have got to take some time off and de-stress" I told him there was no way I could do it, my employer was laying people off left and right, I just couldn't risk it. Well, I just worked myself literally almost to death, 10 - 12 hour days, sometimes seven days a week, then when I wasn't physically at work I was on call, 24 hrs a day, I'm not joking. What ended up happening is I ended up in the hospital, my body went into a major flare and I haven't been able to work since the end of September 08! I would have been better off if I had listened to him upfront and taken time off.

I know our lives are different, each of us has different economic situations and what not, but seriously, the one thing I have found out is no matter how much money I have I can't buy my health and by trying so hard to keep my job and stressing so hard over it I have done a lot more damage to my body. I just don't want to see that happen to you if at all possible.

Please, take care of yourself and do what you can to take it easy!

Melissa

Stacie, I too have osteopena. My rheumy and pcp are having a fight because I can't tolerate boneva or fosomax so I need to do the IV meds and they can't decide who should do it. I am going to ask my rheumy just to handle it cause I am sick of being told it's not my job. My rheumy knows a doctor who can do it for me but wanted to give my pcp a chance. My pcp wants me to see this other doctor first who I saw once a few years ago who claims since my kidneys are okay I don't have lupus and my other health issues- he informed me my whole problem is I am fat and lazy. I say keep on top of the problem because osteoporosis is horrible- my great grandma had it as well as lupus.