Category Archives: Rheumatoid Arthritis

Nov 06 2012
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Rheumatoid Arthritis, Solitary Fun

Day 43: Election Day

It’s election day! Like you needed me to tell you that. I’m sure your Facebook home page is just as full of voters, voting pictures, and people urging everyone to vote as mine. I love the atmosphere of an election day. While the days leading up to it may be full of political ads, canvassing calls and that one questionable Facebook tirade from someone from your past, today is all about the right we have as American citizens to vote.

Unfortunately, it is also often riddled with voting horror stories, from hours long lines to machine breakdown. State run voting means there is no standard registration, time frame or even voting method. Combine that with the effects of Sandy and people on the east coast are having quite the day.

In comparison, my voting experience was pleasant, a short wait at the local senior center that was filled with excitement and a little anxiety. I was the one who was excited and anxious. Everyone else seemed tired and bored. Honestly, the last time I voted was absentee and the time before that I was in college (No, I haven’t voted in the midterm elections. Yes, I feel bad about that. And yes, I will start). I was excited to be doing my civic duty and nervous about what exactly the voting process would be like this time around.

I was also nervous about how long my wait might be. I don’t do well standing for long periods of time especially in a line of some kind where there usually isn’t even a wall to lean on. And I don’t like asking for things from strangers, like a seat on the bus or a chair in a voting line. Luckily, I did not have this problem, though I was ready to sit down once I was all the way through.

In the end, I loved voting and am excited to watch the results with friends this evening. I’m hoping that everyone who has more trouble with it than I sticks it out and exercises their right to vote!

Having a voice is fun!

 

Nov 01 2012
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Fun for Couples, Reader Suggested Fun, Rheumatoid Arthritis

Day 38: Bucket List

Its the first time I’m doing a suggested activity from a reader! I have received several very exciting and good ideas from people reading this blog, and I fully intend to do as many of them as I can over the year. The days that I have the hardest time coming up with something to do are the ones where I work until almost 8:00pm. Usually I don’t do the fun thing until I get home and, at that point, I am usually quite tired so going back out to do something is not a great option. My sister sent in a suggestion for something the hubs and I could do together that would also work for our no devices time: make a couple’s bucket list.

We sat at our dining table and started thinking of things we want to do together as a couple. The first thing we came up with was “buy a house.” We put it on the list, but I wanted us to get more creative, to dream a little bigger and maybe even challenge ourselves. I suggested everything from “go in a shark cage” to “climb down a volcano” just to get our minds brainstorming. We then came up with seven less terrifying things to add to our bucket list that is written in the last page of that new notebook.

This whole time, my new shot (Enbrel) was sitting on the table. If you take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before you do it, it is less painful (something about it being cold or not). Instead of sitting and staring at it, waiting to do a shot, I was engaged in a creative and fun activity with my husband. Even while I was going through all of the steps of the injection–of course I was focused and made sure to do them properly–I was thinking of new ideas. It took my mind off of what can be an intimidating and anxiety producing activity and for that, I am very grateful.

Once I finished, we made it a goal to have 10 items on the list, so we came up with the final two, both excellent, but I am partial to “Go to the Super Bowl.” We can surely add to it if we think of more things we would like to do. I am thinking of it as a continuation of the Year of Fun. We probably won’t get to most of the things on the bucket list this year, if any, so they will keep us (me) going after this year is up. Thanks sis for the suggestion (you should do it too)!

Oct 31 2012
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Chicago Specific Fun, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Solitary Fun

Acupuncture Update

Today I went back to Lincoln Square Acupuncture for a second treatment. I wanted to give the first one some time, just to see how I felt. Since then I have gotten a lot of questions from people about what it was like and if it worked.

First, it totally had an effect on the knuckle joint in my left thumb. It may seem small but I feel I can use that hand in a whole new way as a result. And I’m left handed!

Second, we focused last time on my left side and since then I have noticed that my right side feels more stiff or painful than the left. Hmmm…

So today, I told her both of those things and she went to work. She focused on my right knee, which is now more enflamed than the left. She also put two needles in my right hand that “might hurt a little.” These felt like a quick pinch or sting like when you get a regular shot but only felt that way going in.

The sensations I experienced this time were different than the first time. I relaxed and closed my eyes, letting my mind wander. Then I noticed that my fingers felt strange. I knew they were on the arm rest of the chair but instead of feeling the arm rest, I felt nothing. Like they were floating or, and this is going to sound weird, not there at all. Also, my head started getting really heavy and I think I might have almost fallen asleep but at the very moment I was starting to doze, I felt a zing go up my thumb. Needless to say this startled me but it was very quick and did not happen again. The muscles in my shoulder twitched a few times, but I was less anxious about all of these feelings and just kind of let them be.

After she took the needles out, she asked if she could put an herbal liquid on my knee to draw the heat out. I told her that was fine. (I’m sort of up for anything when it comes to this place. It feels good to be that adventurous and spontaneous)! The liquid smelled like a mix between Vicks Vaporub and Bengay and was brownish in color. She said people use it for asthma too so maybe it was exactly that.

I made another appointment for next week and will update again after that one. Please feel free to post any questions. At this point though, I do recommend trying it.

Oct 25 2012
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Rheumatoid Arthritis, Solitary Fun

Day 31: Reflections

I’ve completed my first month of this journey and I feel like a lot has changed. First, I can tell that my attitude has generally improved. Now I have never thought of myself as a negative person. It’s just that my attitude and energy level were low pretty consistently before I took on this project. But now I feel positive and happy more than negative and sad.

Having more fun has led to maintaining positivity and higher energy.

Second, my confidence has improved. Over just one month of sharing so many personal things, I’ve really started owning who I am more. It feels like a weight has been lifted or a door opened that was buried or shut tight before. My relationships with my friends and family who read this blog have grown, and it seems people feel like they can ask me about my experience with Rheumatoid Arthritis whereas before it might have felt like a taboo subject.

Having more fun leads to confidence and ownership of self.

Third, I often have to think creatively both to come up with new fun things to do and to then write what are, hopefully, funny, interesting, relatable blog posts. Writing every day is not easy. Some days I feel too tired to put in the effort that I should or would like to. But some days I am so inspired! On those days, I tend to feel most proud of the posts that I write. And I really do need more suggestions of fun things. I keep a running list, but it would be nice to get more ideas from any readers out there. I plan to do a suggestion from the ones I’ve received very soon.

Having more fun leads to creativity and inspiration.

And finally, my arthritis is doing better. There are a lot of factors contributing to this–the cortisone shot, taking medication regularly, acupuncture, walking/getting exercise, eating right–however all of the positive changes I have experienced because of this blog, especially when it comes to attitude, energy and confidence, must be factor, of this I am sure. I had an appointment with my rheumatologist this morning, and he said that attitude has a lot do with treatment. When you feel confident and comfortable with a treatment, it is more effective.

We were discussing treatment options because I had a lot of questions and reservations about the infusion (that I never started). From our conversation this morning, we decided to go back to a medication that has worked well for me in the past called Enbrel. It has been years since I’ve given this drug a real shot, so I’ll take it through the holidays, but if by January it does not seem effective, we will move on to something else. I feel good about taking Enbrel because I am familiar with it having taken it before. The dose is once per week, so my doctor and I will have more control over how much medication I receive (and therefore how suppressed my immune system is) should I contract any kind of infection. And, finally, Phil Mickelson, pro golfer takes it. (That’s a little joke. Well, he really does take it and do the commercials for it, but that is not a reason why I want to take it. Really. I swear).

Having fun leads to better health.

So as you can see, I am already seeing benefits and learning a lot from this project. A few of my goals before the new year include:

  1. incorporating more suggested activities
  2. taking more pictures and including them in the posts
  3. taking on a few larger projects or fun activities that might have multiple parts and include more people

Further down the road, maybe after the new year, I want to somehow include some kind of fundraiser for arthritis research. This is not a fully formed idea yet, but I would love to somehow use this blog or one or many of my fun activities to raise money and awareness for arthritis research. I am not sure if it would be through an existing organization like the Arthritis Foundation or through something of my own. (Please message me if you have any brilliant ideas about this).

So today’s fun activity is taking the time to reflect on what I am doing, acknowledge that it is working and set some goals for the future. Having fun can be work, but it is also, well, fun.

Oct 24 2012
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Fun at Work, Rheumatoid Arthritis

Day 30: Ready for my close up.

To be totally honest, I had no idea what my fun activity was going to be today as of 7:30pm when I finished work. As I walked to the back staff room to clock out, a co-worker approached me. She told me that, for each show, she does a funny video that she plays during the last week of performances when everyone is hanging around the theater after the show and asked me if I would like to be in this one. Apparently, she has been filming people lip synching to Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger. Each person does an assigned line and acts however they want. She will piece it all together over the song and voila, funny video.

Normally I would be very nervous to do something like this. The idea of being on camera in something people will see would make me very self conscious not only about my acting skills (or lack thereof) but also how I look. Now I love clothes, fashion and looking cute. Those things make me feel good and confident, however there are parts of my body that I don’t think look right–knuckles, knees, feet–that I think are ugly and super noticeable. In fact, one could probably argue that my efforts to dress cute could be a way to camouflage those parts of my body I do not like, but if that is true, it is certainly is not conscious. I don’t spend that much time thinking about this. And those parts of my body probably aren’t as noticeable as I think they are. But the thoughts bubble up when presented with a task like be in this video where you lip synch and look a fool because it is funny and we are all doing it to celebrate the show.

Despite all this I agreed to do it. To which she replied, “Great! We could just do it right now.” Ok…

My assigned line: “Doesn’t mean I’m over cuz you’re gone.”
My action: I’m singing in to the pay phone in our lobby (yes, we really have one) and by the time I get to “gone,” I’ve slammed the phone back on the receiver. Very dramatic.

She had her phone playing the song, so I would get the timing right, and we went for it. Two takes. Nailed it. And I only needed the second take because the pay phone started ringing in my ear during the first and I got scared it was calling someone and hung up without lip synching. Since we filmed my line immediately, I did not have any time to get worried or self conscious. I just did it. I let go, and it was really fun. I’d like to think writing this blog and generally opening up more has helped my confidence as well.

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