Category Archives: Rheumatoid Arthritis

Oct 16 2012
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Pamper/Beautify, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Solitary Fun

Day 22: Acupuncture

Ever since I was diagnosed with RA, people have been telling me to try acupuncture. When I worked for the local veterinary hospital in eighth grade, one of the vets, who performed acupuncture on dogs, even offered to do it on me. Until today, however, I never entertained the thought further than, “That might be interesting.”

For my appointment at Lincoln Square Acupuncture, I was told to wear comfortable clothes, pants that could roll above my knees and a shirt that could roll above the elbows. When I arrived, I filled out a form on an iPad and then was instructed to take off my shoes and pick a chair in the communal acupuncture room. Three other people were already inside relaxing. No one seemed to notice me, so I tried a chair, didn’t like it and moved to another, more satisfactory one.

When the acupuncturist came in, she and I discussed quietly my needs and what I should expect. She noticed my hands and left knee, feeling them for heat. Somehow she decided where I needed the small needles and started with a spot right between my eyes. It didn’t hurt at all. I just felt a tingling sensation. Then she put more needles in various parts of my body, mostly on the left side. I sat totally still and closed my eyes trying to both relax and pay attention to what I felt.

Throughout my half hour I felt all of the following; tingling, heat, aches, heaviness, and movement. That last one was tricky. I felt like my back was moving or rocking yet I was absolutely certain it was not. When the acupuncturist came and took my needles out, she told me all of those sensations meant it was working and my energy was flowing. She recommended I come three more times over the next two weeks to help with my pain.

I paid for my appointment (they offer a pay-what-you-can between $30-$50 for the first appointment and $20-$40 for any subsequent appointments) and did not make another one. I decided to wait to see how I felt the rest of the day before making a decision. Mostly I felt relaxed and calm all over. My left hand, where I felt the most weight during the treatment, has progressively felt lighter and lighter throughout the day. Now it feels as if something has been released or a weight lifted in the knuckles of the thumb and first finger. It’s a pretty amazing feeling!

I plan to go back a few more times to see if it progresses. Who knows? This may become an integral part of my care.

Oct 14 2012
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Friends and Family, Rheumatoid Arthritis

Day 20: A Simple Phone Call

A few days ago, my Grandmother left me a voicemail while I was at work. She heard that I wasn’t feeling well and wanted to check on me. I loved getting that voicemail because she does not usually call me (I think she thinks it bothers me if I am busy?) Too often, I think she waits for me to call her and too often, I let too much time pass between our conversations. For example, this is day 20 of the blog and I have not talked to her since I started. Until today.

I love talking to my Grandma because she is just about the nicest most positive person. She always has something good to say about whatever situation I find myself in. On me complaining about working too many nights and weekends, “I know it’s rough but isn’t it nice to come home and your husband and your dog are there waiting for you? Beats an empty house!” On the sorry state if the Chicago Cubs, who she loves dearly, “It’s awful. I know it. But if they get some of those young guys in there and give them a few years, they’ll turn it around. We’ll see.” On my whole arthritis situation, “Boy I wish I had it instead of you, Sarah. You’re too young to have to deal with all that. That’s for Grandmas. But you do a good job and you’ve got good friends. I hear your husband does a great job too. And I love you.”

I never feel sad after talking to her, only bad that I don’t call or see her more. At 88, she lives in an apartment that is part of a care facility. Most of her immediate needs are met on the campus but she still maintains her own residence, car and independent lifestyle. She does not have a computer, cell phone or even an answering machine, by choice. She sends hand written letters, bakes cookies at Christmas and watches as many sporting events as she possibly can, rooting for Iowa if it’s college and Chicago if professional. She is also 60 years older than me to the day. I, her first grandchild, was born on her sixtieth birthday and I think it is one of the most interesting things about me. We plan to throw a big party when I turn 30 and she turns 90. It will be so big that, in her words, “we might even have booze.”

It was great to talk to her. I feel rejuvenated and ready for a new week. As I continue to do fun things, I find more activities that I want to incorporate more regularly in to my life. Calling my Grandmother every week just jumped right to the top of that list.

From my sister’s wedding, 9/10/11.

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Oct 12 2012
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Fitness, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Solitary Fun

Day 18: Dog Walker

About 10 months ago, over a period of about a month, I would walk our dog every day around midday. I was not working at the time, so it was a good way to help keep me (and her) on a schedule. Plus I enjoyed the exercise even if it was winter in Chicago. When my husband (then fiance) came home at night, I would tell him where we went and what we saw. Yet, after having a lymph node removed in January, I had to stop walking. I was recovering, and my arthritis was inflamed–it was one of two turning points for the worse I can identify (the other was at the end of last May). We got a professional dog walker and I have not attempted to walk her since.

Today, Elphaba and I made our triumphant return to the streets of Chicago at midday. It really is a lovely time to go out in our neighborhood. There are very few people out, and the people you do see are either moms with strollers, postal workers and other dog walkers (aka people who say hi and smile). Sometimes the children at the Catholic School up the block are at the park behind their church for recess. It’s especially lovely now because it is fall–crisp air, leaves on the ground. It is just perfect for walking.

And Elphie (which is what we call her for short) is a pretty good walking partner. Her leash walking skills are OK. I would say average just because she still likes to pull from time to time and can sometimes get too distracted by people/dogs/trucks/leaves to listen to what is being asked of her. At a year and half and thirty pounds, she is not capable of pulling my husband down the street when they run/walk but she somehow managed to catch me off guard twice today. Once was because she saw a house with that fake spiderweb stuff hanging from the fence. It moved in the wind. This is something that terrifies her so she tried to sprint in the other direction. The other time she just smelled a place in the grass she really wanted to get to.

I will admit that when our dog walker texted me today to check in, I was tempted to say please come, as I have all week, even though I have been and would be home. Instead I said we would not need him today and then found myself putting on my old dog walking gear; nice walking shoes, an athletic jacket, leggings, scarf and sunglasses. I was nervous about how long I would be able to walk and how far from home we should go, so I decided to stick to nearby streets and just take my time. While I was focused on Elphie and her walking skills, I was also paying close attention to mine. Having some relief from all the swelling and pain I had been experiencing in my left knee made the walk easier. I kept reminding myself to bend that knee. “Walk normal. Walk normal. Walk normal,” was my pace and mantra. And for the most part, it worked!

We were gone for 25 minutes and went about one mile, with stops for dog business and photo ops of course. When we got home, I felt great. Like you do after a good workout, strong, confident and hungry. And it was a workout for me. I have literally not exercised in 10 months but hopefully this is the beginning of a new period of activity for Elphie and me.

Oct 10 2012
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Around the House/DIY, Fun for Couples, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Solitary Fun

Day 16: Daily Life

This might not seem like fun to a lot of you, but today I got so much done around the house before I had to go to work. I was able to do three loads of laundry, pick up all the little piles of “stuff” around the house, finish our thank you cards (finally), order a replacement for a clothing item that was recently chewed up by our dog, conquer my fear of killing and flushing a giant centipede, start a memory board project that I will probably blog about later, organize desk papers, Lysol all the knobs, handles and light switches in our condo, and make a list of future cleaning and home projects, all because the shot to my knee had me moving around like a new person from the moment I got up this morning. Honestly, I felt like-well not really a new person-more like an old me I remember fondly.

A me who likes everything to be clean, organized and in place. Who likes starting projects, working on projects and finishing projects. Who likes going from room to room seeing what needs to be done, making a list and then checking things off the list. I’ve found that if I am not satisfied with some part of my life, cleaning and organizing my living area makes me feel better. It gives me such a sense of accomplishment and relieves my stress. To quote Clueless, “It gives [me] a sense of control in a world full of chaos.” (Ten points to whomever knows what does this for Cher in the movie).

For so long, I have not been able to do any if this. Sure, I would tackle an occasional project here and there but really, because of my arthritis and almost constant resting, my husband has been in charge of the household. Don’t get me wrong, he does a good job, but I actually like cleaning and organizing while he does it because it has to be done. Note: husband, if you are reading this, this does not mean that I will no longer expect you to clean 🙂

I guess I also just felt more like an active participant in real life today. And that felt just great.

Oct 09 2012
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Food/Drink Fun, Fun for Couples, Rheumatoid Arthritis

Day 15: Changing Things Up

Tonight, I directed dinner the way one might direct a play if the actors (well in this case actor) had never looked at the script. From my place on the couch, I looked at a recipe for chicken paprikash and told my husband what to do in the kitchen. It was a cooking challenge the likes if which you might see on Top Chef.

I would demand things like, “Measure two cups of chicken broth, but DON’T PUT IT IN YET.” And he would ask things incredulously like, “Two cups of chicken broth?!” He asked towards the end, “Is this supposed to be a sauce, like a thick sauce?” My response, “I don’t know. I’ve never made it.” Him: “Well it’s a lot of sauce!” Me: “Are you having fun?” Him: “Yeah.”

Now I do not always enjoy cooking. I’m more of a baker, but as something to do as a couple, I like it. Usually, I would participate more actively, measuring, stirring, but still probably giving directions. This time I had to do it from the couch, because I had my knee injected today, so we made a fun game out of it. I couldn’t see what he was doing and he could only rely on my interpretation of the recipe and guidance. It was a test of our communication skills with delicious results.

Having my knee injected was only part of today’s appointment. My doctor does not think these current medications are working so we are moving on to bigger, stronger things. Now I have not done my research yet (that’s for later tonight) but it looks like I will be taking Actemra, an infusion. I will go in to the office once a month for about two hours to get the medication via IV. Just from talking with my doctor, it seems the risks and side effects are the same as other drugs in this class that I have taken, Enbrel and Humira. But he still encouraged me to read “the whole scary list” so we could talk about it. He knows that I have a tendency towards anxiety when it comes to these potential side effects, so I will want to make sure we are monitoring them closely.

New medications in particular put me on edge because I don’t know how my body will respond and I worry about the worst possible outcome. It’s like seeing a drug commercial on tv and wondering why on earth anyone would take it with the list of potential side effects they rattle off at the end. But as my doctor likes to point out to me, the risks are rare and usually manageable while the benefits could be exponential for me. And this disease has its own risks, just as scary (things like heart attack, stroke, and cancer) when left uncontrolled.

So I’m learning to live in the moment and not worry about potential future side effects of medication or disease. I’ll still be cautious, do my research and keep my eye out for strange symptoms, but I’ll try not to let stress keep me from life and my fun activities.

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