I'm doing well here in already hot Texas! I've even managed some gardening. Adding a raised garden to grow a few veggies this summer. I haven't been able to do a vegetable garden in four years!! My PsA is managing well. Still on Enbrel, once a week, with a 1/2 tramadol and 400mgs IBU three times daily. No bad flares since Christmas and overall in good health. Trying to walk more and do some around the house exercising. Feeling much happier these days.
I am delighted for you and excited to hear you’ve regained some abilities that have been lost so long! I haven’t been able to garden or dance or walk more than very short distances for 2-3 years, and I really miss them… I dream about being able to do some of those things again, once my treatment starts to work… Enjoy your growing!
Great to hear from you, Amielynn! I’m doing a lot better than I was when my Enbrel was failing: I’ve switched horses, and Humira is going pretty well, so far.
You may have noticed that we have some new people here and I’m sure they are buoyed by your message. Remember when yu thought you’d never be able to (fill in the blank) again? As we keep saying, it does get better. Treatment gets better, our symptoms get better, and our ability to pace and manage our activity gets better.
Are you still home schooling, Amielynn? How is that going?
Hi, Amielynn! Glad to hear your doing better these days! I am at the park with my kids and their friends after talking myself into I am so glad to be out and about. Congratulations on your garden what a great treat to reward yourself with! I considered it this year but suddenly we have a huge toxic pollution that recently was discovered in our area so no way can I grow anything edible this year even in a pot. So sad considering Oregon was considered such a clean state even to locals. Take care!
Seenie: Yes, I have seen some new people around. And yes, I remember thinking I would never be able to move again! I was annoyed at the slow pace. I wanted everything fixed at once and that is not how PsA works. Time, lots of time and management. I now know I can't expect to have two busy days in a row. I can only run one or two errands every other day. I must rest at home in the afternoons and not expect too much of myself after 5pm. I'm a homebody so I really don't mind.
As with the garden, it has taken several weeks to get it ready, since I have to rest between work days. Like today, we (hubs and I) filled the garden with soil. It took only 30 minutes but I will have to rest today and tomorrow. Then Monday I might be able to go buy plants, but once I load them in the car and unload them at home, I'll have to rest a day or so before I can plant them. Then rest after planting. I guess I can say I have found my rhythm I have learned how to say no to things.
As to homeshcooling, Yes! We are still going strong and I love it!! My son is doing well, he's learning so much. I enjoy the teaching and relaxing atmosphere at home. We are members of a few homeschool groups, playdates, park days, holiday partying, etc. Just the right amount of activity. We also have several kids on our street that play in the evenings. Then I can play while I sit and rest.
Rachael: Sorry to hear about Oregon!! I also thought it was a very healthy place. What happened? We have been at the park a lot as well. Or out in the backyard. It's been lovely here in Texas. Hopefully your pollution problem is something that can be cleaned up rather quickly.
Sounds like you’re doing great! I should have been more specific just parts of Portland of course where I live and work. Still learning about the exposure at this point. Extremely high like 150 time over acceptable levels of cadmium, arsenic, chromium and nickel. No quick fix until the companies responsible stop emmitting or better filter the toxins. Rather scary the more info on timelines keep coming out. Well see.
Amielynn--hooray! Any progress is better than none! Its nice to hear your positive attitude!
Rachael, that's scary about the water! My daughter in GA just had something like that a couple weeks ago--they had to boil their water and schools were closed for two days!
I watched a depressing show on HBO yesterday. VICE, S4, Ep 5, "Meathooked & End of Water". While I was watching it, I was thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea to become a vegetarian--the show was an eye-opener. Not that this is stuff I don't already know, but I would say most of us are guilty of ignoring it. So scary what's happening in regards to meat and water.
Oh it's not the water it's our air- even worse! Since plants use oxyegen and the air contaminents settle it's also in the soil. Mainly the home grown gardens effected as it's all residential neighborhoods, schools. etc. Erin Brockovich (movie remember?) is coming with all her lawyers so this is blowing up big right now. Still weeding through all the info and how it effects us when breathed or injested. Water can come from other sources but we've been breathing this for years evidently. They are now mapping out cancer stricken areas trying to determine the severity. Enough about this could be a whole new discussion, lol!
Grandma J said:
Amielynn--hooray! Any progress is better than none! Its nice to hear your !
Rachael, that's scary about the water! My daughter in GA just had something like that a couple weeks ago--they had to boil their water and schools were closed for two days!
I watched a depressing show on HBO yesterday. VICE, S4, Ep 5, "Meathooked & End of Water". While I was watching it, I was thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea to become a vegetarian--the show was an eye-opener. Not that this is stuff I don't already know, but I would say most of us are guilty of ignoring it. So scary what's happening in regards to meat and water.
Scienceteach, Yes, as Jules said, IBU is the abbreviation for ibuprofen.
From WIKI:
"Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (usually abbreviated to NSAIDs), also called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents/analgesics (NSAIAs) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIMs), are a drug class that groups together drugs that provides analgesic (pain-killing) and antipyretic (fever-reducing) effects, and, in higher doses, anti-inflammatory effects.
The term nonsteroidal distinguishes these drugs from steroids, which, among a broad range of other effects, have a similar eicosanoid-depressing, anti-inflammatory action. First used in 1960, the term served to distance new drugs from steroid related iatrogenic tragedies.[1]
As analgesics, NSAIDs are unusual in that they are non-narcotic and thus are used as a non-addictive alternative to narcotics.
Glad to hear you found this site. You can ask all these members how angry and scared I was just after diagnosis. It's been 1 year and 2 months since I started treatment and I am JUST NOW feeling better. It just takes time and patience. Trying medications until something works. Now I have to wait two years from this point to discuss remission, if that EVER comes. I know it's a though road, but You have found a great place to find comfort.
