I hope you all had a lovely holiday season and HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! The holidays flew by as I was spaced-out and sick during most of it. Remember my HORRID flare and how ecstatic I was to be getting my infusion a week early and receiving an increase in dose? It was indeed a wonderful thing, as within five days of my infusion I started to feel fabulous, and still DO, but that is only where my PsA is concerned.
I caught a virus a few weeks after my infusion. I work in a medical clinic, and it has been a horrific year for viruses, pneumonia, flu, ETC., so I took it with a grain of salt. After two weeks and a cough that would not go away, malaise, intermittent low-grade fevers, body aches and extreme fatigue, I saw my PCP. Since it had been two weeks and I am immunocompromised, he did blood work, chest x-ray and prescribed an antibiotic. Two weeks later no better, another chest x-ray, steroids, an inhaler and codeine cough syrup. Now it is two more weeks and I still feel awful. My PCP called my rheumatologist and they decided that I need to see a pulmonologist and have a chest CT. I am aware that Remicade does make us more prone to opportunistic fungal lung infections and such, so I am hoping the specialist can make a determination or do some more definitive testing. I only took a day off of work during all of this and this Friday is my 50TH BIRTHDAY and we are going to the ocean in three days...I wonder if any of you wonderful people have had to deal with any other infections. I have had cat bite infections, upper respiratory infections and toe infections since starting biologics, but nothing horrific.
ALSO - anyone try the whole30? I am starting that in two weeks to see how certain foods affect my body. Excited to do so, as long as I'm healthy by then. Any thoughts?