Can I begin by saying thank you to everyone for their kind words and good wishes during the week I really appreciate everything. I could not thank everyone individually so here is a large "Thank You" to all, it is lovely to know I have such support here.
Sorry I was not in touch through out the week but there is no wi - fi in the hospital and I am not allowed use my laptop or do any school or college work.
But my parents came up to visit me today and brought me a mobile broadband stick, so it is my first time on line all week!!
I will be here for at least another week I have been told if not two more weeks, depending on how I react to everything.
So each day in here I have occupational therapy, physiotherapy, meditation / relaxation and hydrotherapy to name some things. I also got one of my knees aspirated and following that got very sick from the anti inflammatory meds. I will when I get a bit stronger be having an arthroscopy and am still using the crutch.
I am on nausea meds, a DMARD med, an anti inflamatory meds, pain killers and some other ones. Next week he is introducing a biological. My bloods are still all over the place, I am only sleeping two hours max with the pain and have been unable to eat or keep anything down in the past week so am on a glucose drip to prevent dehydration and another drip for something else.
I have had many x - rays, MRI's etc through out the week. My blood pressure is still low, I have lost weight and my temperature is at 38 degrees. They have also given me splints to wear on my hands to try and reduce the swelling as both my wrists and fingers are gone huge and my Rheumatologist would prefer if we did not have to aspirate them.
Has anyone had any symptoms similiar reactions / symptoms from the treatment to PsA? I look forward to hearing back from everyone and how they reacted to everything.
Talk Soon and I promise to keep you all updated on my progress and once again can I just say thanks for the kind words. I think I have said everything, if I think of any more I will add it on later.
Welcome back Carolynn, sorry to hear you are still having a rough time but you are in the right place. Hopefully they will get you back on the road to recovery soon.
Thanks for the update! Sorry I missed your message earlier. It sounds like you're going through a lot, but have a good team working to figure it all out for you!
Hi Carolynn, I am so sorry that you are having such a tough time with this illness. I hope and pray that being in the hospital will help the doctors get it all sorted out. I was in the hospital last October and while it was not fun it did help to have the help. I hope that you feel better soon. The nausea is the worst I think because it makes everything else seem awful. My thoughts are with you.
Sounds like they are really taking good care of you over there! Massage, meditation/relaxation, jacuzzi baths...wow! I could handle that trip myself! Do they accept Medicare over there? lol Seriously, it sounds like you are getting wonderful treatment. This would not happen for you in the states. My brother's heart was physically removed from his chest, repaired with a pig valve and put back in his chest. He only got to stay a week! Sorry you got sick from the inflammatories. They're hard on my tummy, too. I've never had many of the treatments and meds you are getting, so I' m not going to be much help with that, I'm afraid. Do you know which DMARD you are taking?
Just hoping you are getting some great rest and feeling much better and that your fingers respond to something while you are there. I hate knowing you are still having pain. Do keep us posted! We're all thinking about you!
It's Great to hear from you. I know that everyone here was concerned for you, and glad that you are making progress. Sounds like they have a lot to do and have very little time to do it in. Keep your spirits up the best that you can, I know it's easier said than done. But try and look beyond the Pain and hassle of being in the hospital,they are all working hard to give you back a better quality of life than you had when you went in. Stay Well and will talk soon.
We've all been thinking about you and are relieved to hear from you as well. I hope your fears about hospital have gone away and it sounds like they are taking good care of you. Hang in there and I am sure you'll be feeling better soon.
Glad to hear from you...sorry you are having a rough go of it, but at least you are in the right place and from the sounds of it, they are giving you the care and attention that you need and deserve, to make you feel better and get you on the road to as normal of life as possible. Try to keep your spirits up (I know that is hard in a hospital bed constantly getting poked and prodded and on drugs and not sleeping!), and know that we are thinking of you and sending you good thoughts and well wishes!!!!!
Carolyn, thinking about you and hoping you are feeling a bit better by now. While it does sound wonderful to be getting such a concentrated effort to help with your PsA and its symptoms, it also sounds like the whole experience is not very pleasant. I hope your hands are not hurting so much and that the swelling has gone down some. I know it's scary, and that's compounded by being in pain and feeling bad.
Are you used to taking pain meds? Those (hydrocodone, oxycodone, tramadol) may be causing your nausea, and that will get better with time. I don't know which DMARD you are using, but methotrexate can also cause nausea and what docs call "general malaise," a feeling of being unwell and fatigued. I hope your nausea meds are helping. Meds like prochlorperazine and promethazine (or others), will help with that while you adjust, but they may cause you to feel a bit sleepy.
This is a tough time, but I'm cheering for you to get the help you need to achieve some relief. You probably are worn out from the testing, and not sleeping surely doesn't help. I'm hoping you are getting some sleep/rest by now.
You are in our thoughts and prayers, and all of us wish only the best for you. I imagine it's very difficult to type with your hands as they are, especially now that they are splinted. Update us when you feel up to it. I hope your pain levels are under control and that things are manageable soon!
I think it’s time for a reunion! If you haven’t posted on the PsA board recently, how are you doing? I’m sure everyone here would love to hear from you. Pour yourself a drink, and fill us in on how things are going for you these days!
Seenie
(I chose this thread, and a few others, because it has an interesting group of members on it.)