So, we were almost sure it was a false positive….till the blood work came back this week. Turns out it wasn’t. I’ve officially been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Go read the article, I’ll wait.

Sounds fun, doesn’t it? So, Thursday marked my first day on Plaquenil. Hopefully it will prove effective, but it’s going to take several weeks to find that out. In the mean time, it’s making me feel a bit, how shall we say this? Barfy. Yes, barfy is a good word for it. That’s not unusual for me though, with my lovely gastro problems, so I’ll tolerate it. However, it’s also making me even more of a space case, and even more tired. Those side effects should wear off soon. It’s the most mild of the DMARDs out there, hopefully I won’t have to move on to more “toxic” treatments. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

This has really reminded me to take things one day at a time. Some days are good, and I take advantage of that. Other days suck, and that’s putting it lightly. The Rheumatoid Arthritis, on top of the Osteo Arthritis, can prove to be a very nasty combination. Between the pain and the fatigue, I’m happy to have days when I can focus on what I WANT to focus on. One. Day. At. A. Time. Taking advantage of a burst of good days is also nice. Who knows what causes those, but it happens, and I get a good week. Talk about me being in a flurry of activity then! Watch me go…

In the mean time, I’ve got a list of things that my Rheumatologist wants me to read about, and research. Which I love doing. Also, I have to work on accepting this, and being OK with it, rather than beating myself up for it, and feeling like I’m broken. Good days, bad days.

In good news, my knee is still feeling great. It’s healing up very well, and with the addition of a new medication, it’s feeling better and better. The new medication? A non steroid anti inflammatory drug (NSAID) in the form of a PATCH! It’s called Flector and it’s amazing. Because of my ulcer issues, I can’t take them in pill form, despite the fact that they work well. The side effects just aren’t worth it. This patch is awesome. I just put it on my knee. One every 12 hours. Delivers the medication directly where it’s needed. From what the Dr says, it’s been used elsewhere in the world for decades, but has only been approved here in the United States within the past 6 months. Good ol’ American Drug Association….keeping medicine that works away from the American people for decades!

On that note…it’s time to take my pills.

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