RA News

I'll post pics of the darling kiddos very soon to counter the seriousness of this post! :)

I know I have not been posting with my usual frequency as of late. I have been adjusting to a new Rheumatoid Arthritis medication and it has been less than fun and glamorous! :) After exhausting the available "nice" drugs for my RA, my rheumatologist finally decided to try putting me on Methotrexate. It is not the most pleasant of medicines, and can have some undesirable side effects AND I have to be monitored pretty closely while taking it - meaning regular blood work, liver function tests etc. No prob! It may seem familiar to some because it is actually a chemotherapy drug, but given to me in lower doses of course. And, yes, it CAN cause some hair loss just like in chemo. It is more mild if it happens so we won't have to see if I have any dents in my head! I take the drug once a week - a whole bunch of pills at once. It has not been easy-going adjusting to it - mostly feeling "flu-ish" and having a bit of an upset stomach. I just feel "off". Quite exhausted as well. But hopefully it will all wear off as I adjust to the drug over the next few weeks. As far as an effect on the RA, it is too soon to tell - it can take up to 12 weeks to really notice a difference and I am on the drug indefinitely - and I am just confident it will work!!! I have to be! It is a drug that is used a lot for RA with great success rates so I only have positives ahead as soon as my body gets used to processing what are basically toxins!

I DO NOT say any of this to incite pity or "poor Mags" remarks. Just being frank about what is going on. One of the things that I am sllooowwwllly learning about this disease is that I can no longer afford to always put on a happy face and be a "yes" person all the time. I need to be honest about what is going on so I don't put me or other people in difficult positions. As Nick would say it is all about "managing expectations". Mostly my own! It has taken two years of battling this to finally personally grasp that I have a degenerative disease that IS NOT going away - and that I actually have it and it is not like a cold I can get over in a week. What I can do is work on managing the illness and raise awareness toward a cure. Along with the drugs, I have to keep the right attitude and just focus on taking the steps to maintain the best quality of life I can - which means exercise, taking time for me and my family, knowing when to say "no" and when to REST.

To many, the word "arthritis" sounds like something mild and mostly just an irritation - like a headache. But Rheumatoid Arthritis is far from mild and the stats can be scary - and while I don't want to wallow in the fact that I have a serious disease, I cannot ignore the significance of that. THANK YOU to all of you who have taken time to get educated about the disease, understand what it is, are sensitive to the emotional effects it has on the patient and their family and those of you who are always there for me and my beautiful family. When I am 60+, I plan on enjoying hiking mountains with Nick and skiing and canoeing and walking all over Europe with him in our retirement. And I will do it despite my RA - because I am going to work to make sure I can.

RA does not define me. It does not need to be a daily part of conversation with others. So don't feel like you need to always say "how ARE you?" or handle me with kid gloves. I appreciate the support and the love and don't expect or WANT any special treatment from this. That would be so irritating! I know you care and that is enough! But it is important to let people in your life know that you are battling something - and I am and will continue to! I mean, let's face it, there are so many WORSE things in this world, right?! I am BEYOND blessed.