Monday, May 2, 2011

Things are getting more painful...



I don't talk about my condition very often because I don't like being defined by it. If you know me in real life you know I walk like a defunct penguin and I get good parking b/c of it but I don't ever talk about why I am that way and how it affects me.

What I have is Rheumatoid Arthritis. I've had it since I was 11. One day after cheerleading tryouts I woke up and my knees had swollen to the sizes of cantaloupes. With in a few months I had trouble walking or holding things. That is why my hands are slightly deformed. They put me on a low dose chemotherapy called Methotrexate and that put me in remission after a year. It also caused me to lose a massive amount of weight (over 50 lbs and led to other health problems that almost did me in.

So I've been on a new type of medication for about 14 yrs now that blocks something called the Tumor Necrosis Factor. It is called Humira and I take the shot every couple of weeks. I've been doing pretty well but as time goes on my body is becoming more and more immune to it. This has meant damage to my joints. It is why I got my hip replaced last year and why I will need my other hip and my left knee replaced soon. Now while I'm caring for the kids or writing on my computer sometimes my feet or hands just lock. This is a sign things are getting a lot worse. We don't want them locking permanently!

That means soon I will need to make some serious care decisions. One will be to either go back on methotrexate or not and take the risks this medication leads to. Another will be to go on these daily injections to strengthen my bones. They are hard decisions b/c with each new medication that I introduce to my body the likely-hood of serious side-effects increase. I almost passed on when I had pancreatitis in college and so I understand that risk. But I also don't want to be disabled to the point where I can't actively play with my kids or live my life.

So that is where I am at. Not fun decisions. I probably will not talk about this again for a long time. Like I said, I don't like I don't like talking about this. I just felt like I should talk about it this once.

3 comments:

  1. I don't get on the bump much anymore, but I still read your blog posts. So sorry to hear this Fran. You will be in my prayers as you make these decisions and for strength. You are an awesome mama to your sweet kids!

    Laroogirl from the bump.

    ReplyDelete
  2. oh fran, i am so sorry. please know that i'm here if you ever feel the need to vent about RA. you are an amazing mom, putting your kids first despite the pain you're in. i'm keeping you in my thoughts and prayers and hope that you decide what is the best way to proceed for you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I had no idea you have been through all of this. Wishing you the best of health in the future with whichever treatment option you choose. You are an amazing mommy.

    ReplyDelete

Monday, May 2, 2011

Things are getting more painful...



I don't talk about my condition very often because I don't like being defined by it. If you know me in real life you know I walk like a defunct penguin and I get good parking b/c of it but I don't ever talk about why I am that way and how it affects me.

What I have is Rheumatoid Arthritis. I've had it since I was 11. One day after cheerleading tryouts I woke up and my knees had swollen to the sizes of cantaloupes. With in a few months I had trouble walking or holding things. That is why my hands are slightly deformed. They put me on a low dose chemotherapy called Methotrexate and that put me in remission after a year. It also caused me to lose a massive amount of weight (over 50 lbs and led to other health problems that almost did me in.

So I've been on a new type of medication for about 14 yrs now that blocks something called the Tumor Necrosis Factor. It is called Humira and I take the shot every couple of weeks. I've been doing pretty well but as time goes on my body is becoming more and more immune to it. This has meant damage to my joints. It is why I got my hip replaced last year and why I will need my other hip and my left knee replaced soon. Now while I'm caring for the kids or writing on my computer sometimes my feet or hands just lock. This is a sign things are getting a lot worse. We don't want them locking permanently!

That means soon I will need to make some serious care decisions. One will be to either go back on methotrexate or not and take the risks this medication leads to. Another will be to go on these daily injections to strengthen my bones. They are hard decisions b/c with each new medication that I introduce to my body the likely-hood of serious side-effects increase. I almost passed on when I had pancreatitis in college and so I understand that risk. But I also don't want to be disabled to the point where I can't actively play with my kids or live my life.

So that is where I am at. Not fun decisions. I probably will not talk about this again for a long time. Like I said, I don't like I don't like talking about this. I just felt like I should talk about it this once.

3 comments:

  1. I don't get on the bump much anymore, but I still read your blog posts. So sorry to hear this Fran. You will be in my prayers as you make these decisions and for strength. You are an awesome mama to your sweet kids!

    Laroogirl from the bump.

    ReplyDelete
  2. oh fran, i am so sorry. please know that i'm here if you ever feel the need to vent about RA. you are an amazing mom, putting your kids first despite the pain you're in. i'm keeping you in my thoughts and prayers and hope that you decide what is the best way to proceed for you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I had no idea you have been through all of this. Wishing you the best of health in the future with whichever treatment option you choose. You are an amazing mommy.

    ReplyDelete