Jezebel/Cassie Murdoch/Jan 30, 2012 11:55 AM
We all have those friends who are competitive or are constantly causing drama for one reason or another. It’s tempting to just put up with them, but a new study has found that conflicts with those kinds of people could actually be irritating you physically—as in causing your immune system to fire up. This leads to your body to become inflamed, a state which has been associated with things like cancer and diabetes.
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This morning I took the last of my prednisone. I’m to call the doc once the office is open and report on my progress (spectacular!), after which I’m probably going to be filling a prescription for plaquenil.
All in all, the results really have been spectacular. I spent all day knitting yesterday and it never ached, not once. I’m still retaining water (which hopefully will go soon), but that’s far better than the joint pain that seemed to be taking over my whole body.
Right side chest pain, upper right side abdominal pain and pain over the right kidney continues to be an issue however, but it’s easier to handle when I don’t have everything else to handle at the same time.
Last night I had another sudden onset sharp headache. I have no idea what’s causing those – fatigue maybe? And nausea. Joy. Fortunately that last one passed quickly. In any case, all these things seemed to come as a warning to me to LIE DOWN already. I think that, with the pain diminished, I’m missing my usual trigger for knowing when to lie down, when to just stop doing stuff, and I’m over-exerting. I’m really going to have to watch that.
Not a terribly productive day yesterday, but it wasn’t a bad one either.
yesterday: 15mg prednisone, 2x naproxen, 8x tylenol, 8x voltaren/tigerbalm, 2x stool softener, 1x gravol
Still looking good, despite insomnia and some water retention. I managed to walk 4 miles yesterday, broken into 2 chunks, bake a chocolate cake for an upcoming order, make muffins, do dishes, knit, and something else that I can’t remember now. Funny how that brain thing hasn’t really left, ha! So, for me anyway, a very productive day.
The joint pain is for the most part gone. It still feels – swollen? puffy? – especially later on in the day, but the pain of it is greatly reduced, to a point where it doesn’t impact on me too much. I noted that I could hold my hands steady – something I haven’t been able to do for a while. Also – on my walk, I could open heavy doors and walk with a coffee cup without discomfort.
It always sounds so goofy to me, describing these completely ordinary every day things like this, but for a long while there, even the simplest of things really was a struggle. It’s nice not to have that, or at least to have it lessened.
I’ve been feeling congested for the past couple of days and it’s a bit worse today. The headache from hell threatened to come back yesterday but I shut off all the lights and laid down in the dark and quiet before it got too bad. I’m sneezy as well. Not sure if or how that may be related to the current course of medication but I;ll watch for it after I’m off and see if it fades back.
I’m up a couple of pounds but I think it may be from retaining water. Hopefully it will go after tomorrow, my last prednisone day.
yesterday: 15mg prednisone, 2x naproxen, 8x tylenol, 8x voltaren/tigerbalm
Woohoo!
Day 3 of my prednisone adventure and all is going well. Yesterday appeared to signal the “insomnia” stage, as well as the “water retention” stage, but it’s only 5 days that I’m on this so I’m hoping I can correct it. In a sense, the insomnia was a blessing, as I usually fall asleep, often when I don;t want to, at several points in the day. I stayed up most of yesterday, getting lots of things done, and then crashed at around 7pm or so.
Speaking of lots of things done, yesterday I:
Okay, that might not sound like a lot to you but any one of those, especially the walk in the snow, would have been enough to have me curled up in a ball of pain, most likely flaking out and trying to sleep through it. Instead – NOT A SINGLE FUCK WAS GIVEN!!! I ENJOYED it! It was a wonderful feeling 
As the day wore on, the swollen, achy feeling came back in my hands but it was a mere ghost of its former self and was easily pushed back by tylenol. I’ve mentioned the insomnia, and the water retention (which has made for some weight gain – 2 pounds). I’ve also had very tender breasts, which I could really do without, yuck!
Upper abdominal pain on the right side continues to be an issue, as does the pain over my kidneys. Sometimes those things seem to take up all my thought but at least I’m able to distract myself with hand hobbies a little more easily now.
Only two more days to go…
yesterday: 15mg prednisone, 8x tylenol, 2x naproxen, 8x voltaren/tigerbalm
I hate being treated like a drugseeker.
I’ve managed to go most of my life avoiding alcohol and drugs, because I don’t want those things in my life, only to be treated right out of the door like an addict when I am in severe pain.
It’s worse in that I’m allergic to codeine.
There’s a look on a doctor’s face – like a door slamming shut – when I say I’m allergic to codeine. It’s not something I can help and yet, every time, I get punished for this allergy.
I’ve so far managed to cope with over the counter medications – which is probably pretty brutal to my liver in the long run. I suppose I could always start drinking again, or maybe get access to pain medication through illegal means, but I haven’t done any of those things, not only because they’re wrong for me but because they’re irresponsible. I’m a responsible person, so why do I get treated like a criminal for something I can’t control?
There’s got to be a better way.
*****
The Dangerous Panic Over Painkillers
The media trumpets a crisis in Rx painkiller addiction, but only 1% of patients get hooked. The result? Doctors treat patients like addicts, while addicts escape responsibility.
The Fix/Maia Szalavitz/27 Jan 2012
While use of prescription opioids for cancer and other end-of-life pain is increasingly accepted, if you are going to suffer in agony for years, rather than months, mercy is harder to find. Indeed, it seems a given by the media that because addicts sometimes fake pain to get drugs, doctors should treat allpatients as likely liars—and if a physician is conned by an addict, the doctor has only herself to blame.
But do we really want our doctors to treat us as if we were guilty until proven innocent? Do we really want the routine use of invasive procedures—ranging from nerve conduction tests to repeated scans and surgeries—to “prove” we’re really hurting? And do we actually want physicians to be held responsible for the actions of a patient who dissembles and does not take drugs as prescribed?
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Day 2 of taking prednisone and the results so far are impressive. I opened jars yesterday! Sticky honey jars! I opened toothpaste tubes without pain! I slept on my hand! I held a coffee cup without cringing! But mostly – jars!
Also, just a few hours into taking my first dose, my hands “uncurled”. On both hands, my ring and pinky fingers from the knuckles on down, had started to curl, first dropping below the level of the other knuckles, then becoming weaker, and lastly, started to curl into claws. The curl is almost completely gone. My hands were, of course, the very worst of it, but there’s been a benefit elsewhere. My toes don’t hurt either, and neither does my hip. I went out yesterday without a cane and actually managed to walk at a decent pace. And it was cold outside yesterday too; that would usually stop me in my tracks, but not yesterday!
I did notice that, as the day wore on, my wrists ached a little, as did my hip, but it was minor in comparison and easily manageable with tylenol.
I had dreaded that I would want to devour everything in the house but rather than being ravenous, I found I was slightly nauseous instead. Not so much that it required gravol or anything but enough to make the notion of eating – to say nothing of eating everything in the house – not a likely one.
Whether related or not, I found that my upper back hurt a little more yesterday, but that may well have been due to being out in the cold. It wasn’t pain so much as an ache. Lying down with a heating pad helped.
Also, related or not, I had a massive headache yesterday. I don’t automatically link it to the medication, as my sig.other had the same deal a few days back – huge pulpy headed migraine thing, a congested feeling, sneezing, etc – so I’m not entirely surprised to see this, as I tend to catch all of these stupid things. So I’ve been sleeping – a LOT! Flaked out on the couch last night at just after 4pm, slept until 8. Tried to go to bed and couldn’t. Got back up, had tea, stayed up until 10 and then managed to get to sleep, until now, at 2:30am, my usual.
I’m excited to see what day 2 will bring (let’s hope it’s not MOONFACE!). Just think of all the jars I could open!
yesterday: 15mg prednisone, 8x tylenol, 2x naproxen, 8x voltaren/tigerbalm
*Giggles* Okay, it’s a tentative 4 – I’m still waiting for it all to blow up, but still – FOUR! I haven’t been that low in years!
Today was day one of taking prednisone. The doc had mentioned that if if it was going to work, it would work almost immediately. So far, he hasn’t been wrong. The addition to that is, in having it work, it makes it certain that something was wrong. Which I knew already, of course, but there’s what I know and there’s what a test will show. This was the test and I think I passed. I’m kind of excited to see if it will get even better than it is now, after all, it’s only been a few hours! In any case, I’m supposed to call him back on Tuesday with results – positive or otherwise – after which I’ll fill a prescription for plaquenil and likely get yet more tests.
Currently, it’s cold in the house and normally that would mean that I wouldn’t be able to move – that everything would feel like it was full of ground glass. I still feel a certain puffiness, a resistance, but I’m able to at least flex my fingers and toes without searing pain. That’s nice. I’m being very careful in not only what I’m doing but in what I think about what’s happening, but so far, I can say it’s been positive.
I’m finding that things taste funny and I’m burping a lot and yeah, that tastes funny too. I’m going to have to seriously watch my intake over the next five days, as this is supposed to increase my appetite – something I can do without! If that’s the worst of it, I’ll live 
My chest doesn’t hurt as much either – again, I’m being careful how much I read into that, as it’s only day 1, but so far? Yeah, it’s nice
My leg (back of my calf) is itchy – I’ll have to see if that’s a thing or if it’s just a garden variety itchy spot for no reason at all.
All in all – a good start to the day!
yesterday: 8x tylenol, 2x naproxen, 8x voltaren/tigerbalm
today – started with 15mg prednisone
Just realized that I haven’t updated in a couple of days. Nothing much has changed: the worst pain continues to be in my joints, especially as the weather remains cold, wet and craptacular.
I’ve increased the amount of Voltaren I use on my upper back, and that helps to further diffuse what bit of pain is left. I’m still finding that I get exhausted by it and have to lie down, or it WILL hurt, shots or no shots. I have slowly started to increase the duration and number of back exercises, especially downward dog, although it does really hurt my hands and toes. It will still give out pangs if pressed directly, but mostly, I can no longer feel that area of my spine anymore and that’s just fine with me.
The joint pains continue to get worse, deepening into a nasty, broken glass filled ache earlier and earlier in the day. I no longer get my morning “free”, for example. Walking outside worsens the pain in my hips and now both toes.
In addition to all of that, I’m getting really awful shoulder/chest pain, right side this time. Getting even a little cold worsens it to the point where nothing at all seems to help it.
I haven’t said much about all of this because today is the day I go to see the rheumatologist and I’ll (hopefully) find out more today. If so, I’ll add an update.
Despite all of this, I’m still feeling in pretty good spirits, so there’s that!
yesterday: 8x tylenol, 2x naproxen, 8x voltaren/tigerbalm
UPDATE: Today was the visit to the rheumatologist. I always worry about it but I shouldn’t – this guy doesn’t treat me like I’m crazy, which comes as a relief every time. As I first went to see him about my back, many – MANY! – years ago, we talked about that first and about the improvements there, then got to the business of my crazy joint pain.
Rather than run MOAR! tests and have to wait for results and do something then, we opted for the ‘try this and if it works, then we know what’s wrong’ sort of deal. So I’ll be taking prednisone for the next 5 days and then get back to him. If I’ve had good results, then I’ll start on plaquenil. Hopefully that should help out. I start tomorrow morning, so I’ll let you know how it turns out…
Feeling slightly worse today but it’s my joints, rather than my back, that are giving me the worst of it. Everything feels swollen and achy. My butterfly rash flared up as well, as did my chest pains. Yuck. Coughing, sneezing, fluey type feeling. Isn’t it weird to wish it was an actual flu? That the flu would be better? Gah!
But my back is still doing okay, so there’s that! Held downward dog for a little longer, although it still tickles me that, after all this time not being able to do the pose because of my back, it’s my wrists and toes that make it ouchy now. Actually laughed at that while in the pose. Weird, I know, but it’s funny. Dark, but funny. I’m still gently pressing the upper back movement of cat and cow, and a brief archy cobra pose, but my upper back really sticks at any sort of rounding – backwards or forwards. I think I may have reached the limits of my flexibility there. At least it doesn’t hurt, which is wonderful.
Heartburn last night that made it hard to get comfortable, hard to sleep, and I’ve still got it this morning. If it doesn’t go away in a bit I’ll take gaviscon but I really don’t want to. I’d managed to ditch that.
yesterday: 8x tylenol, 2x naproxen, 8x voltaren/tigerbalm
Up at 2am again but it’s not so bad. New normal
The trend appears to be holding and I’m finding more things that I can do now that I couldn’t before. Like turning around! For the past 5 years, turning and looking over my shoulder send stabby, electric shock pain down my spine, to the point where I just wouldn’t do it anymore. Even being surprised would rarely get me to turn and look over my shoulder. Yesterday, sitting having coffee at the local place, and I told myself it was okay to turn around. That sounds goofy, I know, but then, there I was, just turning as though there was nothing weird about it. Nice
Some other new things yesterday as well and while they were helpful for more than just my back, my back has been the one thing preventing me from doing them. One – cat and cow stretches. Of course I’ve done these before, most notably when I buggered up my lower back last year, but I had focused on the lower back portion of the exercise. Last night, I tried my hand at upper back involvement. Not very successfully. It wasn’t a matter of pain – there was none, which was nice – but mobility. I still can’t roll or round my back, either forwards or backward. I remember the surgeon mentioning that I didn’t have a lot of space between vertebrae and that might be what’s limiting my mobility there. At least it didn’t hurt. Two – when I stopped cat and cow, I figured ‘hey, I’m down here anyway’ so, first from a kneeling position, I attempted downward dog. That first stretch was good and no pain in the upper back. So, up I went, into the full pose. Not for long, I didn’t want to push it, it wasn’t even 30 seconds. Oddly enough, the things that hurt the worst were my toes and wrists. All this time I was concerned it would hurt my back the worst Third – I managed to do a couple of hundred crunches without my back freaking out. Oh man, I have REALLY been needing to do those, but haven’t been able to, because every damned time I get on the floor to do it, not only did it feel as though I was going to break my spine, but I always had a hell of a time getting back up off the floor. Sometimes I just couldn’t get off the floor at all and I’d have to stay down there until it stopped freaking out at me. Yesterday? No problem at all. Very nice.
Still wet and gross here, so that is making my joint pain that much worse. A horrid ache that gets worse throughout the day. Went for two walks out in it yesterday anyway. Although juggling the cane and the umbrella always sucks. Still – walks!
Along with the wet comes all the pleurisy type pain – chest, upper right abdomen, and over the kidneys. Joy.
All in all, still a damned good day!
yesterday: 8x tylenol, 2x naproxen, 8x voltaren/tigerbalm, 2x stool softeners
