I’ve been having dreams that the shot in my spine is going to wear off and I’m going to be ouchy again. That’s probably a pretty normal fear, given that this shot isn’t going to last forever. 1 to 6 months was the wide guideline I was given. So it’s bound to happen sometime. I’m just hoping it will last until the weather warms up. Which wasn’t yesterday. Ouch.

This weird weather isn’t doing my chest any favors either. A yucky solid ache right through my chest into my back. Add to that – upper abdom and right side kidney pain. I have the feeling that will be an issue as long as it’s cold and damp.

I’ll be traveling today — on the bus, the train, by car — so I’ll be bringing my cane and hoping for the best

yesterday: 300 mg plaquenil, 2x naproxen, 8x tylenol

The pain is changing, more than truly dropping. I think the plaquenil is truly taking effect and my joint pain is minimized. It’s still there, just altered. It’s no longer sharp, terrible and unbearable, although I still have that weird swollen feeling in my joints, especially as the day progresses. It’s a ghost of its former self though. Last night, it was more painful in my fingers and toes. Could it have been the rain? The cold? Who knows. The pain doesn’t keep me from doing things which is the important part.

My rash continues to be an issue. It hasn’t spread anywhere else but it hasn’t gone either. Not really itchy so much as an irritant (especially if I think about it – which I just did – GAH!). Watching it carefully. I know that I should probably go to the ER but seriously, what are they going to do? Take me off the only medication that appears to be doing me any good? Give me an antihistamine? Hell, I can take that at home if it gets that bad. So I’ll wait and see.

My chest and back pain were an issue last night as well – but it was, as mentioned before, rainy and cold, which is always a problem for me. Heating pad worked wonders.

Another walk and some coffee once I log off today.

Went back on tylenol, which has helped with my headaches and also somewhat with my joint pain. I haven’t used Voltaren in about a week – no ill effects – so at least one of my medications is gone.

My whacked back appears to be okay, although I still get twinges down the right side, as if it’s trying to remind me what an idiot I am for getting it whacked in the first place. The pain back there is interesting: in general, the painkiller/steroid works quite well at blocking pain – until the area is touched, and then all bets are off. Fortunately, it seems to fade away a lot quicker than it has in past. Before the shot, having anything touch my back would result in pain for days. Now, it’s pretty much instant (unless it’s a good whack, and then it’s days again), fading in an hour or so. Kind of nice, really.

Yoga after my walk and coffee…

yesterday: 300mg plaquenil, 2x naproxen, 8x tylenol, 2x gravol

On that note, pain was interesting yesterday. My upper back is doing a little better from getting whacked, although I’m still feeling a terrible ache to the right side of my spine. It’s interesting that the shots help deal with the worst of the pain but that the minute my back gets touched, all bets are off. That’s something to keep in mind.

Joint pain was also an issue yesterday, especially in my toes for some reason. They just ached terribly, from the toe-knuckles on down. I’m noticing that when my joints do hurt, the quality of that pain is different than before – it’s no longer sharp and painful, but more diffuse. Which is ducky with me! Hips and hands also hurt yesterday, but not as bad. I think my ‘cold toes’ issue doesn’t help matters and my toes were very cold yesterday, no matter what I did with them. Stupid toes, grumble grumble.

Now, for the rash:

It’s not a blister type of rash, which I’ve had before, but more of a blotchy type of rash. This is all over my legs and my forearms. It’s not itchy so much as irritated, and only mildly irritated at that. Like my facial rash, it gets worse if exposed to light (with fluorescent or sunlight being the worst). So I won’t do that I’m hoping it goes away soon. Blech.

I managed to get out for a walk yesterday and a good thing too, as we’re back to torrential downpour here again. Still, I’m going to try for another walk today.

yesterday: 300mg plaquenil, 2x naproxen, 1x gravol

The pain in my back is easing off a bit, which is great. It’s still aching later on in the evening, so much so that sitting up is difficult. Sometimes even lying down is painful. But overall, it FEELS better. So I hope.

My joints – hands and toes mainly – have been feeling very swollen. It’s not a pain so much as a pressure. They feel…stood on? It’s a weird pain to describe, but at least it isn’t the sharp, full of ground glass, smashed feeling they had before. My neck, shoulders and hips also have that same pressure sort of quality, but nowhere near as pronounced as in my hands and toes. We’ve had colder weather for the past few days, maybe that’s partly responsible.

I seem to have developed a rash. Yes, another rash. Oh how my body just loves a good rash. Facial rash, of course, but also upper thighs, knees, the first 1/3 of my calves, and my forearms so far. It’s not itchy, so I’m just ignoring it this time. It’s going to have to get a whole lot more serious before I do anything about it. Rashes seem to be my normal state

I’ve been sleeping a fair bit over the past couple of days but I’m hoping to try to stay up today. Maybe coffee is in the works!

yesterday: 300 mg plaquenil, 2x naproxen, 8x tylenol, 2x gravol

In addition, the experience has made my whole body freak out. I have a rash, headache, and those aches and pains? Yeah – a hell of a lot worse. It was so bad yesterday I contemplated drinking. Has to be bad for me to get there. Fortunately, I managed to push that away. I know it wouldn’t have helped me, not in the long run, but damn.

It’s a shame because up until I got whacked, I was doing greatish.

Crap. So, today I will do next to nothing, just rest.

yesterday: 300 mg plaquenil, 2x naproxen, 8x tylenol

Also – still dealing with this stupid cold/flu thingy, so I’m headachy, feverish, sore and achy. Hard to tell where the flu/cold starts and where the ‘normal’ me takes over

Between them both, I am going to take it easy today and see if I can’t sort it out.

yesterday: 300 mg plaquenil, 2x naproxen, 8x tylenol

Also – ran out of naproxen for a day – that is a MISTAKE! Felt the ache pretty badly. Not as badly as before but enough that I noticed it, that’s for sure.

So, still achy, headachy, nauseous and sore, but a good deal of it is the fluish whatever it is. The other people in the house have it as well, so it’s not just me.

I did feel somewhat more alive yesterday and managed to get some walking in,  – and some COFFEE!, which was sorely needed – but crashed fairly hard at around 6 or so. Weird time to go to sleep. No wonder I woke up at just after midnight.

In my walks yesterday, I left the cane at home and did okay, although I did feel it in my hip later on. I’m hoping that I can ditch it altogether soon, that would be nice.

yesterday: 300mg plaquenil, 8x tylenol, 1x neo citron

I’ve been sleeping quite a bit and even then, that doesn’t feel like enough. Nauseous, headachy, and generally yucky. While I’m feeling quite achy, it isn’t the same quality of ache as before, so I’m generally still feeling – okayish? It feels like a regular cold instead of the awful, going-on-for-months ick that I’m accustomed to.

I’m not going to write much more as nothing is really new or changed, other than this latest yuckiness. Hopefully I get back to normal soon.

yesterday: 300mg plaquenil, 2x naproxen, 8x tylenol, 2x gravol

I’m feeling blech and a little run down. I’ve gone for a walk, and a cup of coffee. Made lunch for everyone for later. Knitting now, watching TV. The blech feeling stays and I’m going to write off the day.

My upper back and neck also hurt today, but it’s more of a general ache than anything in particular. Joints in my hands and toes are swollen. All in all, the mood is – blech.

yesterday: 300mg plaquenil, 2x naproxen, 8x tylenol, 3x voltaren/tigerbalm, 2x gravol

Pain isn’t gone, mind you. I’m still needing a cane for anything more than a block or two [no matter what a certain poopyhead I'll leave unnamed made dismissive comments about]. Hands, toes and hips especially still have that swollen feeling, still ache, but it’s not as sharp as it was before. It doesn’t have that full of ground glass feeling. Full of sand maybe. Joints are still stiff, but the pain, the sharp pain anyway, appears to be lessening. Lots of hedging on my part, I know. I always worry about saying I’m feeling “better” because then I sometimes have to deal with comments from some folks that equate “better” as “no longer an issue”, as in “fixed”. I don’t think this is going to go away. It’s not a cure. It’s just that some days I’m apparently going to be able to cope better than others.

So far at least, I think this is helping me cope a little better.

In that spirit of coping – two walks and a bunch of yoga yesterday! It’s nice to relatively easily move into downward dog and my biggest concern is my tight calves

On the dealing with the cold front, we all seem to be suffering with it here. It isn’t one of those bugs that lands on you with both feet. It’s a lingerer – making you feel run down and sluggish, sniffly and congested. So, that’s where we are.

Nausea is still a problem, but the gravol is helping with that. Works wonders for getting naps in too, which can’t hurt as far as trying to get rid of this stupid cold thingy.

My lower back/hip area has been doing some major popping and cracking. It always makes me nervous, in case I get a repeat of last year, with a slipped disc/sacral fracture, but so far, it’s just being noisy.

Chest, upper abdom and kidney still ache and nothing but heat seems to ease that back. The weather’s damp right now, which likely isn’t helping.

I’ve got walks today, and adding a few more yoga poses, but that’s as exciting as it gets.

yesterday: 300mg plaquenil, 2x naproxen, 8x tylenol, 4x voltaren/tigerbalm, 1x gravol