Ponies Make Everything Better, Right? · 5:55am Jan 26th, 2016
Have a cute pony pic first. I don't want to be a complete Debbie Downer.
That out of the way, let's REAL TALK for a minute.
Alright, let's talk about my illness, so that we are all on the same page. I have been diagnosed with Psoriatic(pronounced Sore-ee-attic) Arthritis and Gout. I have not started any treatment as of 1/26/2016. Fair warning: Googling images of this stuff is NOT pretty.
I suggest you ignore the Arthritis part of the name. It is arthritis in so far as it affects my joints. It is an Autoimmune disease. My body is attacking itself. It is like cancer or AIDs. I've already run into the fact that most people hear arthritis and think 'old person aches and pains, but not a huge deal'. Well this IS a huge deal. It will cripple me if I let it.
In short, I am in constant pain and I have some cognitive degradation that comes along with it. This means it hurts to move. Doing very basic activities like walking, standing up, getting dressed or even cleaning myself is difficult to impossible at times. It means I am constantly tired. It doesn't matter if I sleep well or not. I am like a broken siv, no matter how much fuel I put in, it leaks out faster than I can get things done. The side effect is that I have no stamina, no balance, and no drive.
It sponsors an environment that feeds depression like a beast. Which then adds to the fatigue and the mental fog. It's like having a fever. I cannot concentrate for long, my memory is shot, and my logical machinery glitches. A lot. And it is getting worst. Eventually, without treatment, it will warp and cripple my hands. It has already started warping my fingernails.
To be clear here, while both are bad, the Psoriatic Arthritis is the BIG BAD of the two. Gout is much easier and cheaper to manage. The suggested medication for the PA is a biologic injectable called Humira. The specialist I am seeing wants to start me on once a week injections. Humira is no joke, either. It's like cancer or HIV drugs. There is a petition process, you cannot get it at the pharmacy, and without insurance or discounts, it it like $3,000 a dose. No, there isn't a generic. Even if my insurance oks it, we just might not be able to pay for it unless we find a way to run that cost WAY down.
At this point in time, I don't even know if I will be able to get it, or if we'll have to try a different drug.
I have not heard from the doc about the gout yet. I should get a call from them tomorrow. I am staying on top of them, but I am still have to wait for the insurance company to move its ass before the doc will move her ass BEFORE I can move my ass better.
Your thoughts and well wishes sustain me. I love you all, and I will keep you in the loop. So I pre-apologize if I am extra grumpy.
I posted this to Facebook today, to keep my family in the loop, but I figured it was a good way to explain things, so I'm posting it here too. It doesn't relate much to ponies, honestly, but I wanted y'all to know why my production levels have taken such a hit. If you've read some of my other blog posts, you know I also have sleep apnea on top of this crap.
tl;dr: No rest, constant pain and discomfort, plus memory issues equals piss poor pony production. But I'm still writing, just slowly. Thanks for sticking with me.
Stay classy
-Fuzzy
Do your best. We'll support you as best we can
I shall attack you... with hugs.
pre08.deviantart.net/c7e7/th/pre/i/2013/050/0/c/rainbow_dash_wants_to_hug_you_by_thatguy1945-d5vj7lb.png
Hold still.
3712926
kinda wanna dodge...but I guess so. For you, bby
3712932 I do it out of love.
3712933
A vindictive, violent sort of love. But then again, you ship changelings. How do I know that's a genuine speeding Dash Hug cruise missile?
3712935 Says the Twisalys shipper.
:P
3712938
At least MY changeling of choice isn't an OC.
i137.photobucket.com/albums/q237/FuzzyFurvert/Image%20Macros/s19921_burn-sick.jpg
3712965 It's an all OC fic, deal with it :U
Hang in there, man. Autoimmune stuff is... frustrating to say the least (I've been eating my own kidneys for the last several years, myself). Just take care of yourself the best you can.
Sounds bad, from what I read. Sending well-wishes and prayers by the bucketload.
i hope everything manages to work out
3713015
3713120
3713130
Thanks for the support. It really does help keep me motivated and keep the blues in their corner. Hopefully, treatment will start soon.
Are you taking any NSAIDs now?
3713507
No. NSAIDs make my stomache bleed. Which we found out while waiting on the appointment with the specialist. My GP doc proscribed me some Naproxen and it made me sick. Halted that and now I'm on Tramadol and OTC Bayer to supplement.
Oh geez.
I would totally offer hugs, except you seem to have disappeared. All I see in the room is this fetching tri-colored curtain.
Apparently 2016 is the year of cool people being sick. I want my 2015 back.
3712938 3712965
Hey, at least MY OC of choice isn't a changeling.
3713755 your soul is a cavern of lies
3713621 You could suggest trying NSAIDs in combination with omeprazol, could help with the ulcers. If that worked, it would be the better option to tramadol, since NSAIDs actually reduce inflammation instead of only taking the pain away.
3713764
Only because I keep them there when I don't need to use them!
3713891 3713621
I'll note that my own doctor has suggested taking ibuprofen at the same time as a fiber supplement to mitigate that side effect. Anecdotally, that seems to help for me, but I don't think my reaction was ever as strong as yours. It might be something to bring up with your doctor the next time NSAIDs come up.
3714805 Further proof that you are a changeling.
3714805 I don't have any issues when taking NSAIDs, I merely mentioned it because it came up numerous times during my second internship. Fiber supplements are basically a way to give additional matter for the overproduced stomach acid to digest, whereas proton pump inhibitors regulate and minimize the production of said acid. There's basically no contraindication for PPIs - and if those were to enable you to take ibu/diclofenac, it would severely impact your symptoms in a positive direction.
But, yeah, I'm sorry for imposing like this.
3714946
3714805
No, it's no problem. I've been directed to take Prilosec OTC to help with the stomach bleeding and it healed up pretty quickly. Fiber supplements have been discussed, but we haven't moved on that yet. In the interim, I uh...'borrowed' some diclofenac from my wife's mother. She didn't need it anymore and we padded it with food. I feel slightly better, but we are keeping an eye on the situation so I don't back myself into some OTHER problem while we wait on the insurance company to get its crap together.
3715811 You killed your mother in law to steal her pills?