So it's Sunday evening, waiting on M to get out of work to take him home where I will then make dinner. Baked salmon with garlic lemon butter, steamed veggies and risotto. If this recipe works out I may post it this week since I'd really like to start posting more than just what's going on in my life. But while we're on the subject of that...
I get a call Wednesday morning to confirm my rheumy appointment Thursday morning, all's good. I then get a call that afternoon asking if I still wanted to come in because apparently the lab only got one of my three pages of tests done. Seriously? Ugh. I let the nurse know that I'd go ahead and still come in since I wanted to talk to her about my medications and such. She said that was fine and that a different blood lab would call me to schedule a draw for new tests.
Thursday comes and the wait for my rheumy was crazy long. We waited an hour just to get back to the room and then some more time after that. The first thing we talked about was the few tests we did get back, low iron, elevated liver enzymes, b12 and folate are normal and I don't have hepatitis. Whoo! I then asked about my pain medication (flexeril) and how on very bad days it wasn't helping. Guys, this was something I was agonizing over soooooooo badly. I didn't want her to think I'm just in it for the pills, but she didn't! Thankfully after finding out I was on the lowest dosage (5mg) she upped it to 10mg without the blink of an eye. Finally came the hard part. Again I had to haul myself onto the exam table and she did the I'M GONNA PRESS EVERYWHERE IT HURTS test to see how my neurontin has been doing. Admittedly it's been helping a lot. I've been able to be more active and do more things these last few weeks, but I am still in quite a bit of pain, so she asked if I wanted to up the dosage. I don't know what made me hesitate so much to do so, and M said it was my decision, not his, but in the end I decided to do so. We will see how it works out.
Have I mentioned how amazing M is? He went with me for support during the appointment and to hold my hand for the blood draws. To hold doors and help me up and down the steps, no matter how small, and just be my company for the long long day. He even bought lunch.
I hate to bore with details, so I will try to sum up what came next. We went across the street to have my blood drawn for the rheumy tests take two, realized I left my water bottle at the Dr's office, went back to find they were at lunch, so we decided to get lunch. Panda express was next door and I had the orange chicken, steamed veggies and steamed rice. We then went to get my water bottle and headed home. Day 1 was a success.
Friday was even more of a success. While it it a bit of a drive out to where my Drs are located, they are completely worth it. I was in and out within 10 minutes for my blood draw for my GP's tests. She is testing my vitamin D after having been on 50,000ius a week the last few weeks. Easy breezy.
January 3rd is when I will return for appointments with both of them and I will hopefully be closer to an answer. I think that day I'll be more nervous than I have been so far at any of these prior appointments.
That's all for now, I hope to get another post later in the week out that isn't a dictation of my life. We will see!
-Carrowyn
