I am once again walking more like a human being and less like a robot with stiff, painful, locked up knees! I think the Plaquenil is kicking in and my pain level is waaaayyy down. :-)

I'm down to 5 mg of prednisone per day and my pain has been very minimal. I have horrible insomnia and the only thing I have for it is xanax, until I get with my doctor next week.

We had a very busy weekend and I had some cakes and cupcakes to do, but I survived and was feeling pretty good!! I was pretty exhausted by Sunday and definately overdid it a bit (we went to a baseball game on Friday, then spent Saturday at a softball tournament in the sun and heat) but a couple of weeks ago I don't even think any of that would have been possible. So things are getting better!!

Recovering from the Shingles Yuk not what I needed but the story of my life LoL always something new to keep me on my toes. Loving all this heat and sunshine joints feeling better. Hope all is well ----Michelle

Getting ready for our big trip to Thunder Bay ( Northern Ontario) never been that far north before. I have to pack all my oxygen tanks....they don't have a supplier close. It is a twenty four hour drive. I will have to make sure I pack some pain meds.....sitting that long at a stretch my hips stiffen up.
The dog is going to the sitters tomorrow and the neighbors teenage son is going to feed the cats to earn a bit of money.
I think I am all set!!!!

Good Morning All,
You might want to get a cup of coffee this is going to be long! I haven't posted in a while because life has been so 'LIFE'.
A couple of months ago I went to the rheumy for my regular check up and I was in a flair so she put me on prednisone and told me to avoid stress and the sun. YEAH RIGHT!
The prednisone worked wonders and the following week I was on vacation with our son, wife and baby girl. We went to Williamsburg and had a great sunny time. I knew that I would pay for the sun the following week but it was worth it. We had a great time!

The following week they left, my hubby went to Europe for work. And literally the very same day a pipe broke in the basement. I was the only one home dealing with it all. The worse part was that it broke in an area that had stuff stored away for the last 20 years! I had to sort through and mainly throw out everything from 20 years. This took about a week. A week of mopping, tossing, going up and down stairs, dealing with plumbers and dealing with the stress of being in the sun the previous week and stiff, joint pain. I was tired but grateful that the basement was in order at the end of it all. Hubby came home and I thought I can finally get a couple of days of rest.

HA! My daughter, who has Autoimmune Hyper Anemia Deficiency Syndorme became gravely ill. She got bilateral pneumonia that went into Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. She was so ill the drs. told us to call her siblings home and prepare for the worse. We did but I am happy to say she has pulled through and has come home to recover. It will be slow but we are hopeful for a full recovery. She is very weak right now and needs lots of assistance.
I mentioned this in a post a few weeks ago and want to thank everyone for their kind encouraging words and most of all your prayers.

I went back to the rheumy last week and she wants to put me on methotrexate for the MCTD since the Plaquenil isn't working as effectively as she would like. She said my disease is still active so something more needs to be done. She told me to get the shingles vaccine before I start it so I go back in six weeks (need some time after i get it because it is a live virus) to start on methotrexate.
SO my question for you are what do you know about methotrexate and how effective is it for you? I've experienced very little side effects with the Plaquenil and feel better than I did but I am fatigued and having lots of stiff joint pain still.. I do want to get the MCTD under control. The prednisone made me realize I still have alot of inflammation going on. I asked if I could just up the Plaquenil but she said I am at the max amount. Any info on methotrexate that you can give me would be appreciated.
Havana & Rescuemama: glad you are doing better : )
Buffy: wishing you a good night's sleep
Michelle: Hope the Shingles are over and you have no other nerve pain.
Beth: I want to go with you : ) Have a lovely time.
Mary Ann: Thanks again for your kind words and prayers. You are a blessing to this whole group.
Terrilynne

Terrylynn- Glad to see you back ans with such great news about your daughter!
Still too hot here. I am still having trouble with nausea. Guess I will have to give it up and see the Dr.
Meanwhile, my little cat, Tommie, has been taking thyroid med but not getting any better. She threw up a tapeworm! So, on to de worming meds.
Maybe I have tapeworms! Yuck! LOL!
My garden is producing and I am freezing a lot for the winter. It is a lot of work but tastes so good! 94% humidity yesterday and it rained again, so garden production is up and so are the mosquitoes. You all have heard how I hate those!
My daughter is starting driving lessons again at a rehab center. I hope she can get this. I will mean a world of difference in her freedom.
Hope you are all taking care of yourselves.
Mary Ann

Well, life is life I guess. I have been sick with who knows what going on. The rheumy said an allergy, the gp said a flare and the other gp said low sodium. So, who knows! I have been so dizzy and now I itch like crazy all over. I have taken benadryl and prednisone and meclizine, none of it is helping. On to the good news...we got a puppy over the weekend and the kids are loving it. The cat, not so much! The weather is just crazy, it's like a sauna outside, so we have mostly been staying in and trying to keep cool. well, i am cold, everyone else is cool!
Terrilynne, so glad to hear about your daughter. Hope she continues on her path to getting well.
Buffy, that's why I hate prednisone, because it's not even a good insomnia where you can actually get things done. It's the crappy I'm so tired and want to go to sleep, but I can't insomnia!
Sounds like everyone else is doing pretty good this week, glad to hear it. I'd be better if it wasn't for this incessant itching!
-Kate

Hello haven't been here for a long time. I am so glad you all are still here.
I was diagnose with Diabetes2.....not fun learning how to eat.
I still having pain all over....but I can't move my left foot toes like in cluring them. And finally my GP sent me to Ortho doctor who I saw yesterday. Who said he can't help me he thinks I have a neurve problem and need to see a Nuro.
So my Gp thinks it's Diabetes Neurophathe...so I had to look that up.
I am still not diagnose with much except living with pain everywhere...can't walk in the mornings...and afternoon all I want to do is sleep. And I have dizzy spells and still falling down without warnings.
Will they ever really find out what is wrong....I guess they are finally looking for reasons....it's been a long time.
Until then I wish you all well and anything you might need for yourself or family.

I did take that cup of coffee and read everything you wrote and found that we all have our stresses and medical hisotries....
I worry about that daughter of that person who wrote about all her illnesses.

So I am ending here......don't know what is next....Oh yeah Had my gallbladder remove and they told me I had fatty liver and there is more....stuff...but won't bore you any more.

living each day at a time.

Bee
hugs
and thank you for being here