Doctor Appointments, Out of Spoons 0 comments on I Stumped a Specialist

I Stumped a Specialist

Today, I went back to my rheumatologist for a three month checkup.  We agreed that I should not continue to take the medication he prescribed that was causing me harm (because it has gluten in it).  He did not want to prescribe other medication (because the rest of what he prescribes is for cases much more severe than mine).

He looked at my x-rays and said that there was no evidence of any joint damage in my hands, feet, or chest.  This indicates that I don’t have rheumatoid arthritis at all.

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Out of Spoons, Spoonie Writing 0 comments on So Much for That

So Much for That

Recently, I was diagnosed with “probable Rheumatoid Arthritis” and given a prescription for medication that was supposed to help with inflammation.

After having some really nasty side effects, I started doing some investigation.  Sulfasalazine contains an ingredient called “pregelatinized starch”. The starch can come from corn, wheat, potato, or tapioca – and there is absolutely no way to check to see which one is is from.

Based on my symptoms, I am absolutely certain it came from wheat.  I’m highly allergic to wheat (and rye, and barley) and my body cannot process gluten.

So, my medication that was supposed to help me become healthier made me sick as hell – and I have stopped taking it.

And now, I’m wondering why my rheumatologist didn’t seem to want to know anything at all about my food allergies.  This could have been prevented!

Doctor Appointments, Out of Spoons 0 comments on Official Diagnosis

Official Diagnosis

So, today I have my very first appointment with a rheumatologist.  As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, it took a year (and a referral from primary care doctor) to get in.

The rheumatologist was a very nice guy.  He listened to me describe my symptoms.  He asked for more details.  He wrote things down.  It was clear that he believed me – right from the start.

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30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge, Out of Spoons 0 comments on Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

The 30 Day Chronic Illness Blog was created by @cfs_zombie.  Each day, there is a brand new writing prompt that deals with chronic illness and/or living with a chronic illness.  I learned about this Challenge when someone reblogged it onto my Tumblr dashboard.  I have reached the end of the series!

Day 30:  And finally… starting at your toes and working up to your head, name each part of your body and how your illness has affected it, followed by something you like about that part of your body.

That’s too many words for a blog title, so I’m calling this one “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” (like the kid’s song).

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30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge, Out of Spoons 0 comments on What Would you Say to Those Newly Diagnosed?

What Would you Say to Those Newly Diagnosed?

The 30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge was created by @cfs_zombie.  Every day, there is a brand new writing prompt that focuses on chronic illness and/or what it is like to life with one (or with many).

I first learned about this Challenge when someone reblogged information about it onto my Tumblr dashboard.  Today is Day 15, which means that when I post this blog I will have officially completed 1/2 of the 30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge!

Day 15: What would you say to people newly diagnosed with this illness?

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30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge, Out of Spoons 0 comments on Why Do you Believe you have this Illness?

Why Do you Believe you have this Illness?

The 30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge was created by @cfs_zombie. I learned about it when someone reblogged it onto my Tumblr dashboard. Each day, there is a new writing prompt that focuses on chronic illness and being chronically ill. I decided to take on this challenge because it sounded interesting.

Day 11: Why do you believe you have this illness? Bad luck, a higher power, or something else?

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30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge, Out of Spoons 0 comments on How Does Being Chronically Ill Make You Feel?

How Does Being Chronically Ill Make You Feel?

This blog is part of a series that I am writing for the 30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge. Each day there is a brand new writing prompt that focuses on some aspect of living with a chronic illness (or illnesses). It was created by @cfs_zombie. I learned about this Challenge from Tumblr.

Day 5: How does being chronically ill make you feel?

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30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge, Out of Spoons 1 comment on 30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge – Introduction

30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge – Introduction

The 30 Day Chronic Illness Challenge is something that I found on Tumblr.  It appears to have been created by @cfs_zombie, who has compiled 30 writing prompts.  Each one focuses on something specific to chronic illness.  The challenge is to complete each of the 30 blog posts in 30 days.

Day 1: Introduce yourself.  What illnesses do you have?  How long have you had them?

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