Honestly, I cannot believe it’s already the end of October! Just two months left of the year. Clocks have changed this morning, it’s Halloween and Bonfire Night next week, and then it’s the start of the countdown to Christmas. I do love this time of year! That being said, it’s not looking very autumnal in my house at the minute! With building work going on and being too ill to have the energy to carve any pumpkins, the only thing that’s giving this time of year away is the colour of the leaves on the trees down my street!
A Bit Of Good News
I have some good news this week, my eyes have finally improved! It’s been a long few weeks with my eyes and the pain and discomfort. They’re not 100% right yet and do get a bit sore as the day goes on, but they are 10 times better than they were a few weeks ago, so I’m very happy! It’s nice to be able to do things again, without being in so much discomfort. It’s nice to be able to write blogs and read back what I’m actually writing. It’s nice to be able to watch TV again and be able to focus on the image. Just the little things in life! And hopefully, they will just continue to improve.
Not sure how well the plugs are working yet, as it’s still very early days. I’m still having to frequently put artificial tears into my eyes as they dry out very quickly. So I’m wondering if it’s more my Ciclosporin eye drops that are helping with the inflammation, that’s giving me some relief?
The Wolf Is Angry
My eyes may have improved, but the wolf has not been happy with me this week. He’s caused me nothing but pain all week long!
My Rheumatologist Specialist Nurse rang me on Tuesday. She wanted to check in with me to see how I was getting along after last week’s steroid increase. Last week she got me to increase my steroids from 7mg to 10mg. I explained how I had gone downhill since I had last spoken. So she suggested I increase my steroids again, this time from 10mg to 15mg.
It’s been five days of taking 15mg of Prednisolone. I feel like the increased dose of steroids has done very little. The burning and throbbing in my knees and elbow is still very constant with no signs of improvement.
Keeping Topped Up With Pain Relief
My nurse rang me again on Friday and asked how I was getting on. I told her I was still struggling with the pain. She said about making sure I keep topped up with regular pain medication throughout the day, which I am doing. I take Etoricoxib and Codiene, two good painkillers. I can up my dose of Etoricoxib, which does help with the pain. However, my stomach doesn’t like it at all! So I have to decide which I prefer: a sore, inflamed stomach, or burning, throbbing joints.
My nurse then mentioned, that if I’m not doing any better by next Tuesday, don’t just carry on suffering on my own, instead, make sure I give them a ring back. They have offered me a steroid injection, but I did say no to it, as l feel the tablets seem to help better. Plus, the steroid injection wipes me off my feet for a couple of days afterward, which I don’t want.
Regarding my Methotrexate dose increase, I’m still waiting for a decision to be made.
That’s it from me this week! I’m supposed to be away in the van next weekend so there will be no blog. The way things are looking right now, it’s unlikely it will be going ahead, but trying to stay positive and hopeful!
Until next time,
Goodbye for now.
Emma
xox
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