Monday, May 31, 2010

Arthritis Walk Fun!


The Arthritis Walk was yesterday, and our Frozen Woman team raised over $3,694!!! I'm so thrilled that everyone came out, and that they did such a wonderful job raising money and donating money themselves. I had no idea that we'd do so well.

We were in the top 10 teams in Toronto thanks to our efforts, and my younger sister Jamie (yes, she's a tad competitive) already has big plans for next year, involving raising money with a hot-dog stand, T-shirts, etc. You go, girl, I say! (Me, not quite so competitive, lol!).

It was the perfect day: sunny and clear, and while it was on the hot side, there was a lovely breeze, and we walked the beautiful park route (yes, we walked multiple loops of the 1km route rather than the city-traffic 5km route, which we'd signed up for, because I wasn't sure how I'd do and with the 5km route, there's was no way to get back if you couldn't do it). It was a good thing I decided to do that. My hips were sore-ish, but when we got back to the car after the walk, my legs were actually shaking. Same thing when we got back to my place. I felt fine other than that, and it wasn't dehydration, so I'm not sure what was up with that. They were still kind of shaky for some time.

Anyway, the organizers did a fabulous job. There were muffins and yogurt to snack on and coffee and water to drink before the walk start, water and yummy green tea drinks during, and after there was a barbecue with hamburgers (veggie, too!) and hotdogs and all kinds of fruit. Music was playing and added to the party atmosphere.

I had such a good time with my family and friends (many hugs were exchanged!).

All in all, a fun, fun morning!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Hey All!

Thanks for all your good wishes recently.

I am still around.

Have just been busy – crazy busy – trying to get things settled on the work front.

Have also been transitioning all kinds of things, things you never think about really when you work full-time. Stuff like my contacts. I had many in my iPhone, but not all, so that was a bit of a mad dash.

Then there was my twitter account. I tweeted on a work account and had over 1,000 followers, but no more. So the first week I was off, part of my time was spent opening up a new Twitter account (you can follow me at @LaurieGrassi!), following those many followers with the new account and letting them know where they could now find my personal tweets. (If you're not familiar with Twitter, that's probably all Greek to you!)

Next: researching new software for my computer. Some of what I had was pretty old, but sufficient, because, well, I didn't actually really do work on it – I did that at work...

Also, I had to research some tax implications for my income this year. Fun, wow! My eyes glazed over while I was doing it, but it was necessary.

And looking at things like how to reduce costs, and how to pay for my medications if I lose my insurance and I have to get the government to cover me, etc., etc., etc. Which, in the whole scheme of things, is my biggest concern, along with getting another job, of course.

Good lord, I'm having a fun couple of weeks. But at least I'm keeping plenty busy!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

2010: Annus Horribilis


Jan. 11, 2010: diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis

May 4, 2010: let go from my job

They say bad things come in threes.

I shudder to think what could come next...

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Drip, Drip, Drip Goes My Nose


Ever since I started taking both Methotrexate and Enbrel I've had a drippy nose. Not constantly, just all of a sudden, out of the blue, my nose starts running. It's not stuffy or anything. There aren't any symptoms other than the sudden dripping, like a faucet being turned on then off again, multiple times a day.

Rhinitis is the actual medical term for the condition, and it's one of the adverse side effects of those two medications.

When I mentioned the drippy nose to my rheumatologist at my last visit, she queried, "Allergies?"

I said, "No. I've never had any seasonal allergies, plus I've had the drippy nose ever since I started taking the Methotrexate and Enbrel back in the winter." In other words, even though I know you can develop allergies as an adult, it didn't just started with all the spring pollen floating around in the air.

But, oddly enough, in the last couple of days, the drippy nose seems to have been on the decline. My RA symptoms overall have been better, too.

Is there some odd connection? Drugs working better, body getting used to them, less drippy nose?

Ahhh, the mysteries of RA!