The Arava's history, as is my shoulder apparently, mwahahaha!
All joking aside, I'm feeling about as gray as the day outside.
The Arava upset my stomach to no end. At first I thought it was something I ate. Then it went on and on and it occurred to me that, no, it wasn't any food, it was the freakin' drug! Not so good.
And today I went to my rheumatologist re my shoulder and confirmed that, so, Enbrel it is.
And speaking of the shoulder, she doesn't really know what's up. Yes, it is stiff and she thinks, a frozen shoulder now. How exciting. Rotator cuff tear? Possibly. Even more exciting.
She thinks its odd, though, that I have had pain even at rest, not just upon movement. Things don't add up in her opinion. Me, I'm just tired.
So she did up an ultrasound recquisition, then I walked down the hall to the X-ray place and submitted myself to torture. Yes, torture. It's all in the name of science and figuring out what's wrong, so it's all good, but definitely not a happy place.
Holding my hand on my lap? Done! Bending my elbow and moving my hand to the side? Not so done. Placing my hand behind my back? You have got to be seriously kidding me! By that point, my eyes were welling up.
The pictures looked cool, though. Kind of like the surface of the moon...
We should have the results in 2-3 days.
I just want my body back.
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:( how crappy. maybe they'll finally get to the bottom of it once you get the results back.
ReplyDeleteI wish we could all have our bodies back, would be the best Christmas present ever!
Aww, Laurie. What a misery! I hope the ultrasound will show what's going on inside that shoulder of yours so your doc can get you started on an effective treatment.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm sorry the Arava bothered your stomach so. I take it, and I've been lucky enough not to have any problems with it. I'm confused about the Enbrel, however. Aren't you already taking that by injection?
Sending you warmth-patience-comfort rays, m'friend. Take care. ;)
-Wren
Arava? Hmmm my doctor keeps tossing that one out thinking that methotrexate has stopped working after 20 years. My friends hair fell out in clumps on Arava. My shoulder hurts 24/7. I had my last cortisone injection in May. It hurts resting or moving it. I cannot raise it above my shoulder. Yesterday I couldn't even mix the batter for muffins....it is pretty useless. I love how they put you through the range of motions for the perfect picture at every angle. I hope you get some answers and relief soon.
ReplyDeleteOh Laurie, that sucks. It's so discouraging when a drug doesn't work, and your shoulder sounds so painful (and yes, today was very grey!). I don't imagine all this rain helps any of us.
ReplyDeleteI hope that when you do start the Enbrel, you notice a big improvement. I'm thinking of you and hoping things start to look up soon.
How about getting a shoulder implant ... or would that be a shoulder augmentation? Well, you don't really want a bigger shoulder, do you? In any case, sorry it's still giving you problems. And sorry it was so painful trying to figure out what is going on. Enbrel worked very well for me for 5 years.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's a bit odd that you have pain at rest as well as when moving. But then, I'm looking at my own experiences instead of the textbooks, so what would I know. sigh I hope your doctor is able to find a good solution for you, and that you're able to (finally) get some relief.
ReplyDeleteI had a rotator cuff tear, pre-RA, years ago. I still remember the agony. It hurt continually...not just with movement. It hurt just to have my arm attached to my shoulder. I wore a sling for semi-relief when the mere weight of my arm became excruciating. I was given the option of surgery, which I was told wouldn't be guaranteed to fix the problem, or to let it heal on its own. I chose heal on its own. Took about a year before I was completely pain free and able to once again play tennis, teach yoga, etc...like I said, that was pre-RA. :) I feel your pain, Laurie. I hope the test results present you with some good options.
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