What a Pain

I haven't posted anything for a few days, mostly because I'm so tired, mentally and physically. I've barely been tweeting anything either I feel that blah.

 I'm also noticing what seems to be becoming something of a cycle the last three weeks or so: I do my Methotrexate and Enbrel injections on Wednesday nights, but I don't think the drugs are lasting the full week. Starting Mondays or Tuesdays, I start getting more sore. My hands and feet, plus random other places. On offer today: my knees, elbows, wrists and neck.

Now, all of these places and others are sore/achy/cause brief sharp pain on and off at times, but this is something more consistent. And today they've been hurting for longer periods. I'm not saying they're killing me. This isn't comparable to the pain I felt when I had migraines before going on prophylactics – that pain had me lying on the bathroom floor contemplating smashing my head against the tiled wall to try to counteract the pain (oh, the joys of migraines!).

No, this pain is sharpish, but ongoing. Achy and ongoing. Throbbing and ongoing. And it's that ongoing nature that's set my teeth on edge and – partially – brought tears to my eyes (I say partially because part of the reason my eyes welled up is the thought that there might be no end to this cycle of awfulness...and that there is no end to the RA...).

The only time I ever went to the hospital because of a migraine was the time my doctor and I decided to stop my daily meds to see if the migraines had maybe, just maybe, stopped. I ended up with a migraine that wasn't too bad but that lasted for 72 hours. If the pain had lasted for less time I could have handled it, but by the time it got to about 60 hours, I'd had enough and couldn't take it anymore.

I sincerely believe pain is relative, for me at least. More intense pain of short duration is easier for me to handle than less intense pain of long and consistent duration.

And I'm trying to stay away from Tylenol because I want to get an absolutely unadulterated idea of exactly what the Methotrexate, Enbrel and diclofenac I'm on are doing for me so I can report that to my rheumatologist when I see her next month.

Anyway, that's pretty much it. Except this. If I haven't said it before, I'll say it now: RA seriously sucks.

A Migraine Cure!

I think I've found a cure for migraines: RA!

OK, I'm sure that's not the case – and I don't want to be taken for a crackpot – but I've only had one migraine since getting RA back at the end of November. That is totally unusual for me. The norm would be 3-4 a month.

So what's the deal? Must be the drugs I'm on. First I thought it was the Tylenol Extra-Strength (I was taking 1000 mg daily), but I stopped that about three weeks ago. So I can only presume that the other anti-inflammatory (Voltaren, aka diclofenac) I'm on or the Enbrel or Methotrexate are having some kind of effect on my migraines. Especially since spring and fall are horrible times of year for me, with falling barometric pressure being the worst trigger.

Must discuss with my neurologist next time I see him!

P.S. March 20: It's occurred to me that since there's been no sign of migraines, I can try cutting back on my prophylactic medication, so I started doing that today. I cut my morning dose of Topamax by 25 mg. We'll see how that goes, but I'm happy to be taking as little medication as possible, given how many drugs I'm on overall. Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful for what drugs can do for me – I shudder to think about what life would be like without them – but if I can live life equally well without them, I'm all for that!

Ginger & Nausea

In the last few weeks, I've been suffering from nausea on and off, ie., most days, periodically throughout the day. And while it usually doesn't get that bad, it is annoying to say the least. I have no doubt it's a side effect of the Methotrexate injections I'm on once a week or the Voltaren (diclofenac). I hate the idea of taking yet another medication like Gravol to quell the nausea, so I've been resorting to ginger tea for the most part to help out.

Ginger has long been known to be a remedy for upset stomachs and the like (ever have your mum give you some ginger ale – the real stuff – when your tummy ached?). It turns out it actually does work. This study, originally presented by the National Cancer Institute in May 2009, followed 644 patients who were undergoing chemotherapy and found that ginger supplements helped reduce nausea symptoms.

Now, as the study author points out, many teas are likely made with ginger flavouring, not real ginger, but the one I drink is made with real ginger root – I made sure to check. (FYI: It's Stash Lemon Ginger Herbal Tea.) Plus, when I'm at home, I add some grated ginger root. Not only does the tea make me feel better, it's yummy!

And when the nausea gets really bad, there is another option: the makers of Gravol offer Gravol Ginger, a natural product that contains the equivalent of 500 mg of dried ginger root.

My lovely friend Becky was over last night and brought me a fresh supply of Stash. Not only does she keep me supplied with ginger tea, she brought candied ginger, too. It's an amazing treat and something you should try if you never have, but be forewarned! It's sweet, but has an incredible bite and sharpness to it – I don't know how else to describe it. I find it incredibly irresistible!

P.S. Becky also makes the best salads ever!