browser life

Been getting more inquiries than usual about my current health status. Was telling people to check the blog, and then I actually read through it myself and realized I haven't given a true health update in....months! Oops.

Have been on Imuran since January. I had some stomach pain for a few days which went away and never came back. I continue to have some hair loss and periodic headaches from the med, but nothing significant.

It took a long time to notice any real improvement; in fact, some symptoms didn't get better until TODAY. But now I no longer have rashes or photo-sensitivity, my lymph nodes and glands aren't as swollen, my edema seems less, I have fewer mouth infections, and my neuropathy has improved. And I have SPIT, at normal levels for the first time in five years, and today my eyes are actually comfortable most of the time, which hadn't happened since 1997.

So the verdict regarding Imuran: I feel it does help me in some ways, but it is nowhere near a cure. My pain and fatigue levels are still huge, and my cognitive function doesn't seem any better. Therefore, it doesn't seem likely that I'll get healthy enough to return to work as the fatigue, cognitive dysfunction and pain are the main factors screwing up my quality of life and ability to be productive.

I am curious to see if my c-reactive protein and other protein levels are normal now, but first I have to get a doc to order the tests. I am willing to stay on Imuran as long as it helps keep the Sjogren's from getting worse. I feel really lucky that I experienced some success from the very first immuno-suppressant I tried.

Asthma update: I am now down to taking Advair just once a day, and it seems to help. I still have to use the inhaler when I over-exercise and when I am exposed to cigarette smoke. I also have to be careful with fumes from cleaning products (I used some Simple Green yesterday and began coughing like crazy), and I will need to make sure I don't come downstairs tomorrow while the foundation guys are working so that I don't have any more exposure to concrete dust than necessary.

Diabetes: still doing all right in that department. My glucose readings have crept up a bit, but I just switched to a new meter, so that may be the culprit. I'll ask my primary care doc about it the next time I see her.

Tummy: gastroparesis is unchanged, reflux is worse at times. I have been taking extra strength Mylanta for the really bad reflux days, and that helps most of the time. But I am thinking of maybe going back to the gastroenterologist to see if I need to up my prescription med.

Teeth: still having a pain in a molar that had a root canal two YEARS ago! Can't really afford to have it re-done, so I'm putting up with it, but I suppose I should ask the dentist about it when I see her in a few weeks. I wonder if the endodontist missed part of the root?

Eyes: opthalmologist told me that my vision problems are not diabetes or Sjogren's related but are probably normal aging. Said I may want to consider reading glasses in another year or two. I would not be a candidate for another vision correction surgery due to the Sjogren's.

Neuropathy: improved from what it was in January, but not gone. Instead of odd sensations/numbness/pain in an area that lasts for weeks, I'm back to where it was a year ago, which means that individual symptoms generally only last for a day or less. I still have to be really careful to elevate my feet several times a day and not over-do things as that will make me worse.

The fibromyalgia, unfortunately, has been pretty consistently kicking my ass. I had major flares for stupid things like the seasons changing. But I've tried pretty much every reasonable treatment, and nothing works that I can tolerate, so I just have to deal with it the best I can.

The chronic myofascial pain, which goes hand in hand with the fibromyalgia, has been worse in the past month than it has been in a couple of years. I saw the massage therapist and chiropractor on Thursday, and they were shocked at how incredibly knotted up my muscles were. And I hadn't done a damned thing to aggravate them; my body just seems to delight in puzzling me sometimes.

I am still doing the Gazelle glider machine, but have only worked my way up to 10 minutes on it. At this rate, it will probably take me a year to progress to the 30 minute workout that docs think I should be doing. If only they fully realized how much exercise wipes me out.

Speaking of wiped out, the sledgehammer of fatigue is packing a wallop right now. Better try to get some sleep before the foundation guys get here in the morning.

Probably more than you wanted to know, eh?