082509

My mother-in-law, who has osteoarthritis, had her second kneee replacement today. It went well and she is recuperating in the hospital. It was quite a different experience from when she had her first knee replacement several years ago. Technology has come so very far along.

I hope that it continues to speed along, and I hope researchers can develop a cure for arthritis. I would love to see fewer and fewer people's lives twisted around and warn down by this awful disease.

I am managing as well as can be expected these days. I am continuing to work long hours and am managing ok since I had the 2 cortisone shots recently. It's amazing how the cortizone aleviates my psoriasis as well as my arthritis.

I am concerned about how I am going to manage the arthritis walk in Novemer. I probably cannot walk the whole thing but I want to take Ted and Maitland with me just to try. I would love for lots of people to do the race for all of the arthritis sufferers in our family.

All for now.

081709

I had a good day today even though my knees are throbbing quietly right now.

I had an appointment with my Rheumatologist this morning. I discussed with him the fact that my Hyalgan treatment was suddenly too costly. He is going to submit a few other brands of the same treatment to my insurance carrier and see if the cost is lower. He told me of how you have to submit each treatment and wait for a response. They won't just tell my doctor's staff which medicine is a better price for his patient. Hmmph.

So, in the meantime, he gave me cortisone injections in each knee. He used an ultrasound machine to guide him so it wouldn't hurt and also precisely place the injection where it was needed most. The injections didn't bother me all day until this evening when they started their quiet scream. At least this will only last tonight and maybe tomorrow for a while.

My doctor and I discussed exercise and weight loss. I have lost 10 pounds so far. He recommended I not start too rigorous of an exercise regimen until I lose another 15 or so pounds. This to not put added stress on my knees. I already work a lot of hours.

Then we discussed the future. I asked him what the status is of my knees. He feels that if we continue the current treatments, we can preserve my knees and avoid knee replacement. He also feels that medical advancements are coming quickly and that there would be lots of treatments in the future.

I wish we could rewind 20 or 30 years back and provide this kind of care for my mother and mother-in-law. They both suffer so needlessly and both should be very active right now. Hopefully things will begin to look up for both of them.

On a side note, I have not worked for the past 6 days. I took time off to spend with my daughter before school starts. I gave my body some needed rest before the fall work load begins. I also took some time to write to local as well as national politicians about the importance of health care reform and the importance of arthritis research and support for arthritis patients. I wrote to my local newspaper as well regarding the need for health care reform. Every little bit helps.

080409

Ok, I don't want to debate health care, but something needs to be done. I'm not sure I want the kind of health care that Canada has, but what we have has issues. We, in this free country, have access to outstanding healthcare, if you can pay for it.

I just got a call yesterday from my mail order pharmacy. The hyalgan that I last year paid a $30 copay to have injected in a series of 5 weekly shots, has now been increased a bit. The new copay is over $600.oo. No, it's not a typo. They said that my insurance coverage tweaked a bit from last year to this year.

I will forgo this treatment and ask my rheumatologist what we should try next. I do not like to take celebrex, as once prescribed to me, as it has too many side effects. I also get occasional headaches and celebrex limits what you can take for headaches. I found it rally didn't help much anyway.

I'll stick to my huge pile of daily vitamins, for now. I do have lots of pain after long days, but that will have to be for now.

I did write to my U.S. Congressman .

073109

I am getting over strep throat. It's awful. I was seriously out of commission a few days and am back to work but taking it easy now for a few days. My knees don't hurt so much when I am not on them for 10 hours. The aches from the strep virus made every joint in my body miserable instead.

I got a call today from my mail order pharmacy. The hyloronic acid I am due for in both knees will cost me $270.00. I need this every 6 months. It hurts to inject. They do it 5 weeks in a row. Recovery from each injection takes a few days. Oh what fun.

I have to complain to someone, may as well be you.

What on earth are we all going to do when swine flu blossoms this summer. I feel for all of the parents out there (including me) who are thinking about it. If your child is exposed or gets sick this year at school, they will ask you to keep your child home for a week. Working parents are facing rough economies right now,imagine this fall. I think it will hurt economically as well.

Hang on, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

072309

I'm in a rut. I feel I am doing all of the right things but my status just doesn't change. I am due to have hyloronic acid injections again (every 6 months). They are helpful but soooo awful. They hurt going in and feel rotten for the whole 5 weeks of them. I keep working the long hours. I'm sure that's not helping but in this economy I have no choice. I will blog every day until I fel something changing. Am beginning Alida Brill's book "Dancing at the River's Edge" about handling life with chronic illness. I look forward to it's message.

071409

Wow, it's been a while. Ok, so I've been avoiding this. I have been working a lot of hours and have been in pain and feeling sorry for myself.

I have been taking my supplements but have not been eating the best foods. I admit to Chocolate Trinity ice cram!

I do this blog as a way to answer to myself though, and pull myself in when I know i need to be pulled in.

I still am feeling the healing even though I haven't been eating as well as I should. Considering these past few weeks I have averaged 60 hours per week. Considering those are hours on my feet and on my knees, whch feel like knives are going through them. I am tolerating this abuse better than I used to tolerate it.

I stumbled on a lady named Alida Brill on the Bonnie Hunt show. She wrote a book about living with chronic illness. I am anxious to read it as soon as it arrives in my mail. I ordered a used copy.

I just read something on Facebook she wrote about how to handle having chronic pain. It smacked me in the face just enough to make me get on here and do a blog entry. Thanks, Alida, I needed that.

Back on track..... Sharon

063009

Hey there. It's a rough week, I won't lie. I have been working 12 hour days and many of them. It's tough to try to exercise when you've been on your feet for 12 hours and your knees throb. How exactly do you tough it out?

I don't know how I'm supposed to lose weight when I can't exercise.

I do know this though. Since I have been eating better and taking all of those fabulous heartburn inducing supplements, my ability to recover from those tough days is much better. I notice that within 12 hours, my body is back to good. That used to never happen. I also notice that if I get bruises (common when you work in retail), they heal very quickly.

I turn 46 this week. I stoppd dying my hair this year to celebrate. I don't want to feel old but I'm proud to be older. Wouldn't give you a nickel to go through my 20's again, that's for sure. I'll take older, droopier and smarter any day. :-)

Sharon

062309

061309

Today is my brother's birthday. He would be 51. I can't imagine him with grey hair. I can't imagine him aging. To me he will always be young and sill. That's a good thing. Happy Birthday you big goof.

I have been taking the following for 3 days now: alpha lipoic acid for decreasing the accumulation of free radicals (compounds that damage cells) in cells; coenzyme Q10 for helping the mitochondria convert food into energy and protect cells from free radicals; acetyl-L-carnitine to decrease wear on organs and stop free radicals from damaging cells; niacinamide to slow inflamation; DHA & EPA to slow cartiledge breakdown and decrease inflamation; glutathione for detoxification of cells; MSM to reduce arthritis symptoms, SAMe to reduce inflamation; glucosamin and condroitin to reduce inflamation; other basic vitamins.

It's quite the list! I purchased a big pill organizer, split it up into morning and evening vitamins, and away I went. I have continued to limita sugar and really only eat fresh foods.

My rare indulgence this week was my daighter's recital cake. She was so pretty in her recital costumes. I remind myself who I am doing this for besides me.

060809

So how did I get arthritis? I probably have had it for a while but I've gotten older and heavier in the last several years and that increased it. I had a car accident three years ago and it especially began to hurt after that.

My knees were the first to hurt. I had bad knees as a child, dislocating several times. My MRIs show degerative disease, arthritis. I just feel them hurting when I am on them too long. My research says that I can reverse this.

I have had injections twice now of hyloronic acid. I have had multiple steroid injections in my knees, back and shoulder. I have taken countless numbers of ibuprofen and Aleve. I have taken prescription pain relievers when needed.

I had a herniated disc and surgery on it almost 2 years ago. I still have arthritis in my spine but it is mostly under control.

That's enough medical history.

I have lost 5 pounds!!!!!

I ordered a multitude of supplements from Vitacost this week. I will post when I begin to take them. It should be interesting!

060409

Wow! Yesterday was the last day of school. My daughter got to go to the beach today with Daddy while worked. I need to get on that program.

I finished my book last night. Now I am going to gather some more nutritional supplements that will help me concur my arhtritis. I need alpha lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, L-Carnitine, N-acetylcysteine, acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR), miacinamide, more DHA & EPA, vitamins C, D, E, B6, B12, folic acid, selenium, gluathione, Glucosamine & Condroitin, MSM, and SAMe. I do get some of this some my current multi vitamin for arthritis, but I want to go at this full force.

I feel ok today, not too achy. I worked in the office all day today so I didn't have to walk on the super hard concrete floor all day.

I am soooo proud of myself for sticky to it so far. I haven't had any processed sugar or cleached flour or other processed foods all week. You would think I would have crazins but oddly I do not.

I was very lucky today, though. Ted made a great dinner tonight of broiled fresh fish and asparagus. It was really delicious.

He is rooting for me all the way as is my daughter.

On a sad note. This morning I was rushed to get ready for work and my daughter made my lunch for me. We always write notes when we make each other lunches. She wrote in the note, "I hope you have a great day at work. I hope you are not hurting too much."

How sad is that that that's what she thinks of, Mommy's current pain status.

I do come home every evening and deal with what ever the day's work did to my "pain status". It's hard to work all day at a very physical job, walking back and forth on hard floors all day and being on your feet. Hopefull, as I lose weight and this journey profresses, I won't have this for ever.

Shaz

060209

Here's me today. I hope I look a little better than a few days ago.

060109

You know, I may just pull this off. It's 5am on Monday morning. I am getting ready for work. I slept mostly through the night pain free! I don't have any pain right now.

That never happens to me! I have become accumstomed to taking a half of a low dose pain medication (yet still a narcotic) to sleep through the night most nights.

For 2 days, I can really say that I have managed to stay away from processed foods. I also dared to step on the scale and have lost 2 pounds.

Last night we visited my sister-in-law, whose in'laws are in town. They had lots of luau food. I had a huge plate of salads and healthy things at dinner and lots of fruit for dessert. Ted had made a fruit bowl. It was funny how everyone went after that fruit! I had a couple of glasses of wine, staying away from slushy drinks or sodas. It was not difficult to eat healthy and still have a good time.

This could be very cool but I am still at the beginning.

053009

Hah. I have no followers. That's ok. If I am the only one I am still accountable to myself.

I'm doing this for me and my daughter anyway. She can read this one day and understand why mommy took away the cheetos.

I have arthritis in my knees, back and now newly diagnosed by my fab Ortho, I have it in my right shoulder. He exrayed my shoulder which has been hurting a lot lately and showed me that I have degenerative disease there too. Par for the course and more motivation.

I just found out that my ortho doc is also the same surgeon for a famous close to my age swimmer. Shoulder surgery. How cool is that. He has a very fancy new office. Doesn't surprise me at all. He's good.

The shoulder thing has been going on for years but I have been told previously (by the same doc at times) that it's old tendonitis from over use. I did deliver room service during college and carried heavy trays to customers at the Hyat and Hilton hotels during the 80's. Over the years, my shoulder and neck would flare up with pain and migraines on occasion. This current flare up just won't go away.

This week I hope to use this blog to explain what's wrong with me and what I plan to do about it. Then I will merely track the journey. Hope it's not too boring. I'll try to be amusing even though nobody is reading it. Shaz

Here I go

So here's my first video of this journey. I think I'll write sometimes and create a video clip at times, depending on my whim. I am doing this to sort of create a form of accountability for myself. If I document it, I have to do it, you know. I am reading this book about arthritis and how it can be totally connected to nutrition. I hate arthritis. It sucks. I hate the pain. I hate feeling old at 45 years old.

My hope is to learn more about what I can do to combat it with nutrition and weight loss. I hope to share this hourney with anyone who wants to come along. I certainly hope to be successful. Good luck to me! Shaz