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.