My Journals (4) – temporary relief

Since my last Journal entry, a lot has happened. 

I am continuing to recover from my open wounds.  They are almost totally healed.  The nurses are now only coming once a week, and my wonderful hubby is changing the dressings daily.  I still am unable to drive until they are totally closed up.  I have a doctor’s appt. on November 11th, to hopefully be released to drive.  Although, since I am on Morphine and Percacet, I won’t be driving much.

I am still waiting on my Disability to kick in.  I have been working with my doctors and my attorney to expedite a hearing date.  Once that happens, I feel confident that I will receive benefits, it’s just a long process to get the hearing.

I have been fighting my MONSTER, RA. 

Since the staph infection, I have not been able to take my RA meds. at all, and cannot go back on them until January.  So, I have been in severe pain, swelling, stiffness, and achy for the past 9 weeks.

Just this week, I called my Rheumy and told her that I couldn’t take it any longer.  The only thing she could do for me is to put me on a Prednisone taper.  It is a 26 day taper this time.  The last taper I had was a Medrol pack that was only 15 days, it didn’t work at all.  This is my first Prednisone attempt.

Within a few days, the Prednisone kicked in and all the swelling, stiffness and achiness went away.  My flu like symptoms were gone.  Thank you Jesus!!!!  But, it is making me hungry, putting weight on me and keeping me up at night.  I am not sleeping well at all.  Side effects, I have to weigh the options.

But, now that I am feeling better from that, the nerve pain from the AS has really intensified.  I guess, the RA pain was over riding the AS pain.  My lower back and legs are now killing me.  I am still trying to decide which pain I would rather be in….nerve pain or RA pain.  I think the RA pain was the worst, because it put me in the bed or on the couch.  The AS pain makes me pace the floors.  It is pretty sever, but, I can sometimes change positions, and it will ease.

I will take whatever relief I can, temporary or not.  Once the 26 days is up, I’m sure I will be back in the RA pain again.  As for the nerve pain, I have mentioned before that the only option for that is now surgery.  I am facing 3 spinal fusions next year.  Since the Spinal Cord Stimulator is not longer an option, and because of my staph infection history, there is nothing else, other than narcotics, they can do for me.  I have a herniated disc in the Thoracic region, two discs in the lumbar and my neck is a mess. 

I will make an appt. with my Neurosurgeon in January to discuss which surgery will come first.  If any of them are causing neurological issues, he will start there.  If not, then he will start where the most pain is, which right now is the lumbar area.

I will spend all next year having and recovering from surgeries, and then I will be pain free for  3-5 years.  Once the AS realizes that there is nothing left in the fused vertebra to attack, it will go attack another one.  Then, we will have to fuse that one.  Eventually, my whole spine will be fused.  I can handle that, I would much rather be a little immobile, than be in this pain.

On a good note, I am continually trying to give everything to God.  I am praying more and listening to sermons on-line, reading the Bible more, and constantly blogging to keep my mind off of the pain.  Whether or not it is in God’s will for my body to be healed, I am being healed on the inside.  My heart is being healed everyday.  It makes it much easier to take on my MONSTERS with my heart in God’s hands.