All posts filed under: RA journal

Happy Spring

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Albuquerque is heating up as tulips bloom. Despite Phillies’ losses, loyal fans remain hopeful. The writer finds relief from pain and inflammation using a cannabis blend of THC, CBD, and CBN, reducing their need for Tramadol. They emphasize the effectiveness of THC and CBD combinations and share Easter wishes across religions originating in the Middle East.

The Balance of an RA Life

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Rheumatoid arthritis is unlike many diseases. RA is a disease that is chronic. It is a disease that is progressive meaning that it will get worse over time. It is debilitating meaning that it will interfere with your ability to have a normal life. There is no cure. It is a tough disease. It may start slowly. It might not even be symmetrical right out of the gate. Or it might be like mine. Acute. Severe. All the classic symptoms. And it never really stops. Mine is seronegative which means the test for certain factors is negative. Those with seropositive disease have more joint damage but those with seronegative have more systemic inflammation. I recently had a full body scan after I had surgery for melanoma. There doesn’t seem to be more melanoma lurking in my body, but my whole cardiovascular system has atherosclerosis. No wonder those with RA die of heart disease! A diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is not a ticket to feel sorry for yourself. It doesn’t help. I was lucky to learn that as …

Ballgames and a PET scan

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We are busy watching the Phillies playing the Arizona Razorbacks. We loved the first game and then the next was 10 zip in favor of the Phillies. Fun. Now they have moved to Arizona to play three games. They lost the first two. Tonight is the third game. Instead of our movie we are watching the game. We will get takeout and hope for the best. Anyway, the games have been excellent in spite of the winner. Yesterday I had a PET body scan to see if the melanoma had metastasized. The tech injected a radioactive tracer intravenously. The tracer is attracted  to the activity of cancer cells and will cluster in them. It was a two hour process.  I had to wait an hour while the radioactive substance saturated my cells before the scan was done. Now the hard part. I could say the not knowing was no problem. It wouldn’t be correct. If I am cancer free, I will be thrilled. If I am not, I will have an uncertain future. Melanoma  can …

Rheumatoid arthritis Hands

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My feet were the first to become affected by rheumatoid arthritis, but my hands were right behind. They were painful and swollen as big as melons. My knuckles and wrists were affected. My fingers kicked in later. As time went by the tendons in my hands failed to work properly. First the left and then in a little while my right joined in. For a while I lost the use of both hands. I could use my pointer finger on my right hand. I was used to typing the whole keyboard (typing class in high school). So my one finger had difficulty finding the keyboard my brain knew well.  Eventually I gained the use of my left pointer, but not the use of my other fingers on the keyboard. So I peck away. The worst of it was accidentally knocking things over. I lost several cups of coffee that way. Glasses. Anything in the way of my poor hands. It was frustrating for me. That has improved. My grip was fine as long as I …