Four years with RA
I was four years into my RA when I wrote this article. As I said that we are responsible for managing our disease. I still feel the same..
All posts tagged: RA team members
The challenge of Feet
My rheumatologist sent me to a podiatrist, a foot doctor. Charming man. Once a client of mine. X-rays were ordered, the podiatrist way. Standing. Weight bearing. Three views each. For the third view I climbed steps and was x-rayed at foot level. A much better test than the standard foot x-rays. Results: persistent degenerative changes with in the feet bilaterally. I admit that this was expected. What happens next? My doc said surgery is not the answer. As my feet get worse he feels steroid injections would be helpful. Now it is important that I wear shoes that fit well and offer good support. I should also wear special inserts (Motion Control performance insoles by Prothotics). I got the inserts first. They are so much better than anything you will find at Target or Walmart. They have support for feet in areas that are thinning in RA. He suggested our New Balance store or REI. New Balance was closer. They fitted the inserts and fitted …
Wrapping your head around RA
When I was diagnosed with RA, I was too sick to understand the long term implications. I was grateful at the time to put a label on the devastating attack on my body. I love books and have always looked to books for solutions as well as for pleasure. Soon after my diagnosis, I purchased the book, The First Year Rheumatoid Arthritis by M.E.A. McNeil. With RA there is a major shift in your life. What to do? How to cope? What to think? It is overwhelming. This book set me on the right course. It helped me organize.
RA tools-Massage
In the proper spirit of being the manager for my RA, I thought about what tool I could use to help manage my RA. Top on my list was massage: Helps the pain-tense muscles to relax. Stimulates the lymphatics. And best of all is a thoroughly relaxing experience. Today I had an hour massage at ABQ Medical Massage Therapy. It was an Oncology Massage. I have several cancers as well as RA and they do open a few doors. The massage was given by Sean, a senior student. I was directed to a quiet room. Asked if the room temperature was okay. Offered water. And directed to disrobe to my comfort level. I go to my panties. Lay down on the table which was warm and cozy. Covered up with a sheet and a light blanket. When Sean returned, he adjusted my head pillow and placed a pillow under my knees. Quiet music. Sean worked his magic as he worked my body into relaxation. Peaceful bliss. I felt pampered and happy. When I was diagnosed …
Rheumatoid Arthritis a training ground for cancer
Rheumatoid Arthritis: A training ground for cancer. That is how I think of it. When I was diagnosed last year with RA, I read everything I could find on the subject. I was trying to figure out where I stood with the disease. My favorite book was M.E.McNeil’s The First Year Rheumatoid Arthritis. The value of this book is that it offers an approach, a way of thinking, to come to terms with a chronic, progressive disease. It gave me the same help when I had to come to terms with the diagnosis of two different cancers. • I journal regularly, expressing myself and establishing a timeline. • I think of my medical providers as my team that does include my pharmacist, physical therapist as well as the 6 specialists that I am seeing currently. • I see myself as the head of my team. I have confidence in my team. Each has a role. My role is to be proactive, to do my part. • I am able to accept my current situation, relaxing …
How to tell a charlatan
I met my first charlatan last week. I’m sure I’ve known other ones. A charlatan presents as someone who is an authority on a subject when in fact she’s not. She often times is looking to profit from her faulty information, but not always. This woman approached me at a cancer class. She said my cancer was caused by an imbalance in my body. She could cure me. Doctors were clueless. Nurses were clueless, too. I really needed to go to her program and learn about the acid-alkaline diet. ( A friend had already given me a book on the subject.) I would be better. I would feel better. She didn’t have a card and mentioned she did a lot of other things. She wrote her info on the back of one of her other cards. Contact me, she said. To me the fundamental sign of a charlatan is her attitude that she know best and that all the other resources in the world are bogus. There are too many good resources in the world. …
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