Adjusting to it all, AMD, RA and melanoma
I have been missing, Dealing with a new cancer and going blind. Adjustments take time.
All posts tagged: Rheumatoid arthritis
The Phillies, Sickle Cell disease, My RA
A short update on what is new, Advances in sickle cell disease, the Phillies and my cannabis journey.
Happy Spring
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.
Pain de Mie
Baking, cannabis and RA complications.
The Balance of an RA Life
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
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 …
A Good Week
Life has been good. I had a special treat recently. I had my youngest son all to my self for a day. Growing new memories. He has returned to his home in Texas. The weather has suddenly turned cooler. And I have suddenly settled into one of my worst flares of late. It is amazing how that works. Doing fine. Then suddenly not doing fine. I took extra indica cannabis last night. I needed the extra help sleeping as I was on the front end of a flare. The night before I had taken extra Medrol. I still woke up this morning in total pain. My hands burned and ached. My shoulders hurt. All my joints chirped in and I felt sick all over. I had to keep moving as I had a morning appointment with my primary. I poured water into the coffee machine and added coffee. Next I let Francis out. The NYTimes and coffee were not enough to sort myself out. I went to the appointment holding on to my son. Audrey …
RA never goes far.
Summers are tough for me. This year instead of the wound clinic I spent my time in dermatology and the surgical clinic managing basil cell and melanoma cancers.
Cancer, from RA ?
RA increases the incidence of lung, skin and lymphoma cancers. Do you get your skin checked for cancer?
Nurse Mary’s Notes Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis
I finally did it. I published my second book.
marysarthritis.com 