Another Health Update

 At the discharge follow-up after my last hospitalization, we really started getting serious about finding a rheumatologist.  Despite being in a pretty desperate situation, the earliest appointment was the end of October.  I felt helpless and more like a pawn in the health care system rather than a person who was experiencing serious health issues. 

I mean...this right here

In the meantime, I had yet another infection!  This time it was in the form of an abscess on the gum inside my mouth.  Painful to say the least!!! The infection did not result in a fever this time, but the vomiting was intense and lasted a full 24 hours.  

I really started questioning whether I'd even be able to work with the new school year just two weeks away.  How can I start school when I was getting sick and needing to be out one day every two weeks? That was how I ended the school year and it was awful, not to mention not fair to the kids.  I started looking into things like FMLA or short-term disability. 

Until a God-ordained meeting in the middle of a Starbucks on a random Thursday morning changed everything!  I had plans to meet a friend at the Starbucks - this was our third attempt to get together. Normally, I would never allow myself to be seen in public with any part of my legs or ankles showing because - 

same picture again

However, my socks had gotten wet and I was forced to take them off.  As my friend and I sat at our table talking, a man at the table next to us kindly interrupted us and asked if I was seeing a rheumatologist for the psoriasis.  I gave him a condensed version of the story and then asked him if he was a rheumatologist?  HE WAS!  Next thing I know he is reaching into a case that was on the floor and pulled out his laptop saying, "oh, no!  I am going to make an appointment for next week before my clinic opens for the day. We're going to get you on some immunotherapy immediately."

I just could not believe this was happening. I went to my appointment on Tuesday and he immediately diagnosed me with psoriatic arthritis and prescribed methotrexate. 

For the foreseeable future I will be on a daily dose of folic acid and will take the Methotrexate only on Fridays (six pills). 

Why Folic Acid?

-- folic acid will reduce the adverse side effects of the Methotrexate - nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, mouth ulcers, raised liver enzymes, hair loss, and bone marrow toxicity. 

--folic acid is necessary for red blood cell production and healthy cell growth and function. 

I am excited to begin this new journey. 

CJ's Birthday

 On Tuesday, we celebrated CJ's birthday with an all day "party".  We began by going bowling at the Dezerland Park  on International Drive.

image from google

image from google

I hadn't bowled in years and years and years, but I had a lot of fun.  It ended on a downer though as our time had expired before we got through game 2 and the birthday boy was having one heck of  game. I'm sad that we didn't get to see his final score. 

Dezerland is fun to walk through as it is like a car museum. While they have one little area roped off for a paid our, all the cars are available for everyone to see. 

image from google

image from google

image from google

image from google

After walking around a bit, we went to see Joy Ride at the movie theatre in the Dezerland Mall (Cinemark).

image from google

We finished the day with pizza and cake. 

A Second Hospitalization

 June was the most unbelievable for me.  Besides the 3 times I had the boys, I've only been in the hospital two times in my whole life - once at 2 and I had pneumonia, and once in my early 20's when a blood filled cyst in my stomach ruptured.  So I doubled my hospitalizations in just one month.

Thursday started as every other day however, at some point in the morning, I felt a UTI coming on. Not an hour later, I felt the unmistakable tightness around the chest, feeing as I couldn't breathe, and tingling down my arms. This lasted about 10 minutes.  

I immediately packed a bag and headed over to Orlando Health again. This time they were unbelievably busy. I was given a bed in the area where the ambulance drops off people. They again did an EKG which was, once again, completely normal. They ran bloodwork to check the troponin levels which should be less than 1.  My initial number was 14, my second draw was 99.  

So it was back up to the cardiac unit for me where I spent the next two days feeling absolutely fine.

The cardiologist came Friday morning and signed off stating there wasn't anything he could do for me.  I already had all the test three weeks prior and nothing was going to change in that short time period. He said he thinks the episodes are infection related so chances are it will happen again. 

The only issue this stay was they gave me a blood pressure pill Thursday night and it cause my pressures to tank. I spent the next 14-16 hours with readings about 88/60. Friday afternoon they were up a bit but the doctor wouldn't send me home until the top number was above 100.  When they checked my vitals about 4:00, the top number was 104!!!! Ihad started packing my things to go home when the nurse came in and said the doctor again changed her mind and wanted me to stay because I had a "fever" - 99.4*. I really don't consider that a fever but whatever.  

I stayed another night and then went home Saturday about noon. If this happens again I will not be going to the ER unless he episodes last longer or I have residual effects. I am not going to spend another night in the hospital when I feel absolutely fine.