Is this a flare?

Is this a flare? The last few days my joints have been really hurting. It would be so easy to just give in to the pain....but I have to work...I have to keep going....I worked half a day today...I am taking all my meds everyday which includes without ceasing morning and night tromadal which is a pain pill.... I take plaquenil which is for my Lupus symptoms and at night I take muscle relaxer called flexiril as well as a sleep aid ( the name escapes me) and another plaquenil and a tromadal. So......I have to wonder how I would feel if I was taking nothing......but I guess that is not important...it's that I am taking it and I am still hurting........I am not so sure my Kidney Infection is gone either so maybe that is what set this off....



Today I am hurting from my neck to my shoulders, my hips and my knees...last night sitting in a Bible Study was really hard because I couldn't stretch my legs out and they were cramped. By the time I got home I just laid on the couch...the cold leather felt so good to my aching body...I could not get up from the couch...I never ate dinner and when I finally just gave in to tears my hubby helped me up so I could go to bed.....ugh!!!!!!! I am waiting on a return call from my rheumotologist because I am worried about this continuing to get worsen.. We have a 6-7 hour car ride tomorrow to go see my mother in law who is very sick with lung cancer. Makes me feel so ridiculous to complain when she is so sick....

Lamentations3:22-23
Because of the Lords great love we are not consumed, for His compassions nevr fail. 
They are new every morning;  Great is Thy faithfulness.

Kidney Infection

So apparently it's a Kidney Infection... Rick is on his way to pick up the antibiotics and the Cranberry Juice. I'm taking this as good news at this point and I am sooooo glad it's Friday night!!!



Waiting on a call and hoping for the best

Well the test results are in… Blood work was all good.  But I have white cells in my urine which is not good.  It appears I have a bladder infection with the lower back pain and the other symptoms I am not surprised I just hope it is a simple infection and not Lupus deciding to attack my bladder… It does that so I am told………..with no notice………….. so I am a little disturbed. Waiting on a call from my Dr. who was out yesterday when the nurse called to tell me… Hoping an antibiotic will do the trick….to be continued….



P.S.  Decided against the sleep study.  Rick and I are just sure I don't have sleep apnea and we are going to concentrate on the issues at hand :) 

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Phil. 3:13-14

2nd check up. 4 months since diagnoses...

......Had my 2nd checkup with my rheumotologist. Good news my hair has stopped falling out. This means the Plaqunil is working. She did more blood work. Results in a week. Biggest complaint continued knee pain. Sometimes it's one or the other or both. Doesn't last long. It is a pain in the evenings or staying in one spot for a long period of time. Then getting up..its not easy. She did not change any of my meds. I am on tromadal (pain meds) all day and at night which is a slight concern to me..not to her..I have to wonder how I would feel without them....Still not feeling rested in the mornings. My arms still go to sleep at night but doesn't seem to be as bad. I can wear arm brace and that helps some at night only. Also if i keep my arms and wrist straight it helps. Neurologist determined I have carpal tunnel which evidently goes right along with Lupus.... When I come home from work, I fall asleep everyday whether I want to or not. Dr is wanting to do a sleep study..... Not thinking I am resting at night...duh...but wants to figure out why...not sure I want to do that but she is......to be continued......

How cool would it be if mom had a mobile?

We were driving to church yesterday and thought we would get a quick update on Rick's mom's health. Since Rick was driving he ask me to place the call. We both have iPhones and in order to place the call you hold down the "home button" until voice control comes on then you say the persons name and what phone you are trying to reach them on. In this case he said say, mom's mobile....when I said "mom's mobile" it hit me...what if MY mom had a mobile? Wouldn't that be cool???? Just to hear her voice...
I could just imagine the conversation we would have....MOM, How are you? Did you really get a new body? I miss you so much!! How is Dad? Is he really not blind anymore? Is his Parkinson's really gone? Is his cancer gone? I miss you all so much!!! Did you find my brothers David and Dale? Are they there? Are they healed? Did you find little baby Sharon that was stillborn? Did she know you? What does she look like? What about Grandma and Grandpa? Can you see me from up there? What is it like? Did you meet Jesus? Does he look like all the paintings you painted of him?

My questions go on and on in my head....meanwhile Ricks conversation with his stepdad is over. His mom is not doing well. She has stage 4 lung cancer...She's on oxygen..I know.....it won't be long.....Wouldn't it be cool if our mom's had mobiles?

John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

More test...

I continue to have really bad arm pain at night in both arms but left arm is worse. My Arms feel prickly, numb, burning and throbbing. Interrupting my sleep although I am on several nighttime medications... I spoke to my Rhemotologist, Dr Jonnala on Friday ( she answered the phone when I called!?!?) and she seemed sure these symptoms were not part of Lupus but something else. ..Sooooo Today I am sitting in Gwinnett Neurologist Dr. Syed waiting room. To see if they can figure out why this is happening.... I am praying for an easy cheap fix...so far it's looking like carpal tunnel, which Dr says is not unusual for lupus patients....more test....

Happy New Year

The holidays are over. We made it through. I missed my mom but we changed things up and it was different than normal. Rick's mom is doing fairly good dispite the congestion and coughing. Ricks sister is having surgery to remove her tumor on the 6th. My Lupus is still concentrating on my joints giving me fits when I overdo and especially at night. But all in all we had a good Christmas. New Years we saw our kids and grandkids in Florida, my sister and her husband and spent New Years Eve with the Drummonds (Rick's mom) A day off to get the tree down and back to work today on the very cold Tuesday. Not suppose to get out of the 30's. Brrrrrrrrrrr.........
We are praying for a good 2012 cause 2011 really about did us in....