World AIDS Day

December 1st is World AIDS Day.  Go to Light To Unite to light a virtual candle.  Bristol-Myers Squibb used to match a dollar amount for a certain number of candles listed.  I’m not sure if they still do that, but go there anyway and light a (virtual) candle.  Thanks!

who the heck

decides that they’re going to do laundry at 3 in the morning?  also, who the heck decides to cook a full on meal at 2am, banging every cabinet door shut at least 3 times?  oh, that’s right, my STUPID housemate does!!

i woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, and now i’m sleep-deprived and cranky

clean bill of health!

so i finally was able to meet with my Rheumatologist the other day.  I never know what to expect, since the last time I met with him, he made it sound like I was deteriorating fast and that I should switch from methotrexate (MTX) to enbrel/etanercept pretty quickly.  this time, he made it seem like i was doing great, and even emphasizing it by pumping his arm when he said it.

“you’re doing great!” *arm pump*

i think he just forgot how our last meeting went.  that happens when you don’t see your patients for months and months at a time.  my previous rheumatologist met with me every month for the better part of a year, which kind of drove me insane to have to drive out every month and take time off of work, but he really worked to build that relationship.  he made me feel like he cared about me and really knew my history and symptomology.  true, he may have just been better at reading charts before meeting patients than my new rheum., but whatever it was, i appreciated it!

we went over my labs, which he said were okay.  i had had some previous scares with low WBC, but they were holding steady at 3.9 for the past two tests.  i think they had dipped down to 2 or lower in those scary moments.  but now i’m holding somewhat steady at 3.9.  I guess a normal person has between 4-5, so I’m close enough to that to be considered okay.

it’s funny, he kept saying “you’re young, you’re healthy” during our conversation.  now that i think about it, my last rheum. did that, too.  they both refer to the fact that i’m healthy.  but isn’t it kind of weird to call a girl with an autoimmune disease “healthy”?  in any case, i was updated him on my vaccines to make sure everything was spiffy (it was), and he said it was okay for me to take mtx and the stuff the travel clinic prescribed me for Peru.  all in all, a clean bill of health!

oh, and an update on the whole lost P.I.C. thing: turns out his friend passed away, so he had been in hiding for a little bit.  silly how certain things will slap the perspective right back into a person/situation.

anyway, Peru plans are slowly being cemented down (YAY!).  wish me luck!

Peru progress report

I am happy to report that the trip to Peru is DEFINITELY back on!  After MUCH chasing down of answers, I found out that the only live vaccine I would need was typhoid (since I’m not planning on going to the Amazon), and they offer that in a “killed,” or “non-live” version!    Methotrexate isn’t the end-all, after-all!  I mean, I appreciate the functionality it brings back to my life, for sure, but I thought my travel plans were for sure in the toilet because of it.  Alas, MTX isn’t a damper and I am so happy I could do a cartwheel!

I got my hep a and tetanus shots yesterday, as well as the flu shot (you never know! ), I booked my tickets last night, and now all i need to do is get my typhoid shot tomorrow and I’ll be all vaccinated!

now if i could only find a way to ease the soreness in my arms from all the shots!  I keep forgetting about them until I brush my shoulders against something and send pain waves up and down my arm!

Patrick Swayze

I just learned that Patrick Swayze has pancreatic cancer, which has a 5% survival rate.  It’s so hard to think that the man we women fell in love with in dirty dancing, who seemed so invincible, is slowly battling pancreatic cancer.  it’s so sad.  and despite my own host of complaints and “broken-ness,” I can’t help but be moved.  i’m learning more and more how much i am a bleeding heart philanthropist.  fighting for others gives me a reason to fight.

in any case, here’s a pic of the swayze in his heyday.  hopefully he’ll be in the lucky 5% who survive.