Been to see my Rheumatologist

LignumVitae

I've spent all morning at the hospital which was looking very pretty as it is being revamped.

The good news is I have lost half a stone since May and I am continuing with the Humira because quite often, after having to swap from Enbrel it can take a while to become as effective. My review with the nurse has been shifted from two months time to four months time. The doctor felt that it was having a positive impact and that impact would increase over the next month or so, here's hoping!

That was the good bit - the not so good was a lecture on how things have changed because the arthritis has become that bit worse and I needed to find ways to adapt - working at home being one and courtesy of Access to Work and my company I am hosting my boss on Thursday, we are going out for lunch and he is bringing me a new computer with voice activated software and a touchscreen and other things which will hopefully get me back to my old role but in a new way! I'm definitely willing and working towards the ways I can adapt and I'm learning to take pride and pleasure in finding new ways, even if it is just following your wise ideas for peeling veg and being able to do that more easily (thank you all).

The doctor had a look at my joints and shoulders in particular because they were sore but I felt it might be more hypermobility related. She was very impressed with just how hypermobile I am (she was hypermobile too but felt I was of a different level of freakness , odd because I don't really see that I am so very hypermobile - I know I am a freak). I now have to work hard to do some low impact exercises that will build up the muscle tone around my joints and keep the hypermobility at bay...nothing is ever simple! No boxing or running or other such things. It was left up to me to find those things so I shall do and I shall work like billyo at them and hopefully, just hopefully I will keep moving forward steadily!!

Sadly, as ever, I failed to find my Sticky magic and be treated by a fine handsome young doctor, I think SW has those all stashed over the hills in Yorkshire.

theresak

Hi LV,

That sounds positive about the humira, so let`s hope it works its magic a little bit more with each injection. Congratulations on your weight loss too!

I hope things go well with your boss on Thursday - he must know what a good, committed employee he has in you, and that you are far too valuable to lose. He should do everything in his power to keep you.

I`m afraid I know nothing about hypermobility, but it`s a pity they didn`t get a physio to suggest some low-impact exercises for you, instead of leaving that up to you. I know swimming is good, and an exercise bike & cross-trainers are low-impact.

Yes, I think SW keeps all the dishy doctors tucked away in her neck of the woods. We`ll have to stage an invasion!

Slosh

Glad to hear the good news about the Humira and congratulations on the weight loss. I hope all goes well with your meeting with your boss as well and I hope he's taking you somewhere nice for lunch. It must be hard having to make all the adaptations to your everyday life in terms of work and other things but after all you went through last year I hope this one is better for you.

ichabod6

Good news LV.
Stick with the humira. It is obviously doing the trick for you.
Look at it as a long term remedy - years not months.
There are very few , if any, early reliefs for arthritis of any
description, as most who post on here will confirm.

stickywicket

Oh, LV, I apologise. I currently seem to have a surplus of dishy young medics so I'll send one over for you next time otherwise it'll be my BP that's up next

I think that appointment was probably as good as it's going to get right now. I guess the humira has to be allowed a fair crack of the whip, especially as it seems to be doing some good. You are already well into adapting your work situation and have dealt well with the inner tantrums we all experience at such times. Alas, the rule about exercise(s) is they they must never be of the variety we would enjoy. However, you'll cope.

I always found children were very good for keeping one's weight down but I was of the impression you didn't have much to keep down.

I think the overall message is KBO :roll: as usual.

LignumVitae

Thanks all - my problem with exercise was fitting it in and around work and the girls. I can't easily find time to go to a gym or pool without them on a regular basis (god forbid the idea of them running amok in a gym) because Mr LV works long hours and by the time he is home and the house is in a sorted state I am usually too tired to think about exercise. I walk quite a bit but I tend to be pushing a pram. I think the doctor understood I wasn't about to be able to easily find an exercise solution and so left it to me to find little things that I could do in and around the rest. Tomorrow is the girls' ballet (read learning to jump and stand on one leg) class so I will undoubtedly get to be the only Mum joining in that, pretending to be a butterfly :roll: :oops: in the vain hope of stopping the girls staring at themselves in the mirror - it's meant for two year olds but it's exercise at least!

I ate a few fried egg sandwiches whilst pregnant and I seemed to store them on my hips once the girls had finished with them...I had quite a bit of weight to lose afterwards. I didn't want to do anything too drastic so I've just gone for a healthy diet, sensible portions and what exercise I can. It seems to be paying off!

dreamdaisy

I suspect that Sticky has a cottage industry, situated in Mr SW's garage (but because he's a bloke he hasn't spotted it), involving test tubes, smoking retorts and petri dishes bubbling with an oddly coloured gel: these are the embryonic and fantastically handsome doctors with which she delights in telling us about.

Right, LV, here goes. I for one was surprised that you were swapped so quickly from Enbrel to humira - I had a three-month gap but that could be due to the fact that Enbrel tried to explode my liver. Anyhoo, here you are and I think from a previous post you are getting double-figure days of things being a tad easier? That's a good thing and, if the thinking is that it needs more time to build up in you system then you may find yourself lasting the whole fortnight - now wouldn't that be good?

I think we are all at risk of not realising how bad things have become because we are used to stuff being rough: we think we've adjusted all we can but sometimes it takes the view of an 'outsider' to encourage us to rethink: steam mop anyone? If further adaptations can be made to help you work better then that is a good thing. You seem to be fortunate with your boss because he values your input - long that may remain the same. I hope your meeting with him goes well, please let us know, OK?

I too have unknowingly lost weight and am now consciously trying to do more in that area, which may or may not put the kybosh on my efforts . Given the demands of the twins you must be more physically active than many - could this weight loss possibly be the last of the baby weight to be shifted? :?: I have no idea about hypermobility, because it's not something I have experienced, but it makes sense to me to try and strengthen what you have, because I know from reading on here it brings its own troubles.

I have to go and do some dusting. YUK. DD

villier

Hopefully this is going to be your year LV and the longer you are on the humira the longer it will last, I can empathise the treatment I get for my neuropathy(every three weeks) I dip at two very frustrating when you are feeling a wee bit human for a couple of weeks.

I am sure if you are eating sensibly and running after the girls must be really good exercise I am sure you wont be long in losing the rest of your weight.

Hope you have a good meeting on Thursday, enjoy your lunch. xx