I am still waiting for the rheumatologist's office to call to schedule an appointment. Still have the same pain and swelling; some days worse; some days better but always there.
This brings me to a response to Ilene's Blog. She talks about something very dear to my heart, today's medical system. I don't go to doctors unless I am sick or something is wrong. I don't even have a 'Primary Care' doctor..........I do now! You need one if you plan to see a specialist. Now I know something is wrong with my joints but I can't go directly to the specialist. My insurance company must pay two doctors, and for two sets of tests and x-rays instead of the necessary one.
The other thing that caught my attention was her being prescribed Lipitor because her cholesterol was high. My understanding is just as many people have heart attacks that have low cholesterol as those with high. Also tying foods to high Ch. doesn't really have good tests behind it. For instance, I am a devotee of eating real foods which includes, whole cow's milk, butter, cream, lard, eggs, etc.
I just knew when they did the blood work my cholesterol would be extremely high. I was all set to fight the doctor about not taking a statin drug. Guess what.
My test came back marked "excellent". So much for foods causing elevation.
Now, no doctor has said you have RA, but I know that is what they think. The PC doctor even told me the Rheumatologist would start me on methotrexate. The research on this drug scared me to death! It is a chemo drug for cancer that has proven effective in treating RA. It can also cause cancer. I know of two people who took it for 20 years or more; one died of leukemia and the other was just diagnosed with leukemia and was told the RA drug caused it. I am wanting someone to just tell me they know for certain what my problem is.....then we can discuss alternative medicines.
I am constantly amazed at people who think doctors are Gods and just blindly follow all orders and take whatever they give them without question. Not this old girl......
I may get that "non-compliant" tag on my file too.
On to better things:
I canned 9 pints of San Marzano tomatoes this morning (this has been a good day wrist-wise). I still have a dishpan or more of regular tomatoes to do but will save my strength and do them in the morning.
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| From Harvest 2010 |
I found one lonely white cleome this morning. I hope it self seeds for next year.
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| From August 2010 |
I am still watering the shrubs out front and the foundation plants....they might be all I do next year.
We usually have our morning coffee on the porch on the east side of the house, but this morning it was hot and sunny by 7:30 AM. I suggested we move to the west yard where there is full shade most of the day. My help meet groused mightily; it was not handy (just a walk around the house and we can also go their from the living room which is just down a few steps to the west yard). I told him once we moved our chairs it would be no problem. He didn't like it but he followed me. There was a nice breeze and we sat there for almost an hour. I don't have any flower beds at all there, but somehow the green seems almost more serene to me.
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| From August 2010 |
This is another great post. I really enjoyed Ilene's post. We also do not go to the dr. unless we absolutely have to. No primary dr., we go to a clinic, we pay for what we get, no insurance.
ReplyDeleteModern medicine is very scary. I just read that iatrogenic disease is the third most fatal disease in America.
Definition of Iatrogenic disease ~ Disease that is caused by medical intervention is termed 'iatrogenic'. This means that anything ranging from damage caused by an ill-fitting plaster cast to drug side-effects or long-term results of drug overuse will fall under this banner. Side-effects of drugs, misuse of drugs, harmful drug combinations, medical negligence, medical error or misjudgement, contravention of contra-indications and nosocomial disease (one acquired in hospital) can all constitute iatrogenic disease.
"Care -- not treatment -- is the answer. Drugs, surgery and hospitals become increasingly dangerous for chronic disease cases. Facilitating the God-given healing capacity by improving the diet, exercise, and lifestyle is the key."
For a more in depth read go to the link below.
http://www.yourmedicaldetective.com/public/335.cfm
I'm glad you are thinking of alternative medicine as something you would do. Start, if you haven't already, googling about natural remedies for RA.
How wonderful that you can your own veggies.
That shady yard looks so cool and peaceful. I'll be so glad when October gets here. September's are still pretty awful for us down here. I had a hint of autumn yesterday, but that was it, today was full-blown humid, hot, dog days of summer.
Have a nice evening Glenda.
Hugs ~ FlowerLady
Sorry you are having problems with your hands and wrists and hope you get a diagnosis soon. I have been taking Fish Oil capsules for my high cholesterol-mostly for triglicerides. My doctor keeps wanting to put me on statins and I say no. I have seen and heard of too many side affects. I have nothing against medicines, doctors or hospitals-great when you need them but just saw a report on tv last night about how the health care system is abused. I have had breast cancer, an emergency appendectomy, gall bladder surgery and back surgery and was thankful to get them all with good quality care. I was diagnosed with lymphedema in my left arm 2 years ago-had therapy for 6 weeks and wear an elastic stocking during the day and we wrap the arm with a compression bandage ever other night. Since I am diabetic I need to be checked ever 6 months with blood work but that is about the extent of my doctor visits.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how pretty and green your yard looks. There is no place in my yard you would want to sit-very dry, brown and crunchy. Sure will be glad when the rains decide to start again in this area!!
Take care-Bev J.
Yes, green is really soothing. On hot days my shade garden of hosta, ferns, astilbes and other foliage plants is quite cooling to the eyes on these blistering mornings.
ReplyDeleteAnd stick to your guns, gal. They are NOT gods!!
Glenda, I'm so sorry that you're struggling so. Do get on the internet and research. Might be RA, might be something else. Seems like it came on pretty sudden -- or am I mistaken about that? I wish all that expensive education our doctors get would prepare them to be able to diagnose correctly every time, but this is an imperfect world we live in.
ReplyDeleteI've had trouble with my wrists before, when JC was a baby and I was doing a lot of lifting in and out of the crib and so on. I got some elastic wrist supports, the kind that just slip over the hand and that don't have a thumb hole or any of that bulky velcro, and wore them during the day. Sometimes it's a change in what we're doing or how. I still occasionally have sore wrists and have to break ut the supports for a day or two.
Do experiment with things and see if you can find something that gives you relief.
I'm with you, I do find it annoying (and unnecessary) that you have to have a "family doctor" to refer you to a specialist, and that they run the same tests and don't always share the results. That specialist always wants his own report, thinking that the family doctor isn't as smart as he is and might've missed something. Ego, it's all it is.
Make sure they both wash their hands. Heh.
I would be afraid of that drug, too.
And like you, I don't think cholesterol levels have that much to do with what you eat as what you've inherited.
Glenda, your blog is a little corner of sanity and commonsense (getting uncommoner all the time, sadly).
ReplyDeleteFollowing the sun around has another convert :)