My last post was a couple of weeks ago. I was worried that a flare of the MCTD was trying to get me. Well, it did. First, a mouth sore erupted, and two more little guys hung out just waiting. Then my cuticles started to peel and bleed. Then, my right elbow swelled up and hurt really bad. Hmm… elbows. That's a new one. I've never had a flare in my elbow before. That makes it both interesting from a disease perspective, and a huge hassle since I didn't have any idea how to cope with it.
My doctor ordered x-rays, which of course were normal. (One of the hallmarks of the Lupus component of my MCTD is joint pain and swelling without destruction or erosion.) She also prescribed some pain killers which mainly served to make me loopy and nauseated. I started using muscle relaxers at night to get some rest. That's always a downward slide for me though. I get so depressed on depressants (huh? Who woulda thought?) and just out of it. After a couple of weeks, I had had enough.
My docs always offer me cortisone injections when I'm flaring, but I've always turned them down. I'm not afraid of needles, or even steroids. I just worry that when we stamp down symptoms without treating their cause, they'll just pop back up somewhere else. But this elbow thing was bad. It was affecting my dexterity. I couldn't even lift a glass of ice water up to my mouth. It hurt too bad. And some nights it went up into my shoulder, too.
So, I emailed my doctor and asked about the injection. She was happy to order it for me.
Yesterday was the big day. I went in to the ortho clinic and was evaluated by a doctor who pretty much just walks around giving cortisone injections all day long. He wasn't all that certain that it would work in my case - he works mostly with injuries and not chronic illness. I think I was a bit of a mystery for him, honestly. We decided to go all the way into the elbow joint, which was pretty uncomfortable. Okay, really uncomfortable. They cocktail had lidocaine in it, so I got some pain relief in about an hour. The lidocaine wears off though, and there's a period of feeling poorly again before the steroids really begin to work. Today, I'm stiff and sore, but not as bad as before the shot. It only hurts now when I'm lifting it or twisting it funny. Before, it hurt all the time.
Still, the side effects of the cortisone are so unpleasant. I always get large muscle pain when I start a steroid, which was true last night. My thighs, buttocks and the muscles down my spine just hurt so bad. And the insomnia! Oh my god - I barely slept last night. I got about two hours, and then another two in the morning. Plus, hot flashes, night sweats, headache. Ugh.
So even though it looks like the injection will probably work, I'm so happy that I'm getting off the wheel of western medicine and healing myself with Mr. Sparkles (and his friends!).
Speaking of Mr. Sparkles, he should be getting some new gut-mates in the next few weeks. I'm really hopeful about this next round. I had such a great bounce with the first dose. Maybe this time I'll just bounce right into remission!
My doctor ordered x-rays, which of course were normal. (One of the hallmarks of the Lupus component of my MCTD is joint pain and swelling without destruction or erosion.) She also prescribed some pain killers which mainly served to make me loopy and nauseated. I started using muscle relaxers at night to get some rest. That's always a downward slide for me though. I get so depressed on depressants (huh? Who woulda thought?) and just out of it. After a couple of weeks, I had had enough.
My docs always offer me cortisone injections when I'm flaring, but I've always turned them down. I'm not afraid of needles, or even steroids. I just worry that when we stamp down symptoms without treating their cause, they'll just pop back up somewhere else. But this elbow thing was bad. It was affecting my dexterity. I couldn't even lift a glass of ice water up to my mouth. It hurt too bad. And some nights it went up into my shoulder, too.
So, I emailed my doctor and asked about the injection. She was happy to order it for me.
Yesterday was the big day. I went in to the ortho clinic and was evaluated by a doctor who pretty much just walks around giving cortisone injections all day long. He wasn't all that certain that it would work in my case - he works mostly with injuries and not chronic illness. I think I was a bit of a mystery for him, honestly. We decided to go all the way into the elbow joint, which was pretty uncomfortable. Okay, really uncomfortable. They cocktail had lidocaine in it, so I got some pain relief in about an hour. The lidocaine wears off though, and there's a period of feeling poorly again before the steroids really begin to work. Today, I'm stiff and sore, but not as bad as before the shot. It only hurts now when I'm lifting it or twisting it funny. Before, it hurt all the time.
Still, the side effects of the cortisone are so unpleasant. I always get large muscle pain when I start a steroid, which was true last night. My thighs, buttocks and the muscles down my spine just hurt so bad. And the insomnia! Oh my god - I barely slept last night. I got about two hours, and then another two in the morning. Plus, hot flashes, night sweats, headache. Ugh.
So even though it looks like the injection will probably work, I'm so happy that I'm getting off the wheel of western medicine and healing myself with Mr. Sparkles (and his friends!).
Speaking of Mr. Sparkles, he should be getting some new gut-mates in the next few weeks. I'm really hopeful about this next round. I had such a great bounce with the first dose. Maybe this time I'll just bounce right into remission!