The Single Gal's Guide to Rheumatoid Arthritis

Got Fatigue?

My latest article is up over at MyRAcentral.com. The comic strip isn't up yet, but will be soon. In the meantime, head over to check it out- that is, if you have enough energy today to lift your finger, click the link and hold yourself upright long enough to read it....

I got Spanked (Virtually); and other updates

Weightwatchers is, drumroll..... working!  So far, I am down over six pounds, have lost 5% of my total weight, and am just shy of being halfway to my goal!  Go me.  And this is including a weekend of gratuitous eating with my parents, drink dates with my girlfriends and more.  I'm feeling really motivated and moreover, that this time I'll be able to keep myself trim as long as I stay on track and don't slack off. It's a huge relief to know that my metabolism didn't actually croak! RA Freshman 15...you just might be history!

And, in news about my adventures in online dating (I probably should alert datewrecks to this), I got spanked.

Yes, you read that correctly. Spanked.

For those of you who have been spared the indecensies of online dating know-how, a common feature of many online dating sites is what's considered online 'flirting.'  By clicking a tab on someone's profile, you can choose to virtually send them a wink, a wave, a smile....or apparently you can choose to spank them.

In what horridly-mannered universe did spanking someone become an acceptable form of introduction?  Not mine! I was completely aghast and, well, confused. Call me old fashioned, but how is that supposed to be enticing?

It reminds me of when I was in kindergarten and Jason E., one of the boys in my class, would persist on sitting in the seat behind me on the bus every day. As soon as the bus driver wasn't looking, he would slide under my seat so he could kick my feet repeatedly.  I would become furious (even at the age of 5) and turn around and give him a look of total disdain, which only encouraged him to do this even more. When I told my mother about how he was picking on me, she smiled and said that he probably just liked me, and this was his way of showing me attention.  I didn't really understand this bizarre act of apparent affection then, and I understand it even less at the age of 30.  Didn't this guy's mother raise him right? Spanking as a form of hello is one part lame and two parts rude.

Please, God, Buddha, Zeus, whomever. Please spare me from this type of humiliation

Springtime in New York is good for the soul (and RA)

 

(Photos by C.N.N.)

What a weekend!

(Photo by C.N.N.)

Sorry for my silence, but last week was pretty busy with three performances to see, a two day trip to Boston for a panel, and one big work party. And to top it off, my lovely parents came up for a visit over the weekend! We had a great time ambling around the city all three days.  The weather was perfect, my RA behaved, and I took a wee little vacation from my weightwatching diet in order to splurge on a few amazing culinary experiences:

The eating extravaganza began at Brick Lane, my favorite Indian restaurant in the city, which is named after a famous street in London crammed full of Indian restaurants and markets. I used to eat out there when I lived in London, so this place makes me happily nostalgic and has AMAZING food. They even make my favorite kind of naan (peshawari, which comes with a buttery glaze and is a perfect combination of salty and sweet.) Given that we spent five hours walking all over Central Park that day (minus a brief respite from the heat here for a glass of wine), I felt I deserved it.

Saturday, we were back on our feet (mine were sore but holding out OK) for the delectable walking food tour of the West Village.  If you live in New York and like food and history, or if you are coming to New York and like food and history, sign up for one of these. I've also done the Chelsea Market tour, and it was as scrumptious as this one. We ate pizza, cannoli, cheese, cuban delicacies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and more.

Quite simply, it was one of the best ways to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon in the city.

We did give our stomachs and feet a bit of a rest, but not for long, because that night, we marched on down to Spice Market for the tasting menu.  My parents and I loved it.  The evening breeze and open air were so inviting, and the food was, well, worth the 2.2 lbs I gained eating it.

Sunday we spent trying to recharge the economy a bit. Then we recharged ourselves at a restorative yoga class, which felt soooo good. I think the teacher must have known how much we had been on our feet that weekend because she started us out with our legs up the wall for a good 15 minutes of badly needed bliss.

Then, clearly it was time to eat again, so we headed to Sfoglia and enjoyed swoon-worthy Italian food in their rustic, sweet little cellar room. It was a great way to end a most perfect trip!

I think the sunshine helped give me a burst of energy because it was a pretty jampacked few days. It was so great to have my parents around to help me with things like going to the grocery store, too. I know it will be a little while before they get back up here again, but I really hope the sun won't stay away too long. It was amazing how much better I felt with the sun on my face and no layers on. The sudden change in the weather on Monday showed up in my wayward right index finger and in nearly giving me a migraine (I managed to head it off thanks to wonder drugs!).

Ah, New York, you were good to be in this weekend.

Comic Strip # 15: The Weight is Over

A few posts back, I hinted that I was making progress in some areas of my life.  Luckily for my thighs (but sadly for my appetite), I am finally getting serious about chipping away some of my RA Freshman 15.  Read all about it and see the related comic strip by Jane Samborski here, then tell me about your experiences with the weight game and RA (or whatever ails you).

Two-shot girl

Way back when I was first prescribed enbrel, my rheumatologist outlined her basic treatment plan for me.  She wanted to start me on enbrel and, assuming it worked, keep me on it for a year at 50mg/week without even thinking about making any changes.  After a year, she said, we could talk about taking me down to 25mg/week, and the goal would be for me to be on the least amount of medication needed to keep my symptoms under control.

This idea seemed groovy to me on the surface, but at the time, I was having so much trouble walking and raising my arms out in front of me that the thought of being well enough at some point down the road to think about weaning off this new wonder drug seemed far-fetched. As if.

But then I started to get better, and over the last year, my rheumatologist has continued to mention this prospect at my various appointments with her.  In fact, when I saw her after taking my trip to South America, she suggested I try going down to one shot a week to test it out since I had managed to do fairly well off my shots while traveling.

I smiled kindly and said 'Thanks, but no thanks.' I wanted the drugs.

Going home that day, I realized the idea of weaning off my drugs completely freaked me out. Even though they have a big Scariness factor and are a big ol' inconvenience at times, I felt completely attached to them.  Both of them; I was a two-shot girl.

The mere idea of sliding down that slippery slope and back into all the pain and fatigue I had experienced without them was enough to make me wistful for the comforting prick of a needle and the lovely aroma of alcohol swabs. My drugs were my new security blanket.

This realization didn't sit altogether well with me, though. After all, equanimity and non-attachment are (supposedly) a big part of my yoga practice, and getting to take fewer drugs should be a good thing.  It would mean that I was genuinely better and doing well; it would also bring the advantage of saving time each week and making travel less of a hassle- all things I wanted.

I determined that I needed to get over my drug-attachment and find a way to transform myself from a two-shot girl into a one-shot woman. After psyching myself up about it for awhile, I came up with a game plan to help me let go of that second shot. My idea was, quite simply, brilliant: acupuncture! I would replace one big needle with hundreds of little ones all over me! And, by swapping some of the chemicals for a more natural remedy, I would surely feel even better, even more in control and yogically superior for having overcome my attachment to being a two-shot girl. I was a genius.

Satisfied with my resolve, I trotted off to my rheumatologist appointment last week prepared for her to make the glowing declaration that it was indeed time to cut my dosage in half and make me a one-shot woman. I would be the envy of the RA world, and everyone would cower at my Half-Dosage prowess.

Once in her office, she sat down and we began to talk about how I'd been feeling, etc., and I gave her my report.  She asked me about my fatigue ('Still there'), if any of my joints had been giving me trouble ('a few'), and then she looked at my fingers.  And of course, on that particular day, it just so happened that my right pointer finger joint was a little puffy, as was my right wrist. Nothing bad or even perceptible to anyone but me and her, but the answer, sadly, and my fate, was staring both of us in the face.  'Now's not the time,' she said.

All my yogic-superiority evaporated. I looked at her and asked, 'Really?'  And she said it again: 'Yeah, now is not the time. I think you should stay on the 50mg.'  I stared down at my wayward finger and wrist joint, feeling like they were disobedient kids who had just gotten me into trouble. I felt like I had failed a test, and for someone who was a straight A student, it was not a feeling I liked.

As I walked out of Beth Israel, I felt totally bummed out. The truth is, although I'm doing pretty darn good, I still struggle with the fatigue monster off and on, and some days, for whatever reason, some of my joints still give me problems. I'm absolutely better, just not 'better' enough, it seems.

So for now, at least, looks like I'm still a two-shot girl.

(To find out why I split my dosage into two shots a week, read this or this)

Comic Strip #14 is up!

Check out the great comic strip that goes with my latest RACentral post, Bugged!

Find me on Facebook!

I've done it. I've opened the Facebook can of worms (I warned you I was in spring-cleaning mode), so if you are on Facebook, check out my new page and become a fan, spread the word....you know the drill!

New design: love it, or hate it?

I've got spring fever, only instead of rearranging my apartment, which is teeny tiny and therefore, static, I'm rearranging my blog.  What can I say, sometimes you just need a fresh outlook to shake things up. 

Sorry I haven't written too much in the last week or so; fatigue got the best of me for most of last week, and we all know what that means, ie: I got nothing but the bare necessities done.

BUT I'm making some progress in other areas of my life despite the fatigue (What is this, you may ask? All in good time....)  I thought that a new look might help invigorate my inspiration a little, but I'm rather limited in what's available to me at the moment, so give me your thoughts.

More real posts to come soon, I promise!

Getting on my soapbox

The comic strip that goes with this isn't ready yet, but I'll post the link as soon as it is.  In the meantime, head over to MyRACentral.com to read my latest rant post. 

Some of you may agree; some of you may not. I'd love to hear from from you either way!