Did you know that today is World Arthritis Day?!

Can't you just picture all of the grannies slowly walking down the street kvetching about their aching knees?! That used to be my image of arthritis.  Until I was diagnosed with RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis). At age 24.

Yep, I'm a statistic... and not one that I'd choose to be.  I've had the last five years to cope with it and now rarely talk about it because there are far more interesting (and fun!) things about me that I'd like folks to focus on.  BUT- Once someone finds out you have a chronic disease, your friends and family are concerned about it (having a great support system is fabulous!) and tend to focus on talking about it every time you see them.  I certainly don't mind chatting about it... heck, I'm blogging about it... but I'm more than the RA and on days when I feel great, it's the last thing that I want to be reminded about.  I understand that it's a fine line and I'm glad that my friends and family err on the side of asking about it because I know they care.  My MO is usually, "I'll tell you if I'm hurting."

Here's the deal... Rheumatoid Arthritis, or RA, is an inflammatory arthritis and an auto immune disease that can't be cured.  Basically, my immune system is a little too jumpy and instead of just protecting my body by attacking foreign cells (think viruses and bacteria), it goes batshit crazy and attacks it's own tissues!  The tissue that it usually attacks happens to be a thin membrane that lines the joints (called the synovium) and results in build up of fluid in my joints that causes some nasty pain.  Although it can't be cured, it's not something that will kill me... just something that I'm stuck living with and have to manage (like taxes).

RA is unlike Osteoarthritis as "osteo" is the breakdown of cartilage that results in bones rubbing against each other... when you see ads the advertise glucosamine for arthritis, this is the type that helps (sadly, it does squat for RA).  I'm sure it's equally as painful and I'm happy that I don't have the double whammy.

Here's the skinny on my RA... it sucks. Each person is different, but medicines, like Enbrel (a weekly injection) and ibuprofen, work wonders for me and usually need just that to feel good.   When I'm flaring I have to be reunited with my arch enemy named prednisone that makes my joints feel great, but makes me puff up, gain weight and totally messes with me (think depression and a little crazy... sadly, my hubby can vouch for this one).

I got super lucky when I was pregnant with Doodle because it went into remission and I felt fabulous... if it wasn't for this major flare that I've been in for 2+ months and the pain I'm in trying to keep up with a 2 year old, I'd be crawling all over the Mister trying to get pregnant again.  Hold up-- Let's take a second to clarify this one... I'm not pregnant and it's not happening for a while. Let's focus on the RA here...

There is a treatment in Phase 3 Clinical Trials that I'll be lining up to get once it's approved and on the market... a 2x day pill that's rumored to work as well as injectibles!  Even if my job didn't revolve around protecting innovation, the impact it makes on my life as a patient is enough for me to shout it from the rooftops... Isn't medical innovation amazing?!

Anyway, back to the point... today is World Arthritis Day and I felt slightly obligated to speak up and give you the Cliff's Notes version of my story.  Arthritis.org is a great resource if you want to learn more and if you're one of my sisters, check out the AOII Foundation which supports arthritis research (see, that darn jingle bell walk does actually - although very indirectly - help one of "us.").  No donations or further actions required... reading this is enough for me...

10 Weeks

Okay, so I downloaded one of the cheesy baby countdown widgets that shows a little baby floating across a field, passing by pregnancy milestones as you go along... I wish I was savvy enough to create my own one with a growing Bowser (the character) dragging Princess Peach across a level of Mario World, BUT alas, I don't have such skills! ;)

Anyway, my little countdown widget tells me that today I am 10 weeks pregnant! Woo Hoo! Okay, its not a big milestone, but I feel like there was a firestorm of blogging last week and this week is looking like it's going to be a quiet one. After a little googling, theBump says that Bowser is supposedly the size of a prune. Okay, I've never actually eaten a prune, so let's find a better analogy... BabyCenter equates his size to a kumquat. Really!? Come on, people. Some more searching and (finally!) WebMD gave me the right analogy... he's the size of a Strawberry! No, not one of the juicy humungo big strawberries that you fight over, but a nice normal strawberry (0.9 inches to 1.2 inches).

Other than that tidbit, not much has changed with me... Joe thinks that the chesticles are getting bigger, but really, he's simply delusional! ;) The nausea has been okay, especially compared to the my crappy arthritic joints, and I was able to inhale a proper meal with Nancy, Joe and Joey at Ruth's Chris on Sunday... thankfully Bowser didn't decide to act up in such a nice restaurant! ;) Weight-wise, all is as it should be... not really changing! I don't object to necessary weight gain, but it's a little early for that, and I do have to fit into a Bridesmaid dress next week! :)

On Non-Baby related issues, which thankfully they still exist, Joe's preparing for St. Andrew's to come up to Mountainside tomorrow through Friday. He had Bullis up there last week and was thankful that the rain held off until Saturday. Our dinner the other night at Ruth's Chris was to celebrate the end of a successful summer at Mountainside (YAY!) and it was such a nice treat!

Last Saturday night I went to Brandy's Bachelorette... everyone met at Clyde's in Georgetown for a nice dinner. Along with B's friends, Nancy, Charlene (Eric's Mom), and Judy (Eric's Stepmother... a very very nice one at that!) came along and joined in the girly fun! Shira, Katie, Heather, and Dorrie were at the same end of the table as me, so it was totally nice to be able to catch up and just spend some time together! After dinner, B went out on the town with her friends and Eric's sisters, and after a quick stop at H&M and an extensive search for the car, we headed home. I can't believe the wedding is right around the corner... we'll be heading up to Rehoboth next Wednesday afternoon for golf on Thursday (the Spa for me!) and the wedding on Friday!

Everyone would be amazed at Sirius Black these days... he's mellowed out quite a bit from his early days of terrorizing the house. We've decided to take down the baby gate to the stairs and see how he handles the freedom of an extra level of the house... so far, he's just super excited that the gate's not there and bolts up and down the stairs at his version of warp speed! I went to bed before Joe the other night and Sirius snuck upstairs and tried to cuddle in bed with me... he curled right up and got comfy, but it wasn't long before Joe realized that he was upstairs and he came up and got him. Sirius looked totally defeated... which happens to be totally adorable at the same time! :)

Anyway, I'm just plugging along at work... we have a big meeting in Beijing in October, not that I actually get to go to it, but I get to fill my days with coordinating logistics and getting everything ready!

P.S.

Just realized that my last post concerning my arthritis was a bit doom-and-gloom... glad to report that while I hate taking the injections and meds, they're working! :) It's amazing how fast these medicines work and the difference they make! That, and Dad basically told me to "buck up" about the needles and of course rationalized how easy it is (a la Epipen and you don't see the needs)... so I think that little chat may help me take this week's dose on time (instead of hoping that Joe forgets and postponing it for a few days)!

Not all the way better, but the stiffness is going away! :) Yay Enbrel!

Just another Manic Monday

Yesterday was a little hectic with everything going on... In addition to worrying about Jeffo's mental health after the Patriots loss, we had Aunt Linda's viewing to attend to. In typical Richardson/Flagg fashion, everyone came in with the proper amount of respect and mourning... and in about 30 minutes the Richardson kids (Joe's Aunts and Uncles) each had a corner in the room that they held in engaging conversation... it was definitely the way Aunt Linda would have wanted it... lots of photos around... lots of smiles... lots of good stories... and just lots of energy around her! So, while so sad in letting someone go, I think everyone honored her memory quite well.

Joe and I headed home to face the inevitable pain... I needed to take my RA medication. The doctor had given me a numbing gel to put on before the injection, but alas, it did not make a difference... I think we've found the right balance of me watching TV with my arm propped up on the corner of the sofa so Joe could just come up behind me and jab my arm... Sirius clearly was freaked out at my yelp and heavy breathing... half way through the injection he ran up and started devoring my face with kisses... so there was my silver lining... puppy kisses.

Other than that, all is well... wishing I had a few extra million bucks lying around so I could fly south to see my girlfriends on a whim, but have to wait a few years for that!

It's My Body and I'll Cry if I Want To

So, I went to the rheumatologist yesterday... the last you've probably heard was that I was off of all of my medicines and feeling great (October/November-ish)... I went into second guess mode and pretty much convinced myself that there was neevr any RA, that it was Lymes or something else. I was able to shed a few (just a few) pounds and start to feel pretty optimistic.

Over the last few weeks the pain has been creeping back into my feet, hands, and knees. I haven't really been able to rotate my shoulder or walk without fairly strong pain, so I figured it was time that I went back to El Doctor. The bottom line is that I do have Rheumatoid Arthritis (Denial ain't just a river!) and we have about 2.5 years of consistent bloodwork to prove it. Clearly bummed, Joe and I talked with her to see how we should proceed so that I don't do any more damage to my joints and deteriorate further.

After an hour of hemming and hawing, I (tentatively) agreed to go back on the meds... weekly injections and a fairly heavy dose of methotrexate. Joe's essentially going to have to smother my arm with numbing gel and wait an hour before he sneaks up and jabs we with a needle. Sounds a little S&M, but I assure you that the crying and hyperventilating is not coming from any pleasure! ;) That, and please disregard any crazy talk you've heard about me wanting a baby b/c it's just not in the cards! It wasn't in the cards anyway, but now its plain old impossible.

I'm going to go see a crazy little Asian guy who's going to clear my body's energy field (or Qi. See QiGong.) with the hopes that the RA will miraculously disappear. I'm also going to try Tai Chi or anything that claims it will work... after all, studies show that eastern medicine really helps with this. I also think I'll buy up any pain relieving gel that an infomercial boasts will take away pain... and load up on lots of painkillers!

The silver lining (as faint as it may be) is that I'm still young and if I can suck it up now, I won't be crippled in twenty years... so here's hoping that I can get over this needle thing!
I apologize for the inpersonal and public airing of grievances, but it's a sensitive topic and I really don't have the energy to tell the story multiple times!

We're off to Deep Creek for the weekend... see you after MLK!