They Call Him Arthuritis

I knew we were in for some rain from watching yesterday’s news plus my Weather Channel desktop. It thunders when there is severe weather to report. I would have known anyway since I woke up with a headache and sore joints. Of course part of the joint pain is due to the filing cabinet my son and I moved yesterday.

I went to the doctor again about my arthritis and he has now referred me to a rheumatologist. Of course I can’t get in to see the specialist until April. Until then I’ll get my information, test results, x-rays, etc., together. I like the fact that they send forms ahead of time to be completed. I’ll probably scan them into Acrobat so that I can fill them out with my computer rather than trying to do it by hand. That hurts too much.

I did get a prescription for another anti-inflammatory that does seem to help a little. I just don’t like taking so many NSAIDS. They are hell on the stomach. I think I just don’t feel it as much because of the gastric bypass. Anyway I will get the prescription filled when I have the money free.

When you are in constant pain, you’ll try anything for relief. I have a TENS unit somewhere. It has gone missing since I moved downstairs. I use it on my back when I am going to be out for a long time. I know what TENS stands for, but it is easier to explain that it is a little box about the size of a pager, powered by a 9-volt battery. It delivers an electrical shock to electrodes placed on the skin. It sounds weird, but it works. A few years ago my sister wanted to try magnets. I don’t know if the magnets really work or if the neoprene bands that hold the magnets in place making my joints feel warm. I found mine the other day and have been wearing them.

I tried acupuncture a couple of times. I found an MD who was licensed to do it. It was a bit of a drive. Medical insurance does not pay for acupuncture, but it at least it paid for the exam by the doctor. They say you need to continue treatments for them to be effective, but it just got too expensive. It did have an immediate result that was very interesting. I felt as though I had just drunk a couple a glasses of wine. No wonder they told me I needed someone else to drive. Since then I have found another MD who does acupuncture on this side of town. It’s the same doctor who replaced my sister’s knees, so I trust him. I don’t know what he charges for a treatment, but I may check into it one of these days.

I’ve been wondering about biofeedback. The pain specialist I see has not suggested it. I don’t even know if he does any work with biofeedback. I think I will do some research on it and talk to him during the next visit. It can’t hurt.

Last night I ended up in tears over dinner. We were having crab legs. I never thought anything about it. I couldn’t use the tongs to take the legs out of the pot, so I was grabbing the ones that stuck out with my fingers. I accidentally put my finger in the hot water. That’s what started the tears. I ended up using two wooden spoons to get the legs out of the pot. Then came the really hard part; cracking them to get at the meat. I managed to get enough to eat, but my hands really hurt. I think I am going to stick to lump crab from now on.