I also garden ...

I'm still battling with some of the worst pain I've experienced so far. I realized the other day that I am going on about a year since the hand pain first started. This weekend though, regardless of the pain, I have to get my garden in. I have lots of baby plants that need to get moved outside. I need to get my seeds in the ground. So, as I posted before I just keep going as best I can. I often am moving at a snail's pace, but I'm moving.
I'll post some photos after I get things in so you can watch them grow with me.
Happy Memorial Day Weekend.
Sarah

Pain is at all time high ...

My doctor has upped my medication but so far i'm not seeing a huge improvement. Hurts to do many everyday tasks. I'm rather grumpy. I should probably sit in the chair and rest today, but i won't. Because sitting really just makes the stiffness worse, so how's that going to help. I will rest some, work a little and just repeat. Keeping moving and at least accomplishing a little bit is my goal right now.

Still struggling...pain is at worst it's been...

I am continuing to struggle with pain. My joints and my muscles are both flared up right now. I am struggling with some very simple tasks of every day life, like stirring - I was so upset Sunday when I made a potato salad for our Mother's Day cook out and I had to stop several times while trying to stir it, my hand was hurting so bad, even up into my arm, and I felt like I had so much weakness. Lots of other tasks are the same. But, I'm such a hard headed, determined person that I refuse to give up. I just keep trudging through my every day life the best I can. I certainly don't accomplish as much as I'd like but I try to at least accomplish some. I have done some sewing, though not nearly as much as I need to do. I've also done some gardening and outdoor work, again not as much as I should or would like to do but it's something. It's a refusal on my part to let this disease win. I have a call in to my doctor to ask what I should do next, I'm hoping maybe an adjustment to meds with give me some relief.

Well enough sad me stuff, here is a few pictures of what I've been up to lately.

Perhaps dumping my Dr wasn't the best idea :(

I haven't posted much. I'm just not sure where to go from here. I wanted to believe that going gluten free was going to help the RA pain, it hasn't. It has definitely helped other areas, but not the RA pain. I wanted to believe getting rid of the extra medicines would get rid of some of the foggy "side effects" and help me stick to my affirmation that the Dr was just prescribing "roulette" style, and to some degree I guess I am right there. I don't necessarily feel any better than I would have with the meds, so adding them back in wouldn't really "cure" anything. But, I have to admit that something has to be done I suppose. I can't keep up with the painful joints & muscles. I want to live a normal life, but something as simple as a long walk, or an hour gardening leaves me achy and sore for days. How is that possible? I just keep moving and doing what I want, but I'm grumpy and sore and sad because of the pain. For now I'm just trying to figure out where to go from here....
I don't know that anyone but me is actually reading this blog, so I guess I'm just getting the idea out there for myself. I'll update myself when I decide where to go next ;)
For now though I have a show coming up in 1 week and I am not ready, so off to the sewing room I go for the weekend.
Sarah

So very sorry.... life exploded...

Girl Scout cookies came in and BAM my life exploded. I'm the leader for my daughter's troop. We ordered somewhere over 2000 boxes of cookies, so yah the last couple weeks have been a bit ummm, NUTS! And let me tell you what a great time I picked to go gluten free. I did finally cave after several days and ate a grand total of 4 cookies and yes you guessed it, major tummy problems, so obviously I am on the right track going gluten free.

On that note, I have noticed some improvement in my pain level. Huge improvement in energy level. And minor improvement in sleep. So perhaps, just perhaps I am on to something that might finally help. I have yet to notice improvement in the muscle pain associated with the fibromyalgia, but honestly I've dealt with that for so long I would probably not know what to do if it got better. Okay, but yah I would like to try it!

So I will continue with my gluten free (for the most part) eating. I hope to eventually go to mostly low low carb eating, limiting myself to only carbs found in fruits & veggies. And keeping any other carbs to a bare minimum. It's a slow process and I fully recognize that.

I will attempt to get back to updating this blog on a much more consistent basis.

Sarah

Gluten free... WHY?

Thought I would provide some insight as to why I am trying to go Gluten Free in my diet.

It's a big change for sure to not eat anything that has gluten in it, but you might be asking, why? You may also be like gluten? what is that? So here are some answers for you.

The 7 Basic Signs of Gluten Sensitivity -

* Digestive Issues
* Fatigue & Crankiness
* Dizziness
* Headaches
* Mood Issues
* Joint Swelling / Pain
* Eczema / Skin Rash

For me, I can honestly say I have all of those signs. All of them have been attributed to various things in the past. Fibromyalgia takes the blame most of the time.

I am not at all doubting the RA diagnosis, however I am wondering if a continual increase in my sensitivity to gluten isn't what has exacerbated all of these symptoms making the diagnosis more apparent?

I have no real "medical" answers. My Dr. is supportive of alternative therapy in that she says "well some people say it helps, can't hurt to try it". But that's about it. I like my Dr but I am so over just trying another drug, another drug and yet more drugs.

I don't see her for about 2 weeks so I'm hoping that by then I'll have some idea if going GF is going to make a difference for me.

Stay tuned, today is day 4 of GF and so far I'm doing pretty well with it.
Sarah

My research journey continued ... trial & error takes time ...

So there are a few things I will be trying in the next months to see if I can improve my pain, stiffness and fatigue myself vs. trying more medications. I'm just not much of a medications kind of person, especially since I'm seeing no results and feel like what's really happening is just masking the problems with more problems.

Here's what I have started -
Chiropractic care. Now, this is not necessarily new, I have used chiropractic care sporadically for years. However, what I am trying now is to use it regularly and to also talk to my chiropractor about my diet, supplements and other alternatives.
Chiropractors are much more than just "bone snappers." They really do have a vast amount of knowledge on alternative therapy. Your mileage may vary depending on whom you choose as a practitioner. But, i recommend trying it, it does seem to really help some of my pain, especially in my neck and hips.

More information about proper body alignment and health can be found here -
How Chiropractors Benefit Your Health (Via Fox News 2012)

Mayo Clinic Basics on Chiropractic Care

Another good explanation of Chiropractic Care (Alive has lots of information on natural health & wellness)

The other thing I am incorporating into my diet right now are essential fatty acids, in the form of Fish Oil Supplements. I talked briefly about this in another blog post. But here is some information on this supplement as well as a few other things that can naturally help your body fight joint pain & inflammation as well as boost your immune system.

Fish Oils (from Arthritis Research UK)

Omega-3 Fatty Acids (University of Maryland Article - talks about many diseases Omega-3's can help)

So that's where I am at right now. Chiropractic care & fish oil for now. Researching many more supplements, diet changes & lifestyle changes. So please stay tuned and SHARE this blog with anyone you think may benefit from this information, that's why I started it ;-)

Sarah

A new challenge...

I'm starting this blog with the hope that it will not only provide an outlet for me to talk about my new challenge, Rheumatoid Arthritis, but also will be a place for others like me to find valuable information.
I'm going to start by introducing myself and telling you a bit about how I got to this point. In future posts I hope to share useful information, tips, and sewing related topics as well.
I'm Sarah. I'm 36 years old. I live in Northern NY State near Watertown. I've been sewing since I was a child. My first sewing project was a skirt I made to earn a badge in my girl scout troop. I remember it vividly, it was a sailboat print fabric and I was so proud of it. I sewed on and off for two decades but, got back into it heavily once my first daughter was born, 7 years ago. It's the "thing" I call my passion. It's the "thing" that helps relieve my stress. It's the "thing" I love to do above all else (well okay i don't love it above my husband & daughters but they aren't "things" exactly).
I've struggled with the muscle pain, head fog and poor sleep of fibromyalgia since I was 19 years old. I've pretty much learned to live with fibro, i take it easy when it flares up. I don't medicate it, i just deal with it the best ways i can find.
In May/June of 2013 I had a sudden onset of pain. It started in both hands. Within about a week they hurt so badly i sought the help of my family doctor. He did the standard lab work looking for an answer. All tests revealed no problems, in fact some of my labs are downright awesome. We tried various methods of pain relief, but nothing helped. So by the end of the summer he referred me to a rheumatologist. My first appointment was in October. She's a wonderful doctor and after a thorough exam and listening carefully to how my symptoms came on, where i was hurting and what we'd tried she proclaimed that she believed I was in fact suffering from the onset of Rheumatoid Arthritis.
To say I was surprised would be a lie. I like most Americans had already done a lot of internet searches and knew that is what my symptoms were pointing to. By October not only did both of my hands hurt but now I was starting to have pain in other joints too. She started me on some baseline medicines. We talked in depth about where to go from there. And she ordered a bunch of very special lab tests. I continue to follow up with her, changing medicines already and still seeing no relief but unfortunately, worsening of my pain. I'm hopeful we can find a combination of medications that will stop the damage from proceeding.
How this affects my sewing life? Well it makes it very difficult, to be honest at times I have considered throwing in the towel. But I just can't, i can't give up the one thing I feel really talented at. I can't give up on my passion. So, here I am, dealing with this new challenge.
I look forward to sharing my journey with the world. I hope I can inspire others to not give up when faced with a challenge. I don't intend to let the RA win. Please join me in exploring the disease. The treatments. The adaptions. And most of all the SEWING I will do with RA.
WELCOME!