I had a very "good" visit with my PA yesterday at my Rheumatologist office. She FINALLY BELIEVED AND SAW JUST HOW SEVERE my RA has gotten since September last year. She immediately saw the severe swelling and inflammation in 16 of my JOINTS!
I also have "synovitis" in between several of my finger joints on my right hand, swelling in my ankle is somewhat from the RA, and the stiffness, weakness in both hands, my ankles, hips, feet all related in some way to the RA and Lupus. She has put me on Enbrel. She felt the Xeljanz would not "touch" the severity of the RA now. She said if the Enbrel worked somewhat in about 8 weeks or so, she may consider putting me also on the Xeljanz also, to help the Enbrel. She said we would "try" to get me off the daily Prednisone, due to my osteoporosis being so bad, and she agreed it probably has something to do with my fractures of my hip. My Orthopedic surgeon said the same and so did my PCP. They felt although the fall was very hard on that hip that I may not have had a fracture if I had not had the severe osteoporosis that I do.
I see my Cardiologist next week, and if she says it is okay for me to be put back on one of the pills for osteoporosis, although mine is already severe, it "may" help to protect me from just having a joint "break first" then me fall. That happens at times with severe osteoporosis. It happened to my Grandmother. She did not fall 1st then her hip break. It broke and then she fell. My parents next door neighbor also had that happen. She was just walking down the hallway in her home, and her hip broke. So, thus the reason for trying to get me off the Prednisone and hopefully on one of the pills, like Fosamax. I cannot have the injections again.
Once you have those for a few years, due to the other issues that can cause, with a particular type of complicated femur break, I would have to just go on the pills instead. I see my orthopedic surgeon next Monday to hopefully begin getting me prepared and okayed by my insurance for my neck surgery. I am in so much pain, honestly all over, I can barely stand to move, yet if I sit for just a bit, then I am so stiff, I can barely get up and try to walk. So, it's damned if I do and damned if I don't. Plus now not only am I fighting those damned red "paper wasps" already, but the yellow jackets, and last night those damned "salamanders" showed their asses on my porch. I happened to have my fly swatter and knocked the hell out of him. Hopefully that is one less, it was a grown one so those are the ones that can breed the little devils that can breed in dozens very quickly. Then the gnats are nuts, the "May flies" are crazy, fire ants... dammit without any "winter weather" all of the "bugs" are just everywhere. We still don't know what this "bite looking rash" is... she thinks maybe some type of dermatitis, but I still think it is shingles... just not as strong of a case of them due to the Valtrex, which she said they do use for the shingles. I hope the insurance approves the Enbrel quickly and gets it out to me... I am in such severe pain, it is horrible....
These are the very issues, like insurance and the Enbrel, and "cutting things like Medicaid and other entitlements to those who need the insurance so badly due to severe and chronic illnesses, many that need expensive medications and continued medical care that means "Specialists". We also NEED the NIH to be able to have funds to continue research on so many illnesses... things are just a damned mess with our government and only us, the PEOPLE can do something about it!
