UPDATE... Could be I have developed "Lupus Colitis" since C. Diff ,Parasites, other Bacteria all negative...

 Had a visit with my PCP on Friday. I have developed probable "High "TSH" thus I may be having to add yet another medication for High Thyroid issues. My "Parathyroid" is still getting higher, which I am concerned about a possible "tumor" on the pituitary gland. He and I have not mentioned that, and he tends to think it is due to my Vitamin D  and Calcium being "off" now. they both had been normal for a long while, but after all of the colon issues, such weight loss, etc.. my body has really been through hell especially with minerals, vitamins and such loss through the severity of the probable Lupus Colitis. 

It comes and goes... and I have been having to keep a carful eye out for my diet, what I eat, what is in it, when I eat it etc. I have always been a sweet lover, but have used either Splenda or Stevia ever since they came out.. and quit any "man made sugar substitutes." 

But, I love cookies.. and MANY of the bought ones have "high fructose corn syrup, which is 1 thing that I to keep away from. I was not a big chocolate eater, but a couple of years ago, I began eating a bit of dark chocolate.. but I notice that tends to bring on the colitis symptoms, and as much as I used to LOVE peanut butter, now I think anything type of "nuts" even in peanut butter may also bring on the symptoms, even all natural with NO sugar etc. So, I have to really watch what type of "sweets" I either make or buy. Of course I had quit making homemade especially after the horrid HEAT we had this summer..plus it is hard to buy what I need and make something sweet for just ME... so I had been buying especially cookies... but many of them do contain high fructose corn syrup!!! or NUTS, or chocolate & chocolate chips. 

I wanted to post this much and will post more tomorrow. Had a really rough week, lots of errands, doctor appt, lab work, got my 2nd Shingrix vaccine, so I am exhausted, and ate something that really hit me hard with the darned Colitis again. In fact my Daughter came up unexpectedly last night.. but I had such bad symptoms with my colon I was not even able to see her & my son in law & grandsons... they leave in the morning so I felt badly missing to see them.  But, I could not even walk this morning or step out on my porch.. the colitis had me bound to the house since last night late...    

Rheumatologist appt today, hoping for Xeljanz, severe finger, thumbs, wrists pain, stiffness, swelling & needing relief - Also thinking that I have "shingles" and not something biting me

Today is the day! To the Rheumy I go. So far, my hand fingers, thumbs and wrists are hurting and swollen I hate when I go to a doctor and by the time I get there whatever is going on seems to be "better" that particular day! Since this has been going on now for a good while, they have been really bad on my right hand where i do well to type here, cannot open jars, cannot carry much of any weight with that hand and arm to the point it is really affecting my left arm and hand. My left elbow is now a mess I think. I know some of it is coming from my neck, but I knew the elbow has been bad for a long while. I've spoken about it before, after surgery on it in about 1998, now it is getting bad again, and I know it is due to me having to use my left hand, arm, wrist and shoulder much more than my right one. I could barely get my tea holder open this morning, because it hurts so badly to pull the lid off of it. I dread the drive up there though. His office means going on I-45 but then I have to make this horrid couple of miles that is a nightmare in order to get over to I-35 where the offices are for the SW Med Center. 

So, I always hate the traffic. My appt is early afternoon so that will help some, plus I will leave in plenty of time just in case there is issues with traffic, but still just the regular traffic that particular way is terrible any time of the day. Plus the drive home is almost as bad... same deal you HAVE TO be in the CORRECT LANE in order to make the cross back over to I-45 and that is about a 6 lane or more highway there, and goes all directions. Plus they have been doing a great deal of construction in that area so that even makes it worse. Then you have the idiots that don't get in their right lane until they have to cross over 4 lanes of traffic at the last minute and risk a chance of hitting someone with their stupidity. 

I know most of them are from that area and they think the "know" just how to move in the lanes, but usually even if they are driving like maniacs, it gets them no quicker there, than me, who is driving in the correct lanes with the flow of traffic. Speeding, is something I just don't do, BUT as many know in huge cities, with that much traffic sometimes driving the "speed limit" will get you ran over also. So, I've learned over the years in those places to try and drive with the flow of regular traffic, thus usually it makes it a bit easier to be in the lane you need to be and give yourself time to be there. I am a good driver as far as I am concerned, but it the other fools on the road that bother me... trying to look out for all of them, in so many lanes at once, and then trying to not hit someone when they cram on their brakes, or avoiding someone behind you hitting you because they are not watching to see brake lights coming on or they tail gate, which pisses me off to no end. Those that tailgate are just accidents waiting to happen. Anyway, I am hoping we try Zeljanx. 

That is my hope BUT since I am facing cervical neck surgery in probably a month, my fear is that they will not want to put me on the medication, until after the surgery, and a few weeks after it until I am kind of out of the woods for any type of infection. BUT, hopefully that won't happen, and I can get approved for it and get started quickly. I know they will have to send paperwork into my insurance company to get that medication approved. After all of the crap going on now with the government, my fear is many of us will wind up having to either NOT take our medications, because they will not cover them, or our co-pays will be higher, or we will have to try and get the drug companies to help with the costs, which many of them will do now just to be able to get the meds out there and hope the insurance will finally wise up, but I think it is worse when you are on any type of Medicare, especially a Medicare Advantage Plan. So, I am going over things and checking email etc. I will have to get out of here a couple of hours before I need to be there. by the time I get to the Valet parking, and then get in to check in, fill out paperwork since it has been so long since I was there and then all of the things to tell them. They are not aware of my hip fractures and my ankle/foot issues, or the complication with the hematoma on my hip and so forth. So, hopefully this visit WILL help and be one that is not worth going for as they do sometimes. 


I feel that maybe is my what I thought was some type of "bite" or sting, could be shingles. With them being on one side of my body, on my upper arm and on my torso, it sounds like and kind of appears to be those... I take the medication daily for my cold sores, which is the same family of virus that the shingles come from, so my thought it that my case might be "less" due to the medication... 

SHINGLES??? What NOW! Always some thing to deal with medically it feels like.

I began to put the cabinet together yesterday. Looks like the actual "corners" that are "damaged" will be on the bottom of the cabinet in the back portion I think. Anyway, I still have about 30% to finish. I was actually putting it together in my hallway, but I am thinking about taking what I have put together now, into the back bedroom. 

 

If I put much more of it together, then it will be too large and probably too heavy to move into that room. I had to take some things out of that room, and make a space large enough to work in. But, I have an "odd" thing going on. For one, although the weather is kind of dreary, cloudy, and rainy looking, it is not all that cold outside, more just a very damp coolness. 

 

But, I've been COLD now for 2 days, upset stomach off and on, and I "thought" something had bitten me, or stung me on my left arm. It began feeling like it has "fiberglass" on it, that tingling, stinging, very itchy feeling. I've not felt all that great now for several days, and I figured it is just the weather causing me to feel lousy. 

 

But, this now severe itching is driving me nuts. I found what looked like one small "blood blister, about half way up on my upper arm, up from my elbow. It almost reminded me of the severe wasp sting I had last year, but as far as I know, of course I have not been stung by any type of wasp. Plus, I don't think mosquito's are out and even if they were this is not from a mosquito, I don't think either. 

 

*By what I know about "shingles" and what I have looked up, and with my Lupus and RA, that makes me a higher risk to get them, it "might be" shingles dammit. If anything touches my skin from just below my elbow, in the bend of my elbow and then about up to this "green spot" it makes me want to scratch the heck of out it, but it burns, stings and tingles. I did not know that you can have shingles and not have an eruption of the blisters/rash that usually appear. My guess since I read that the rash actually may not appear for several days after the pain and itching has happened, it kind of looks like I may have some "rash-like" places especially in the bed of the elbow. Good gosh, what else... I also have doctors appts. Monday for my hip f/u, Tuesday to Dallas to see my Rheumatologist, and Thursday back to Dallas to have my pain pump refilled. I also have been fighting a bad headache along with my upset stomach. Anyway, I guess I will just wait and see what this looks and feels like tomorrow. I thought I would be putting that cabinet together the rest of the way today, but with my stomach so nauseated, right now I think heading for the sofa is best for while at least until my tummy feels better. Take care everyone, there are all kinds of "bugs", the Flu and other illnesses around right now... Rhia Steele "All things Autoimmune"

 

Here are a couple of websites with information on Shingles:

 

http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/early-symptoms-shingles 

 

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shingles/basics/symptoms/con-20019574 

 

 

 

 

Wasp Sting turning to "infection", dealing with "overload" of paperwork after Mom's passing away, my own health issues, ankles still not well & so much more....

I've been "knee-deep" in things to do... I feel like I am s slow as a turtle these days. I've just now began to realize how much needs o be handled now, from the house, to car, and paperwork. I thought my hands were overfull just taking care of Mom while she was here, but I think I am on more "overload" than I was just a few weeks ago. My "to-do"list gets longer each day, and my "energy" and ability to "get er done" seems to be somewhere lost between the rock and a hard spot... 

Anyway, I am around, just involved in trying to get everything taken care of, and trying to keep this house half way clean. and the lawn needs to be mowed and it appears my neighbor may be gone on vacation or something. I've not seen him in over a week, and I noticed they had all of their blinds down... and his car has not moved in a few days either, so when it is as tall as it is now, plus with me STILL REELING from whatever the hell is going on with me, I cannot stand the sun to even for a moment to be on my skin... I can't really "explain" it, but after all of the burning, itching so severe it almost drove me nuts, hurting, swelling mess with the Wasp stinging me then the stinger in my arms for about 24 hours, before I realized that is what was in the little hole in my arm. But as I "tried" not to scratch it, but it looks like either I have had the "shingles" just looking at the forearm all over, and my skin almost appears as if the 1st or 2nd layer of skin was "burned off"... it is very strange... and most of it I believe is where I was rubbing it, or trying to rub like a soft cloth over it, anything due to that burning and itching... so now I do wonder if this was all the sting, OR did it turn into shingles? 

I have had now this is the 3rd time, a rash that appears almost like shingles. The others were not as bad, but they also burned and itched like crazy. So, between that, and my ankles are still not the best. My right one swells up still a great deal, if I am up and on the move... but right now I don't have time again to stay off my feet and get back on the sofa, then I feel like I really am falling behind. There is something else that I wanted to share, and I hope it does not "weird" anyone out. It could be this happens, for we are definitely "creatures of habit"... but about a week ago, I began to have these s"instant" thoughts, Gosh, I need to "call Mom", or I need to go over and check on her... it has happened now several times, sometimes more than once, if I think of something that she may have wanted to know etc... so I know it kind of hit me as "strange"... yet like anything we repeat in our daily lives, it tends to become "automatic" in life. If we get the mail everyday at 4PM, then even on a holiday, many of us probably go and look for our mail... and then find it comical that it is a "holiday" dummy.... I can say, although as "strange" as it feels, it's not a "bad" kind of strange, it is just something that I've never experienced before... 

That house is beginning to look much better inside. Gosh, talk about a "pack rat"... now I know where ALL OF THOSE PRESENTS FOR BIRTHDAY'S, MOTHER'S DAY, XMAS etc went! She has packed, packed and repacked stuff over and over again... so there were several things over there that belonged to my Granny Svehlak, and much of that is crystal bowls and so forth. So, I know there will be some things that will remain, to be passed down, etc... to my son and daughter, and my Grandkids... many "keepsakes" so just like myself, Granny always made Homemade Cookies, and she had a special jar that I loved all my life, and when she passed away, I asked if I could have it, and I have it sitting in my stands that have glass doors on them, with some other things from the family etc... Then, I am still having heck with being nauseated and not feeling "great"... I am sure the heat, plus the Lupus Flare, plus the antibiotics, and all of the stress from the past several weeks, really months, is catching up to me. My neighbor did say that there is a "stomach virus" going around here in town, and hell that is the last thing I need! As I continue this "journey" through paperwork, redoing floors, painting, and making decisions on many things, your thoughts, well wishes and prayers are definitely still needed... 

I "thought" I would almost be at the place to go ahead with my neck surgery, but as it is right now, I have to get over everything else first... plus that stupid "motion disorder" and it also can cause these "audible noises" where I think I "hear" someone with the "news" on television, or certain things just "set off" this strange mess. When it 1st happened just after moving back to TX, I was terrified... but myself, my Mom, my Granny and hers was really bad, and my daughter all have it.... it is a type of vertigo, and of course that effects the inner most ear, so when the "crystals" form, then you can have all types of motion sickness, and like me, it is like I can hear "Channel 5 News" or something off in the background... I've been through all types of tests, because I also continue to have double vision. If I don't have my glasses on (and it is over due time for a new script I think) which have the special "prism" in them, and it "deters" the double vision. Anyway, here is a bit of an update... I feel I need to be moving a million miles an hour (my brain is), but my body is just not cooperating... Hugs to all and again I appreciate your thoughts, well wishes and prayers.... Rhia

Pics of my Granny and Grandfather (my Mom's parents) then a pic of ALL of my Granny's sisters, and cousins, and all of the huge family. Abs as promised, the "Ye Old Inn" matchbooks like brand new, plus I "think" the sale and pepper shakers may have cam from there... I believe it was a "give-a-way" of something ...then the lamb and the diaper pin! The lamb was given to me BEFORE I was born! And I have not seen a diaper pin in ages... do they even make cloth diapers anymore and diaper pins???