LIFE CAN FOREVERMORE CHANGE WITH A BREATH'S SPACE....

March 2014 right around this time, I was at my very 1st "Summit on the Hill" With the Arthritis Foundation! I was also in Washing DC for my 1st time. The weather was too cold... in fact sloppy wet snow and cold. about NOON i get a call from my then Mother In Law, who lives right there at DC. Although I had never met her in person, nIb felt after talking to her almost 10 years, ( and her accent is still sob awesome being from Columbia).. my Rheumatologist is also from Columbia, although both of them have not loves there in many. many years... he also still has that very special "accent".. At the same time I was awaiting a plane from DFW to land a bit later in the day... Jim was flying in to be with his bMom and I. He was going to show me DC & get to visit with his Mom for a few days... almost all at once MY CELL PHONE BLOWS UP!!!! NEVER does my cell BLOW UP!!! But, it was loud in the Hotel Lobby, & i was waiting my my Mother in Law, Hilda...I was nervous & she has went to the wrong Hotel by mistake so she was running a bit behind... BUT, the phone coming to pieces, was not about her, but Jim... he had been in an EXTREMELY SERVE CAR WRECK ON I-45, ON THE way to DFW to fly out to DC!!! AS I TRIED TO HANG ON AND LISTEN TO THE ER TRAUMA SPECIALIST I FELL TO MYV KNEES! I had to hand the phone to on of my had been team mates & allow them to take notes etc.... At that moment HILDA walks IN, she Sees me hysterical and SHE THOUGHT I WAS UPSET BEAUSE SHE WAS RUNNING BEHIND TO PIC ME UP!! So, i had to stand there in front of a dear sweet lady, whom I had never met in person and tell her what I knew about the car wreck and her son... NEVER WILL I EVER HOPE TO HAVE TO HAVE AN EXPERIENCE LIKE THAT AGAIN! He was in really bad shape, but after months in the hospital & inpatient rehab, he survived and even after LOTS of HARDWARE to put MUCH of his mid spine back together... HE walks!!!! The gentleman that helped me on the phone with the doctors happened to be flying out on the same plane the AF got me on to head back to TX. They were awesome, had me on a plane within hours, and he stayed with me till Dallas, and he went on to Denver to Another Summit. To top it off, after my son picked me up at the airport, it was late night.. and at the hospital, he was in ICU, and really had no clue about what even happened.. Since I needed to EAT I had not since bI think 2 days before & get some rest, take a shower... so my son and I stayed at a near by hotel.. and i guess I was so shaken, so beside myself and in shock, plus the HOTEL's OUTDOOR LIGHTS TO OUR DOOR TO GO IN TO THE HOTEL WERE OUT! I TRIPPED, FELL FLAT ON MY FACE, busted a tooth partially out, it went through my CHIN, and I looked like I had been in a bar fight... MY REASON for TELLNG THIS, IS FOR ONE being right at the Anniversary" of that in March 2014, plus HEARING THEB NURSES 7 DOCTORS WHO HAVE TO SIT WITH PATIENTS, HOLD THEIR HANDS 7 THE FAMILY CANNOT EVEN GO IN TO THE ROOM TO SAY GOODBY TO A LOVED ONE!!! Those stories shall remain with them the rest of their lives... and they always at times come back, just as if it were "yesterday".... SO TELL YOUR LOVED BONES YOU LOVE THEM, SHOW THEMB SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS... "In A MOMENT, within a BREATH'S SPACE, LIFE CAN FOREVERMORE CHANGE......

EARTH DAY APRIL 22,2020

WORLD EARTH DAY APRIL 22,2020

https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2020/?fbclid=IwAR28_OGG1ExYKpYhh53q5CHswuO9l1Qn3rg3vTDFqfqk0XV5TT_x-mauqMw

World & National Lupus Day/Month May 2020

World & National Lupus Day & Month May 2020

https://worldlupusday.org/?fbclid=IwAR0MKPbiNiUBFGguZFyIdtHQMuTAPBhg3O9Jbq4KzZ9SuRB8Y4g0R9EXx9w

Some History Lessons & more... THE GREAT DEPRESSION & THE SPANISH FLU

GREAT DEPRESSION

https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/great-depression-history?fbclid=IwAR0N7qs-1j8y54f9tFphKor9tRekf3s2JZ1HvKC7_xxBsxLQniPYz_Pf0nw

The Spanish Flu

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/1918-flu-pandemic?fbclid=IwAR2wU5-WcruqdWVXp5meA9l7ZvJ39hdl0tIfBlVybk1-hx79HOXu-lc_NZc

BEFORE anyone with LUPUS, RA & other Illnesses that require Plaquenil Daily!

BEFORE anyone with LUPUS, RA & other Illnesses that require Plaquenil Daily!

Article from Arthritis Foundation

https://www.arthritis.org/drug-guide/medication-topics/plaquenil-shortage

Please read & pass along!!

Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) Shortage Causing Concern

Possible use of arthritis drug for COVID-19 symptoms causes access challenges for people with arthritis.

Senior Class of 2020 & what graduation will look like & what about years to come??

This is dedicated to the class of 2020. Share and make it go viral for them.The artist is
Kaitlyn Kirian of Ohio

This is just so sad, this will be how they remember their graduation - but we love each of them - my neighbor graduates this year .. I know many of them wonder what "their future" make look like? My heart aches for them....

May Easter Bring Faith, Hope & A Renewed Sense of Love to All....

Blessings and Hope for This Easter Bring Miracles to our lives...

 I realize times are difficult now, for all of us. Even though we keep Hop, Faith, Love.. in our Hearts.. "The Old Rugged "cross" was always one of my favorite songs & "Up from the Grave He Arose".. trying our best to HOLD ONTO the good things, 

May everyone be Blessed & find Love, & the Lord in Your Heart. This is a day I always remember. Even though it changed dates every year "Easter Sunday" is the day Dad Passed away. It always seemed "fitting" for Him, for he always stood on that Rock of Faith" May each of us find that "rock of Faith" to stand Upon...

 Blessings for Easter and the days ahead...

Hand X-Rays Show the severe damage of Long Term Inflammation, Pseudo-gout & Chondrocalcinosis & More...,

After weeks of waiting due to mostly the COVID-19 Virus pandemic, I FINALLY got the copies of my Radiology Reports on the X-rays of my Left and Right Hands...

                                      So Here is the "NOT SO GREAT NEWS...

Well after (not very patiently awaiting) my Radiology reports on my hands.. as I figured the news is NOT great on my left hand...much like "gout" and "pseudo-gout" (which the pseudo-gout is one thing wrong".. I have chondrocalcinosis (calcification within cartilage) found which indicate long term inflammation..( I suspected for years I almost constantly had inflammation in the left hand especially between my joints in most of my fingers) from the RA and probably osteoarthritis also. That calcification is caused also by a build up of crystallization from certain minerals in the synovial fluid between the joints and I have a narrowing between most of them but the base of my thumb and my wrist under my thumb is moderate to severe from the X-rays and Exams by my PCP, Rheumy and Orthopedic surgeon. My Right hand also has much of the same, but it is not as bad as the left one is. Same thing the crystals that are causing the cartilage to calcify rather than be "like softer cartilage like your outer ear for example)" as it should be. There is no "treatment" really. I cannot take NSAID's other than aspirin, and Motrin, etc... the prescription doses is what would possibly help is anything. I am on all of the medications they use, unless we change and go over to another biologic.. I am on Enbrel right now.. along with Plaquenil, prednisone small daily dose, the Enbrel, Methotrexate (which if I do not get ill with an infection they can increase my dose on this), the BC Powder, Colcrys (which I found out can be increased also but it's the latest one so I am sure they are making sure I do not have any side effects first).. what concerns me, is that this may be also what is effecting my lower back and hips also. It does tend to go to those as well as the feet.. About the only thing that would possibly be the answer would be hand surgery..especially on the thumb, and where this cartilage is getting hard... This of course is chronic and will not get better, only worse as time goes by.. unless we have a miracle.. Right now the miracle needs to be for the COVID-19 virus. It was honestly a bit better than I expected.. I felt with the way my fingers are bending and trying to twist on my left hand it would show to be worse. Going to and already does.. make very hard for me to don anything with my hands and fingers..type, open anything, zip anything, you name it, it either is impossible for me to do or hurts like hell to do it. Until this Pandemic is cleared where I can see my PCP, Rheumy etc.. I will not have any answers, but at least now I DO know (THANKS TO MY PCP for sending me the reports and explaining them) :) HE is my lifeline... so all I can do is read more on this & pray all of this Pandemic clears up and PEOPLE can get well, stay well, and try to get back to some type of "good new normal".. although my stuff is certainly not good, right now at this moment, I am not ill with the other and praying I don't and everyone in our town, county, nation and world gets well.. I have to admit I was quite upset when I read these reports.. even though I knew what they would probably say... but life goes on and so shall I. My prayers to EVERYONE!!! Stay In, Stay Well, & let's keep HOPE ALIVE!!!

15 years ago My Dad passed away on that Easter Sunday... here is some of his story...

Today it was about this time from Seattle (I think) I was talking to Dad.. He "heard" me I know... about 10 minutes or so after we hung up, he took his last breath...almost like he was waiting on my phone call... It took me a LONG time to forgive myself for not going town from Seattle, But him going downhill so quickly I may have never made it... It was better now I know for me to go down like I did to be there with Mom and the kids... during the days after and for the funeral.. Dad sang in church often - and his favorite song was (the song below)

Dad passed away March 27th, 2005 on Easter Sunday. I had been on the phone with him (I think he KNEW it was me) waiting for me (I was in Seattle WA living when he suddenly got critically ill from a knee replacement surgery that went very WRONG! The best we know is he probably got an infection that spread to his brain, and/or maybe mini-strokes. He had Diabetes and wasn't great about taking care of what he ate and taking his medication. I still talk about Him often. Right now, with the Pandemic going on it so reminds me of what he lived through, he was born in 1923, but did remember the Great depression, some, even though he was very young. All of how they lived what they went through (one time when he was about 10 years old, he ate some "green pecans".. in the middle of the night woke up severely ill, so bad, that they thought he may die... back then there were no hospitals, and rarely doctors in the country.. but His Dad got up, took the wagon miles and miles to get the only doctor around...he brought him back, and Dad pulled through... but that was just one thing I remember when I see how things are today... they wore shoes till they could no longer patch them, then they got a new pair ordered from the Sears catalog, his Mom made bread or bisquits every morning... they had "lunch pails" that were much like a paint can round with lid on it... he often carried a bisquit and a piece of sausage for his lunch.. BUT back then EVERYONE was in the same shape.... no one thought about it being any different... he GRADUATED in a ONE ROOM school house that ALL AGES were in that same room, I think IT WAS A CLASS OF 12 SENIORS & HE WAS I BELIEVE Valedictorian or Salutatorian.. right now I can't recall which... this was the last time I saw Dad... It was in 2004... I flew back for Amanda's & Jimbo's (my daughter's) wedding.. and I drove 7 hours up from near Corpus to see bHim and my Mom before having to drive back to San Antonio to fly back out. Dad, there is not almost 1 day I don't think about you... things you taught me, and lessons that no school could ever teach, how to respect others, be honest and truthful, work for what you get, be kind, and so many other things that have stuck with me in my years... I Love you and I know you and Mom are Happy to be together....

"Pearly White City"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66AFGwKBiyw

Coronavirus, Climate Change, and the Environment - Harvard C-Change

03/20/2020 | Harvard C-CHANGEA Conversation on COVID-19 with Dr. Aaron Bernstein, Director of Harvard C-CHANGE

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/c-change/news/coronavirus-climate-change-and-the-environment/

Below are some of the most common questions we have been receiving in relation to the environment and coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

"This page will continue to be updated as new information arises. If you would like to talk to someone at our center about coronavirus, please email us at cchange-media@hsph.harvard.edu..."

(Lots of great information in this article.) And for further articles and information see my Daily Newspaper...

An Autoimmune Arthritic Systemic Life    by Rhia Steele

http://news.autoimmunearthriticsystemiclife.com/#/

Life Chronic Pain & Autoimmune Systemic Diseases & Dementia®