Friday, March 17, 2006

Buying out the Pharmacy

Now that I have Claire mostly weaned (one last feeding tonight), I'm going to start my new medication on Sunday. I had to buy one of those pill organizers to make sure I keep things straight.

20 mgs of Methotrextate once a week, which will suppress my immune system to stop my joints from being attacked by my body. It will take a few weeks to a few months to work. Side effects may include naseua so I am also taking.....

5 mg Folic acid everyday, which should combat many of the common side effects of the MTX and...

10 mg of prednisone everyday, which may be the only thing keeping me moving these days. I had so much pain in my knees in January that I could barely walk, and after two days on the prednisone I was running around and packing my house. I have to wean off this when and if the MTX starts working, long term use will shut down my adrenal system.

I still feel stiffness everyday, and pain that comes and goes. I told Dan that last night my wrists felt fatigued just from holding the book I was reading in bed. And the stiffness and pain moves around a lot, so that for a few days it's in my shoulders, today it seems to be more in my elbows, and my hands are always stiff in the mornings.

I'm also going to be a pincushion for a few months, getting labs to see if any of this is doing any good, and also making sure the MTX doesn't damage my liver. Probably x-rays too, I had some done on my knees which indicated there may have been thinning of my bones already. Wish me luck.

3 comments:

AllBeehive said...

Have you had to quit drinking alcohol because of the drugs toll on your liver? My mom is on the a lot of the same stuff and has those huge pill container things for morning noon and night. I'm sorry you have to go through that. Thought the good news is that she still knits like a maniac!

saffry said...

Technically No. I'd have to drink something first to be able to quit drinking. I don't think I've had any alcohol since before I got pregnant with Claire. Probably at one of the quarterly office parties, more than one drink and I'd be woozy all the way to the Metro.
Glad your Mom is still knitting. I've got two projects going, but haven't worked on either in a few days. Finger puppets and Christmas stockings.

painterjoy said...

Oh, Amy!
I hope that everything will be okay, and that you won't suffer any more!