Oy

It's been almost two weeks since my last post. Sorry about that. I guess there is nothing really to say except that I am still drowning in homework and doing a prednisone taper. It almost seems like I am never getting off of it. For the next two weeks I will be alternating 5mg with 6mg.

Speaking of drowning in work, I registered for five classes next semester so far. The total amount of credits is 17. Since I seemingly love to torture myself, I also am applying for a course overload so I can take 21 credits next semester (limit is 19). I am trying to get as many prerequisites for nursing school out of the way that I can because I am still getting financial aid. I also found a seminar lat minute that I really wanted to take because I am a nerd. So for next semester I have general chemistry plus its three hour lab, nutrition, an online class about public relations, a class called performance ethnography (unless I can get into the documentary seminar) and a psychology seminar about clinical psychology. I hope to be able to register for developmental psychology at the school down the street from mine which costs $40,000+ a year but I can take any class there for my tuition rates. This goes the same for any of the other 4 ridiculously expensive schools around me. All I have to do is be registered for 3 credits and my home institution.

Anyway, my joint pain has been increasing and I have had to supplement my prescription pain meds almost everyday with over-the-counter ones. This is not encouraging, but I do not see my rheumatologist again for a few more weeks and do not really feel like going to see her anytime sooner. Unless, of course, it gets real bad.

Hope everyone's November is going well so far!

Complain and Whine

Well, this post is really nothing but a big complaint. I do have posts about actual topics formulating, but the brain power and time required to write them is more then I can expend right now. Today has been one of the worst pain days I have had in a while. I was supposed to go apple picking, but guess it is a blessing in disguise that it got cancelled.

It is mostly the lower part of my body that is having the most trouble. My legs are all sorts of sore and my naproxen and Tylenol are just not cutting it. I have spent a good portion of today trying to sleep it off, but that's not really helping either.

Sigh. I guess this is all rearing its head because I am not on 7.5mg of prednisone, which is the lowest dose I have been on in...well, a long time. Hopefully things get better.

Has It Really Been That Long?

Sorry I have not posted in over a week. I got home a week ago today and have been pretty much just enjoying my time here. I started back at my internship yesterday and I am still waiting to hear back from a real, paying job. I had an interview on Friday with Sears, so maybe that will turn into something.

I am still liking the CellCept, but unfortunately I got my blood test results back a couple days ago and one of my liver enzymes was increased and my C3 complement was high, which I gather means acute inflammation of some sort. Hopefully when I go to The Lupus Center next Tuesday they don't tell me that I have to stop it.

However, while it is still working very well, I have been a little more achy over the past few days, even when taking pain medications constantly. But it is nothing I cannot manage and my evergy levels have been really good.

I am still waiting to get my grades back. I think I got 5 A- and a C+ in Spanish. That class was horrible for me. I took French in high school and unfortunately, that's what I spoke in Spanish class. It was not so bad last semester, so I don't know why I couldn't get the hang of it this semester. In any case, I hope that the C+ wont keep me off the Dean's List for this semester because I have all As for my other five classes.

As I have said before, I am a little crazy about my grades.

Hope everyone has a good week!

Not Ending

My joints were so bad today. I got up and got dressed to go to class. I even walked out the door, but then I turned right back around and got into bed until my third class. I called my doctor and she said to rest for the day and ice/heat my joints (but of course I couldn't, I HAD to go to work...) and call her in the morning. She said if it is not better then I will have to come see her. Problem is I don't have a car right now. So I am thinking I might just go home and have her refer me for an emergency appointment at one of the hospitals there. Or my dad said he would drive up to take me or have my aunt/uncle take me but I don't want to inconvenience them.

This is so frustrating. Everything I do hurts and I have all but lost my appetite. That is so unsual for me. I had a bagel for breakfast and I got Indian food for lunch. I at maybe half of it at best. I ate the pieces of chicken, some rice, some lentils and a little piece of naan. I just ate dinner which was a tiny bit of chilli and rice I made Monday. I did have two cookies at work because they had been handed out for free where I was eating lunch and I decided to have them there. That's it for the day. I consider myself a hearty eater so that is really weird.

Also, I have blood in my urine. I don't think this is from bleeding because it has increased over the past few weeks, which my bleeding has not. I really hope my kidneys are doing OK and that they continue to. My doctor said the results are "borderline" so a visit to the kidney doctor might be in order.

I am not on prednisone. I really want to avoid it.

That's all for now. I guess I will decide whether I am going home tomorrow and if I need to see my rheumatologist.

Sorry So Late!

I arrived back to school Sunday afternoon and I did not go to work. I know that when my paycheck comes around I won't be too excited, but I thought it was a good decision then. I have been having a hard time with my joints. My hips, knees and now my ankles are all tender to the touch. This is not new for my knees, but it rarely happens to my hips and this is the first time it has happened to my ankles. I called my rheumatologist and she suggested arthritis cream and hot and cold packs. I've been doing that and it hasn't helped. I was doing that before she told me to. But I said I would give it another 48 hours, so she is getting a call from me tomorrow.

I hate feeling like a burden to the doctors but its getting real tough. It hurts to sit in a chair too long, it hurts to stand too long and it hurts to put my feet back on the ground after I have been laying down.

My shoulders and wrists have been bothering me as well, but not as much. My wrist has gotten a lot better and I think is nearly back to full strength. But it still aches in a very lupus-like way.

School is going well. I did well on my communication midterm which I was nervous about and I did excellently on the paper for that class.

That's all for now!