I Didn't Choose The Spoon Life. The Spoon Life Chose Me.

A very belated Happy New Year to you all from a newly turned 22 year old me! (It was my birthday on Tuesday!)

And, once again, it's all been happening for me recently! Firstly, I moved into a house with Simon (the boyfriend, in case you didn't know) just before New Year, I finally had an appointment with an Occupational Therapist, I'm booked in to see an Orthapedic and I finally started my Humira injections on Monday!!

So, I'll take it bit by bit. First, HOUSE! It's great to have a house at last which I can call my own and to be able to share it with Simon - who, I am incredibly lucky to have, as he has been looking after me so much lately. I've been job searching lately, so I can have something to do and help pay bills etc. and so far it's been.... Dissapointing. It's so hard to look for jobs knowing you're limited physically. If only job descriptions could include "yes, you can sit for a whole shift", it would make life easier! But I have been applying for anything which I think would be suitable, like reception jobs etc. I just haven't got any where yet, it's pretty disheartening, but I'll keep trying!

My little perching stool!

Next, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY! - I finally had an Occupational Therapy appointment last week and it was great! I honestly don't understand why it's taken 8 years to see one, because I could really have done with it a very long time ago! She was super helpful and ordered me a perching stool for my kitchen so I can sit and do the washing up/ cooking/ waiting for the kettle to boil etc. and I received it the other day (pictured to the right) and it's not the most attractive looking of stools, but it does the job! It felt pretty awesome to be able to sit and do the pots (as sad as that sounds) but normally it kills my legs, which ain't great. She also ordered me my own wheelchair because I've been borrowing one from a church where I no longer live, so it'd be good to give it back... And she also told me about Smart Crutches - which are like fancy Gutter Crutches because she thinks they'd help me as my elbows are also bad, so normal crutches don't help... I'm going to give Gutter Crutches a go first when I go to physio, and if they're not great I'll consider buying myself some Smart Crutches, because they're £85!!!! And that's not money I have to throw around right now. And, basically I'm back to see her again next month so she can see how I'm doing and suggest some other things to help me get on with life :)

Humira injection!

And finally, HUMIRA! (Or Adalimumab!) I finally had my first dose of it on Monday! I say finally because when I was 16 my doctor at the time tried to apply for funding for me to have this medication and got declined at least 3 times because simply having one severely bad ankle was not enough for them to give me it (PFFT!) Which was pretty annoying. But hey ho! I have it now, and that's what matters. So, after having Methotrexate injections, I was pretty scared that these were going to be awful too, BUT it wasn't!! The needle is so much finer, I barely felt it! And you don't have to press it ridiculously hard into your leg to try and get a safety barrier up properly, so it's fantastic! I felt well afterwards, and the next day I was okay too, except for a really itchy nose/feeling like I needed to sneeze.... But, from Wednesday onwards that turned into a lovely cold, so now I'm snuffling away, surrounded by hankies and cups of tea, wishing it would hurry up and pass. But I can't complain, I'd much rather get a cold than feel sick... Fingers crossed my body will get a little more used to it and react a little better in future. But I have until the 6th Feb to recover because the injection is bi-weekly, which is also great, the only downfall is you have to be in very good health to do it because if you do it while ill, you can get really quite ill, and we don't want that!

Things are finally beginning to happen, and I love it - it gives me hope that I will overcome this and be walking about and doing things normally in time or at least finding better ways to adapt to the life I've been handed - hope which I've really lacked over the last few years and it's nice to have it back again. I'm set to start physio again soon, and see a Orthapedic about whether anything can be done for my ankle/elbow, and I'm starting back on Methotrexate again soon too - so I'll be sure to update again soon!

So, from this girl who ain't giving in....
TTFN, Ta ta for now! :)  

Reminiscing Over the Past 6 Months!

Happy New Year!! I'm back, and it's now only FIVE DAYS UNTIL MY BIRTHDAY!!! (I'm gonna be 20 - getting old!)

Sooo, on Friday I finally got discharged from physiotherapy as my physiotherapist told me I was "the best she'd seen me" and just to carry on with my exercises and maybe make them a bit more weight-bearing to carry on strengthening my legs! So that's pretty good really!

This lead me to reminisce over the last 6 months, and how much it's all changed, I started off 6 months ago, medicationless, in pain all the time and limping dreadfully... Now I'm walking fine, I can even walk up & down stairs normally! And plan on climbing a mountain a few months!

Although I may not like my medication, my injections and my blood tests, overall, it's making everything better gradually, which is of course is the aim... so it's all grand really!

I'm having my next injection delivery on Wednesday... It's weird to think I've had over 7 weeks of them so far, it feels like less? Weird! Anyway, I'm also back at hospital in March to see my doctor again, who will probably try and think of another solution for my (still bad) ankle! Here's hoping it might be slightly better by then :)

Anyway, not much else to say, except gradually making some changes to the blog! Check them out (for instance - my 'gallery' page... which seemed less weird in concept than it does.. oh well)

Also, on a last note... please check out my Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/Climb4CleanWater and give it a like? It would be a great help!

Thanks!

TTFN, Ta ta for now! :)

My last post of 2014!

Hello!! Hope you're all okay and getting in the Christmas spirit!! I'm quite excited - got all my shopping done today at last!!

Thought I should probably post one last update before the end of the year!

So about 3 weeks ago I started on the Metaject (injections of methotrexate), and this is what they look like this...

I personally get quite tempted to paint them blue because in my opinion they could pass as a sonic screwdriver! >< that'd be awesome! Sonic Screwdriver injections would make them all the more joyful to have! :D

I'm not too bad at injecting them myself because they don't really hurt, they just sting a little afterwards - so that's all grand!

Today I was told I can now go back to one monthly bloodtests (yippee!!!) because my most recent bloods have all been good :D 

And also, tomorrow I finally finish this course of steroids!! Soo, it really is the season to be jolly! I look forward to enjoying my Christmas/New Year on slightly less tablets than I have been for the past 6 weeks! :)

I'll be sure to post again in the New Year! (until then - I am internetless anyway!)... So I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!!!! :D

Clocking out for the last time in 2014!!! TTFN, ta ta for now! :D

I hate trying to think of a title...

Hello!

Gee, I'm no good at just regularly updating this am I? Sorry! ><

MOST RECENT UPDATES: I am now back off Sulfasalazine, as when I was about to move up to 4 tablets a day, I got taken off them (and my Methotrexate) as my liver functions were a bit off - So I had the delight of 2 weeks off nearly everything!! (it was seriously delightful), but now, since my most recent hospital appointment, I'm on Prednisolone (steroids) for 6 weeks, and Omeprazole for that time too (for my tummy), and in a couple of weeks I shall be starting the "METAJET!" (or whatever it's called) which is basically the injection form of methotrexate because, apparently it's more effective?

Omeprazole - lovely bright yellow capsules! Hard to lose!

Prednisolone (steroids) 

So yeah, we'll see how that goes, and hope for the best! - And the reason I'm on steroids for 6 weeks is because I very politely declined having a joint injection in my ankle... Basically, I'm a big pansy, and really don't want it unless they're gonna give me some pain relief! Sooo yeah, hopefully steroids might help that?

Still on with blood tests every 2 weeks, which is joyful, but I'm getting better at it.... (if you CAN get better at blood tests?) - then again, it's getting colder now, and I get worse at blood tests when it gets colder, so maybe I shouldn't brag, as it'll just get worse from now on :P

Well, the cold generally just makes everything kinda suck, you've gotta go out dressed as Mitchellen man (or whatever he's called) just in order to not get cold joints and get joint pain!! grr ><

Anyway! That's my update done!!

TTFN, Ta ta for now! :D

Time to Get Fit!

Hey there readers!

Today I finally received the exercise bike I ordered and it's all exciting!

This is the bike I'm going to use to hopefully improve my leg muscle strength, because with having arthritis in my ankle and knee, it causes limping, which means some muscles will be wasted and others will be relied on too much... So my aim is to try and even it out and make them all stronger and perhaps make walking easier.

It's also to keep fit in general (because I'm so lazy!) and don't want to be any more to be honest! I'm hoping to be more active in general in my second year in uni, hopefully starting climbing and I'm considering lots of other sports, so fingers crossed for my joints to keep all good for them!

On the note of my previous joint injection, I still haven't had much improvement in my knee, it's still swollen and a bit painful, so we'll see what the rheumatolagist nurse says about that when I go see her (I'm still waiting for that appointment), I hope they approve of this new activeness!

Cheers for reading!

TTFN, ta ta for now! :)

A Week and Two Days On...

Hey there!

It's been just over a week since my steroid injection in my knee, and unfortunately at the moment I appear to have no improvement... So this will probably mean when I go see the nurse for my next steroid injection, there'll be a change in  my medication.

At the moment, the options are either trying Sulfasalzine again (it previously hasn't done anything for me) or trying methotrexate injections again, obviously, anyone who knows me (or reads this blog) knows that I will pick the Sulfasalazine tablets because I HATE injections and will avoid them at all costs!

I'm already preparing myself for my next joint injection, planning on buying some new slippers, so I can put slippers on rather than shoes when I've been injected (because it makes your joint MORE swollen, so it's hard/painful to get on shoes) and I also plan on taking my crutches and a lollipop for after :P... I'm really quite scared, but I'm trying to keep myself positive and brave about it or I'll end up panicking about it, which I don't want to happen! 

I'm still waiting to receive my appointment, so there's no need to panic yet. Fingers crossed I get my appointment soon :)

TTFN, ta ta for now :)