Blah, Good, Rheumatologist Appointment

This has just been a rather crappy month for me and everyone I know. Still not really okay with stuff that happened, but can't dwell on things I can't change.

Found out on the 23rd ( week of other real bad stuff ) that the court hearing medicaid appeal thing I went to was denied. Which, doesn't surprise me. Considering the idiots set a court hearing for an appeal for a program that doesn't even apparently exist anymore and no one bothered to tell me so till we were there in court. It doesn't surprise me one bit. But with everything else that week it was like acid and salt in raw wounds. Makes me more hellbent and determined for the next battle.

The little spark of good news, I *finally* managed to get an emergency appointment with a Rheumatologist. I will have to pay a small fortune out of pocket since I don't have medical coverage, but hopefully this doctor will be able to help where others have not.  I see him on June 6th.

Part of the reason I wanted to taper off the Cymbalta before seeing this new doc, aside from the insane price OOP monthly, is because I got to wondering if it was "masking symptoms" because it was blocking the pain and also as a result possibly blocking inflammatory markers that might show in bloodwork.

Along this same line of thinking, realizing I have been taking Aleve every day now at higher than normally recommended doses, it made me think the same thing.  Swelling / inflammation, low grade fevers, etc might be masked by the amount I have been taking.

So, this week I decided to attempt... and I say that laughing... to not take any pain medication all week long, whatsoever. So far, I have managed. But oh gods does it hurt sooo much. I have used topical creams and my TENS unit to try and help make it more bearable. Mind over matter, mind over matter I keep telling myself. Tomorrow will be going into week 2 of no pain medication. Hoping I can last till Friday and the appointment.

Since I am going to this new doc and expecting bloodwork, etc. I don't want anything being "hidden" inadvertently. I am starting to think that may have been part of the problem all along.

Hoping seeing this doctor will also tell me something about my wrist, since he specializes in the condition I think I have. I have been doing physical therapy with it every day, and slowly, sooo agonizingly slowly, some more range of motion has returned. But it is still tender and hurts to grasp, turn, or lift weight with it.  After MONTHS ( geeze since Nov 2013 ) of not being able to work on any artwork, I am about ready to gnaw the damned thing off and replace it with a hook.

Then everyone can call me Cap'n Lhunie.  YAARRRRGGGGG!  ::Drinks some rum::

Anyway.  Happy to move forward and hoping next month will be better than this one was.