Health Update 2004-2005
Well, I had a rheumie- check up back in July but because of our daughter's wedding...never got around to updating my webpage. Everything was going fairly well, with the exception of increased exhaustion, and there were no changes made to my medications.
On August 26, 2004 I had another routine checkup. I was told my lab results from July were okay..that my blood counts were staying in the "3's" . On this visit we mostly discussed my increased trouble with dry eyes and difficulty swallowing food. I have now been put on Evoxac to help with Sjogren symptoms. I had other problems the past couple of months that included side pain under my ribcage..also sometimes felt in my back, and increased headaches and chest pain, but there was only time to bring up one problem. Anyway...I came away hopeful that I might get rid of my blurred vision, burning sore eyes, and dry mouth with this new drug. I just hate that my pocketbook constantly has to be hit hard in order to feel anywhere close to normal.
This past week I have had a bad spell with symptoms. I don't know what has triggered this flare although it could be that I got a little too much sun one day while taking a walk, or over-exerted myself another day working in my yard...or quite possibly even because I've started this new medication. Whatever the trigger...I've developed new and different symptoms. This time I have developed lumps under the skin in various locations all over my body. There is this sensation of having bruises everywhere especially in those lumpy areas. I have also had trouble moving or even resting...shoulders hurt quite a bit, back is unbelievably uncomfortable, and every joint feels swollen. This is day 5 of this recent flare and things don't seem to be letting up.
My next appointment with the rheumie will be in October.
jan 2005
It has been a rough few months lately. In October I returned from our cruise with a toothache under one of my crowns.. No biggee. I thought whatever the problem was would be simple enough to take care of. My dentist x-rayed the tooth and didn't see any abcess, so he just put me on Amoxicillen to clear it up. A few days later it was worse. So he scheduled to have me come in so they could pop off the crown and take a look under it, and in the meantime prescribed Clindamyacin. So when they popped off the crown they determined the tooth needed to come out. Years ago when it had a root canal done to it, the tooth had calcified and they couldn't get out all of the root. Obviously, it was problem now. After extracting the tooth they discovered a tiny abcess on the root of the tooth. They then put me on Amoxicillen again.
After I completed that drug, two days later I began noticing pain in my stomach. I thought I had a bladder infection. I was uncomfortable all through that weekend but saw the doctor the next Monday. I really felt horrible. I was running a temperature, was having stomach trouble and could hardly move. I hurt pretty bad. The doctor ran a few tests and found that my white blood count was elevated, I had traces of blood in my urine and bacteria. So he put me on Levaquin...another antibiotic. Two days later and I was still feeling bad and noticed blood and other problems with my stomach. The cramping was like none I have ever experienced before. I struggled with who I needed to see to get this problem solved.
I ended up seeing a gastroenterologist. He was pretty certain I had developed antibiotic induced colitis...otherwise having the Clostridium Difficile toxin, brought on by taking at least six weeks worth of antibiotics. He ran a test but it came back negative. He put me on Metronidazole and symptoms began going away. Even though the test returned negative, my doctor was fairly certain this is what I had.
So...I thought I was on my way back when two weeks later I began seeing blood in my urine. Lots of it. I went back in to have a urinalysis done. That test determined bile was in my urine, along with blood, and bacteria. He was concerned that my liver and/or kidneys are functioning correctly. So my doctor wanted to do an IVP to rule out kidney stones. That test returned negative for stones. He suggested having a CT Scan done of my abdomen or seeing a specialist, but we are taking a wait and see attitude for now. He put me on another antibiotic Cefadroxil 500 mg. That is where I'm at today....still on this drug. I still have pain in my left kidney area but am wondering if it might be something else in that same area instead of my kidney.
It has all been frustrating, having repeated infections and not knowing who I need to see for what.
Water-ski accident August 2005 (pulled hamstring)
Got up one last time after I healed and decided to hang up my water skis.
Got up one last time after I healed and decided to hang up my water skis.