Got the GOOD shot again!

Sorry this is a little long....

Please pray I'm on the road to getting fixed! I'm so excited that I might be now starting the new meds that I need to get me on the road to feeling better. I'm also afraid to get my hopes up too.

Tuesday I woke up with a red splotchy face...all over!  I was really so sick. I did go to our co-op orientation even though I felt so bad. I could have called in and the rest of the Advisory Council Ladies would have completely understood, but I wanted to go. I don't want to drop out of life.

I woke up with my face like that two weeks ago and I went in to see Dr. Altick. I've been seeing Altick for over two years now really regular, but I've only ever talked skin issues with him. He is fast in and out of the room so you say what you can before he is out the door. But I do like Jay. He has tried so many things with me and hasn't given up. My primary doctor gave up on me. Back to my face two weeks ago... He gave me a shot of dexamethasone and made me an appointment with a new allergist Dr. Giannobile (who I just loved, he is the complete opposite of  another local allergy doc we have here.)

Dr. Giannobile was very thorough. He ordered a ton of blood work. I couldn't have the skin testing done because I take a lot of vistaril. And I was so glad, I didn't want to add scratches to my body, I have enough going on.

He called me the next Friday to ask if I have been tested for Lupus, my ana was + and my sed rate was high. Also something else that measure inflamation in your body was really high and he said as much prednisone I take I shouldn't have that inflamation. Then he said and when you were in the other day I noticed you have the malar rash on your face. (That malar rash comes and goes, sometimes it's bright red and sometimes it's faded and make up covers it up.) I told him my ana has been + and my sed rate has been high since 2007 at least. He said he would let me know when the rest of my test came back.

This Monday Dr. G called me three time. That man is so worried about me. The 3rd time he called he said "just promise me you are going to get your CBC rechecked." WOW I hope he stays that way and doesn't change when he get so busy with patients.

He first called to say I was allergic to dust, but he doesn't think that is what is causing my problem. He thinks the skin issue is all related with everything else I have going on. The second time he called he said he is sure I have lupus and we talked about Rheumotologist and finding me a new one.

Tuesday morning I woke up with my face the way it was two weeks ago. I was so miserable. My joints hurt so bad and I was stiff all over, I couldn't even turn my neck. After orientation I met up with Dr. Pam for tea. She decided I need to go back in to see Dr. Altick and get another dexamethasone shot just to get some relief for a couple of days.

So after a long miserable night of crying in pain I called at 8 am and got an appointment with Dr. A. The nurse asked how I liked Dr. G and we talked about that visit and his phone calls to me. She called and had them fax over blood work. I think Dr. A called Dr. G too. Something she said at one time when she came in the room sounded like they were on the phone.

Dr. A walked in the room and asked if I had heard of a drug called Plaquenil. (yes, I had, my Dr. Pam (a friend who is a nurse and her husband is a nurse) had researched and said she thought I needed to be on that. ) He started me on 400 mg of Plaquenil and in two weeks will start me on methotrexate shots. Again just what Dr. Pam had said.
He didn't want to start two new drugs at one time. So that is why he is waiting two weeks to start the shots.

As I went to check out I looked in my file to see what all he had written down. He wrote those plans down and under that he wrote Lupus. So he didn't give me the diagnosis of Lupus out loud to me, but that is what he is treating me for.

I also got the shot of dexamethasone today so that will give me some relief for the rest of this week. I might not sleep, but I won't be crying in pain, instead I'll be looking in the fridge. :tounge2:
I have a love/hate relationship with steriods.

I'm not hung up on getting a diagnosis, I just want a treatment that is going to help me feel better, even a little bit better.

So anyway, I hope I am on the road to getting better now! Told ya it was long!
Please pray I do get better and the sooner the better! :thumbup: