Not much reason to celebrate February when you live in Ottawa. Well, there is Winterlude and Beavertails (the yummiest deep-fried pastry with maple topping ever invented). But other than that - it's cold and February seems to last forever.
But there's a party in Megan's medicine cabinet, as I am down to 2 mg per day of Prednisone and heading for the home stretch. Wuhoo!! It's not been the easiest, but I think my utter euphoria of being off the drug may just carry me through the next two months. Seriously. I'm that jazzed.
The more I read, the less I like prednisone. I feel like I just woke up 18 months ago and really discovered what I was taking and started to ask "why". It seems the current protocol for RA is to use TNF blockers with a complementary DMARD and some anti-inflammatory meds as needed. It makes me wonder about my Rheumatologist. I've been "hanging out" on Prednisone for over a decade - and I didn't start to go off of it until I insisted. As previously posted, I have a love/hate relationship, but as the end draws near - I wonder about all those years and all the side effects.
I am seeing my Naturopathic Doctor for acupuncture and a fantastic massage therapist to work out some of my kinks. These treatments seem to take the edge off any hiccups each time I drop 1 mg. And Yoga. When I had my shoulder replacement, I was out of commission for a while, but I'm back and forgot how much an active Yoga practice really helps me. Going to Cuba also helped. Really. Something about no stress, a warm climate and endless beaches. But for now, I'm working through my bumps in the road with tools I have.
