Really, tumblr? Rheumatoid arthritis ha been following me since March!
CELESTE GIVES UP
Forty pounds.Feeling sorry for myself.
Eating crap.
Being lazy.
I'm Celeste, a magazine editor living in Phoenix.
Get ready for a lot of fitness, a lot of sass and a lot of froyo.
So, I just realized
It’s been a year since my arthritis surfaced.
What started as a sore knuckle turned into a life-changing, painful diagnosis. This year hasn’t been easy. It knocked me down, but I’m picking myself back up … with the help of the people I love and (sadly) a lot of medication.
Celeste Gives Up Tumblr
It’s time.
You’re probably not surprised. I haven’t written much lately because there hasn’t been much to write about.
Fitness has taken a back seat in my life. That’s probably where it belongs. But it wasn’t necessarily of my own accord, and that’s hard to accept. This post explains it pretty well.
I want to run. I want to lift weights. I want to be healthy and happy. But unfortunately my body has other plans for me right now. And I need to figure that out before I can start blogging again.
Hopefully that will be sooner than later.
Thanks for the support and the laughs. The virtual high fives and hugs.
I’ll miss you guys.
Hi guys.
I’ve had a rough couple of weeks.
My knees and foot are killing me. I’ve run once in almost two weeks. I have no energy to go to the gym. And when I do go, it’s an easy hour on the spin bike. The intensity is nonexistent.
I’m walking around like I’m 80.
This is hard.
I have always been so full throttle. And my fitness life was no different. I loved it.
Now, though, it’s a struggle to just … live my life. Some days are better than others. And some are significantly worse.
RA hurts. It hurts every day. And it’s taken my main outlet—exercise—away from me. That’s the most painful part.
I could really use a head-clearing run right now.
I hope you all are doing well. I still catch up on my dash every morning. And hopefully I’ll join the fitblr ranks again.
What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis? Its Causes, Symptoms and Treatment ›
What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis is primarily a joints disease, which is chronic in nature. It can also pose to be a systematic disease that affects the organs of the body internally and can potentially lead to disability. Infections, wounds and foreign bodies attack the immune system in this disease, and cause inflammation in the joint lining tissue. This inflammation causes pain, stiffness, loss of functioning ability and swelling in the joints. If this inflammation is not treated in time, it can spread to other parts of the body and organs such as the liver, lungs, kidneys and even the heart.
Furthermore, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, that is, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the tissues that it is otherwise programmed to protect. Moreover, rheumatoid arthritis usually affects the smaller joints, such as those limited to the hands, the wrist, the ankles, feet or elbows. However, the disease tends to be unpredictable and can affect any other joint as well, causing much discomfort, pain and potentially disability as well.
A quick guide to my BFF rheumatoid arthritis.
I’m the youngest person in the arthritis doctor’s office by at least 30 years.
So tired.
My body feels like I’ve increased my training volume ten-fold. In reality though, I can barely bring myself to the gym. This is the least I’ve worked out since I started two years ago.
I can’t remember the last time I felt like this. But this past month has been a lethargic struggle. My body hurts. Not sore, not specific pains … just overall exhaustion.
A few weeks ago, I told Brandon that I felt like my body wasn’t recovering. And now it just feels broken.
I want to crawl in bed.
My next RA appointment is on Thursday. Hopefully the doctor will have some insight.
I wish I could swim
My body is continually in pain.
I’d love to take a swim class to challenge myself while resting my joints.
Unfortunately I’m allergic to chlorine. I’ve been unsuccessful in finding a salt water pool near me … that isn’t a resort ha.
Bummer.
I just picked up my lab work for tomorrow’s appointment with the rheumatologist. This about sums up my night.
CCP Antibody test for rheumatoid arthritis
Range: 59+ Strong Positive
Result: 500+
Apparently my technicians got lazy and stopped counting, haha.
More good news
No permanent joint damage in my hand, according to my X-ray.
Relieved. Hopefully medication can prevent the damage and stop the pain.
I walked into the clinic today feeling defeated and pessimistic. It’s been so, so hard to receive a daunting diagnosis without knowing what my future holds. I’m trying not to borrow trouble until my April 26 appointment, but it’s easy to expect the worst.
But. I went to training. Even though I didn’t want to.
And Brandon talked me off of my self pitying cliff. Like he always does. No, everything may not be OK. But I can be proactive instead of reactive.
It’s time I take control of my life. For myself. For my health. For my happiness.
I’m only 25. And I have a lot of life to live. It may be painful and medicated. But it’s my life.
The past 7 hours
Have been challenging.
When I found out my diagnosis, I sat in a parking lot and cried for 30 minutes. That was fun.
Ever since then, I’ve been battling to get an appointment with the referred rheumatoid arthritis specialist.
The “new patient coordinator” has yet to call me back to set up an appointment. Seven hours later.
And apparently the first visit is a thorough physical, tests, etc. with a nurse practitioner. Then they automatically schedule you for an appointment with the doctor — six weeks later — to review your condition.
I understand that an arthritis medical group is establishing long-term patient relationships. But I have lab work done and my doctor wants me to start treatment immediately. If I have to abide by these lovely imposed timeframes, I may not actually see a doctor and receive treatment (and peace of mind) until JUNE.
Is this a cruel joke? I am going to go mad before then. Not to mention the whole pain part…
