Autoimmune systems
No one actually realises how hard life can be living with an auto immune system.
My daughter has come down with chicken pox this week – luckily she’s only 2 1/2 so doesn’t quite understand what is wrong with her. But it is frustrating when your trying to work out how to help ease the pain and itching.
With her having chicken pox it did result in contacting my GPS regarding myself being in such close contact with her. The result of what I should do was what I thought it would be – No methotrexate for 3 weeks!
This is the first time in 18months that I have gone without taking methotrexate so will be interesting to see how my body behaves without it. The good thing is though off work for 10 days which if I do have a flare will be at home for most of it.
When you have an auto immune system due to the medication you and take for your condition people don’t realise how much it effects you physically and mentally . Your always cautious being around people who are unwell as you do not want to catch what they have as you know you will be worse with it.
Just smile at everything.
Well it’s been a few weeks since my last post and the yo yo effect has been on permanently lately. One minute I am feeling fine like nothing can stop me and the next minute I am a complete emotional wreck which is not caused by anything in particular.
I did share on my Facebook page the other day and article that came up on my main Facebook timeliness in regards to working with a form of arthritis. It is based around people in a working environment living with an arthritis condition. I work 4 x 10 hour shifts a week then have 3 days off in between so I have adequate rest in between shifts plus I inject medication on my first day off so if I am not feeling 100% I know I have the recovery time in between shifts.
A frequent question I do get asked by people is “how do you manage it? Working full time plus being a full time mum to a toddler.” The answer is I have to! If I let myself get really down about my illness it will just drag everything else down with me. I’m not the sort of person who gives up very easily on things if I feel absolute rubbish and I know I should be resting, most of the time I am constantly pushing myself to get things done when I know in the long run its going to make me worse.
Yes life needs to stop and slow down when you know deep down you are going to regret doing something the next day but deep in my head I know I push myself for my family. I want to make sure my little one has everything she’ll need growing up and that we have quality family time together when we can.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39043187
Happy Wednesday Everyone xx
Domino Effect
Well living a daily battle with a chronic illness has its up and down plus it also has a Domino effect of the rest of your body.
My psoriatic arthritis was the start of my illness which lead to years of suffering thinking it was my work environment that was causing my skin to be broken and sore constantly, along with my feet aching all the time due to my shift pattern. But once you hit braking point and come to the conclusion enough is enough you want that second opinion along with the feeling of someone telling you, you are not going mad there is an underlying problem causing all of this. It seems a weight has been lifted off your shoulders 😊
Today was the day I had to see a consultant regarding stomach issues I have noticed I have been having a while but they have gotten worse lately. Although it has made me feel the appointment was useless because we didn’t really get any answers from the doctor. It has made me feel that I am not going mad thinking there is not a problem it’s just all in my head. I actually might be suffering from another condition.
It does make you feel that you battle one issue and get it under control, then all of a sudden your thrown a curve ball which adds a whole new chapter for you to battle with. That is one thing with a chronic illness it will always be a never ending story.
When ever I sit here and write one of my posts I am always searching the Internet for quotes that I know I can always relate to.
Daily struggles
The image below sums up how I feel when during a flare up and my little girl wants me to play with her, pick her up from cuddles and just generally spend time with her. When you have a chronic illness it is hard to ensure you are there for that little person who depends on no matter what time of the day.
I am blessed to have a husband who is so understanding with my psoriatic arthritis. He does try to get our little girl to go to himy for cuddles etc but we all know deep down sometimes it is just a mothers love our child craves.
Living with a chronic illness
Well another night spent reading up on articles on the Internet. Articles I do come across about living with a chronic illness, how others explain the daily living and feelings experienced do hit home and make me realise that it’s how I feel when on a roller coaster day. The article below I have just come across now and it hits the nail on the head in regards to how a person feels with Psoriatic Arthritis.
Winter illness
This time of the year is the hardest on people like myself with a chronic illness which in turn has resulted in an auto immune system.
As previously put in another post I spent all christmas day and joking day I bed due to flu. After a few weeks thinking I was OK last week I came down with a coldifferent, great another bug to fight was my first thought.
But it all changed after my regular 4 week blood work on Wednesday when my drs surgery rung Friday morning demanding that I come in that afternoon due to the results. This is the first time in 18months I have ever been called in regarding my blood work.
To cut a long story short what I thought was a common cold has resulted to actually having a chest infection. White blood cells, platelets and liver function higher that what they should be showed that I was not battling a common cold.
It is hard constantly battling winter bugs along with the soreness, aching and inflammation of body joints during these cold winter months.
Round and round
Well this winter bug does not seem to want to go away. Had over Christmas day and boxing day now it has come back with a vengeanc . That’s the one problem with an auto immune system you think that you have conquered any bug you get but deep down it lingers inside you until it’s ready to come back and drag you down.
The last few months I have been trying hard to change my diet and increase exercise to help me lose weight so that my joints are not put under so much pressure along with my body being healthier to fight off any bugs I catch. Changing the way you eat is hard for anyone as you know you would love to have food you love all the times but you also know that it isn’t always the right choice.
I use to have 2 to 3 slices of toast when I would do a fry up but after seeing online someone doing “Sweet Potato toast” i gave it a try. I do have to say even though it does take a while to do it is worth it. I use to feel terribly bloated after eating bread but having stopped for sweet potato I feel more comfortable after this sort of meal.
New Year
Well Happy New Year everyone. Sorry this has not been on sooner but during the Christmas period I was struck down with a horrible bug that resulted in being bed bound from Christmas day to the day after boxing day – not the nicest thing to have when you have a very active 2 year old around and you cannot enjoy the time with her and other family members. I have to give credit though to my husband who is always my rock in everything and understands when I’m not feeling on track it is harder for me to do daily tasks.
The other day I read an interesting article about psoriatic arthritis, I shared it on my Facebook which then resulted in my husband reading it and he commented on it being very interesting. It is true some people do not realise the daily struggles a sufferer in tails when living with a chronic illness that can flare up with no notice.
Festive holidays on a flare up
Well Christmas is literally just around the corner now 8 sleeps until Christmas day.
It is lovely now to enjoy the run up to Christmas with my little girl getting older. Seeing her little face light up when we were doing the Christmas tree the other night made me well up as her and my husband are the reason I take each day as it comes.
Even though each day I am battling my illness I still have ocd when it comes to the organisation of christmas:- gifts bought and wrapped by 2nd week of December, meat order with butcher done first week of the month then the decorations up during the 2nd week of December. Having the illness I have things have to be done when I am on a good day otherwise I am solely dependant on my husband to do it all plus look after our2 year old.
Yes having a flare up gets me down and yes my sleep is disrupted along with feeling like I dont have the energy to physically do anything but slouch on the sofa and vegitat all day long. But deep down I look at my little girl and it all makes my feeling crap day change. She needs me to be on top form no matter how I am feeling, at this moment in time she is too young to understand when mummy is not very good she is unable to play or do specific things with her. She doesn’t understand that simple things hurt mummy and the fact that if she wants to get up on the sofa she has to help her self and climb on by herself.
Deep down one day she will understand that mummy has an illness that will never go away but can be controlled by medication along with taking some days as rest days.
The image above is so true for anyone suffering like myself over this festive period xx