Wow, time really flies! I just looked at my last post and it’s dated May 26th. I didn’t think I’d been off the blog that long. So, gosh, what’s been going on with me?

Well, I started dating someone, and we’re about 4 months in, now. Things are going very well, and I’m very happy. At the same time, I hadn’t been feeling very well and dreaded going to the doctor, especially now that I don’t have health insurance, anymore. I kept putting off going to the doctor hoping I would get better. I never did, so I broke down and made an appointment.

As far as I know, the lupus is still in remission. But, I also have Fibromyalgia, which is the culprit this time. It’s weird in that most people with lupus also have “fibro”, but most people with fibro don’t have lupus. I don’t know how that works, but it turns out that I was feeling bad because I was having a pretty bad fibro flare. My muscles were really tight all over, and as if that wasn’t enough, all the tendons and soft tissues around my joints (both shoulders, both elbows, both knees, both hands, both ankles, both hips, and my neck) were inflamed, which made them super sore and stiff. And, I had been like that since about March, getting progressively worse, before I finally couldn’t take it anymore.

I was put back on prednisone for a month long high dosage taper, and prescribed a muscle relaxant and a pain reliever. I felt a lot better within 24 hours, and dramatically better within 48 hours. At 72 hours in (3 days), I literally felt like I had a new lease on life. I felt so good! Then I had a very sobering thought… I realized that I had forgotten what it felt like to feel good. Isn’t that a shame? Then, I had another sobering thought: I might be one of the people who can never fully come off of their meds. What made me think of that was when I told my primary care doctor that my (former) rheumatologists had taken me off all meds related to lupus or fibro, he dead-panned that that might be the reason why I was feeling so bad.

And, y’all, when I say I was feeling bad, I mean I was feeling bad. I scared the poor medical assistant so badly when she put the rubber tourniquet around my arm to draw blood! I hollered, and I couldn’t help it. One of the places I was having severe pain and soreness was in both my elbows. The med assistant tied the tourniquet right around the most tender part of my upper arm, and I was hollering before I could catch myself. End result? A nervous med assistant and the doctor taking the blood samples, himself. He had to put the tourniquet farther up my arm, and it was somewhat of an ordeal to get any blood out of me.

I still feel a lot better than I did, but my body has now adjusted to the prednisone and other meds, so my activity rate is slowing back down to normal. But, I tell ya, those first few days were AWESOME!! So, that’s pretty much been what’s going on with me, and why I haven’t been blogging much. I wasn’t feeling well, and so wasn’t doing anything, and so had nothing to talk about.

Yeah, I got some camera lenses during this time, but I couldn’t really use them since I really wasn’t up to doing too much, physically. But, since I knew there was going to come a time when I would be using them, I bought them anyway. Before I go any further, I just have to say that my boyfriend has been wonderful with all of this. I know he’s nervous about the lupus, fibro, and other issues, but he’s not letting “what if’s” scare him away. He’s the real deal, and I’m glad I met him, and I’m glad he’s a part of my life.

Well, that’s it for the update. Stay tuned for some fireworks pics I took this weekend at the city of Morrow’s annual SummerFest on the Green.

I haven’t gone anywhere, you guys. I created some videos, and a screencast, but the crazy weather has had me at best, very uncomfortable. So, the last few weeks I’ve slowed down considerably, especially since I’m trying not to take a Tramadol every time my arthritis or fibro pain flares up. I don’t like the way it makes me feel, but, you know, sometimes Aleve can’t bring the kind of relief I need. I hate all this cold, wet weather!

Just bear with me, guys. Thanks.

It’s 3:50 AM. I am awake. Damn.

The culprits? My shoulders. I tossed and turned for awhile trying to ignore their soreness, but I’m a side sleeper so it was a losing battle. So, I finally got up and massaged Icy Hot into both of them and put a heating pad on one. When I laid back down it was 3 AM on the dot. At 3:45 I gave up trying to get back to sleep and got up.

I went to the grocery store today and had to lift a few bags, some of which were kind of heavy. I think the up/down and side/side movement I had to do to load and unload the bags is the reason they were hurting. As usual, my right shoulder hurt the worst. My primary care doctor back home (before I moved here) said I needed physical therapy. I never followed up on that, but I think I need to.

Well, I’ve been up for 1.5 hours and I’m still not sleepy. I think I’m going to try to find some tutorials on how to create an introduction for my videos. I have Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum. The easiest method and program wins.