barbaraburns.com

I was looking for something else entirely when I ran across this article about coffee drinkers being much more susceptible to developing rheumatoid arthritis … guess I need to quit drinking 4 plus cups of coffee daily and drink a lot more water … I wonder what diseases water causes? BUT … my rheumatoid factor jumped a great deal over the last 6 months or so … and my inflammation and resulting pain increased a great deal too … maybe giving up coffee is the next step in my health plan? I have been smoke free from cigarettes now for 7 weeks … I told my daughter and grandson last nite it seems really weird not to be smoking … she told me that I would adjust … and that she has already adjusted to me not smoking … my grandson agreed that he too has adjusted to me not smoking LOL

For those wanting to read the coffee article:
Coffee May Be Linked To Rheumatoid Arthritis

Center For The Advancement Of Health (2000, July 27). Coffee May Be Linked To Rheumatoid Arthritis. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 19, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2000/07/000727080902.htm

Anyone who has any kind of arthritis knows it is not much fun. I think I am having a rocket to the stars upward bound of worsening condition at the moment … yesterday … I felt like I had rolls of sausages with teeny tiny razor blades lodged all over in my chest, ribs and back .. yes it hurt to breathe … still does but not as much today … the doctor gave me really scary drugs for short term usage to help reduce the inflammation - some kind of steroids - those kill people much quicker … [I quit smoking to take drugs that will kill me quickly? ... hmmm]

… and there are more to come in the near future .. there is no cure … there is just trying to aggressively beat it into remission or stop it from getting worse … the plan is first to take a very strong vitamin [folic acid] to prepare for taking the first dose of medicine on Saturday nite [methotrexate] … I get to take 6 of those at a time on Saturday nite … every Saturday nite … I remember when Sat nite was date nite all those years ago when I was young … now I have a date with a cancer drug that is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis on Saturday nites. Good thing I have a bunch of hair so some of it falling out faster might be a real blessing! My hair is incredibly thick for being such fine strand stuff - it looks all wispy and thin but thin it is not … though maybe it is going to get that way?

I go back to the Rheumatologist doctor in a month … then we will add another drug … not for sure which one .. we’ll see when it gets in the Walgreens bag to come home with me to join the pill bottle parade.

I think I would rather have a pillbox hat collection