June 14, 2026 Sunday

Greetings!

I wasn't feeling all that great lately.  Went to see the R-doc (rheumatologist) on Wednesday.  Told her the low dose steroids had been messing with my sleep but that was just annoying.  The swelling in my hand goes up and down depending on how much I use it.  So basically all was going okay.  Dr. Goering believes what I have is seronegative rheumatoid arthritis.  Basically acts like RA but doesn't show up in the bloodwork.  She wanted me to start on a weekly dose of methotrexin which is commonly used with autoimmune diseases.  Takes 4-6 weeks to kick in apparently.  I would stay on the steroid in the meantime.  I need bloodwork done regularly because this methotrexin can mess with your kidneys, etc.  The dosage of the methotrexin can be increased slowly...or decreased.   So I will be seeing her regularly.

I have to go in to have bloodwork done before her visits.  I go to the lab July 10th and then I have a visit with her on the 15th.  It will be my very first virtual visit!  Leah is going to be here and help me figure out how that is done.  Have any of you had virtual doctor visits?  Sounds great to me! 

I spoke too soon about things going okay with the steroids.  There was a reason I was feeling off.  During the night Thursday night--rash again!  Not the blood red rash and not as large an area, but dark pink with blisters.  And by Friday cramping and diarrhea.  So no more steroids for me.  Even the tiny dose I reacted to eventually.  *sigh*  I really, really hope I don't react to the methotrexin and that it can help with the inflammation and swelling.  Time will tell, eh?

Allie hopes I get to feeling better, too.  :)

I did manage to change to a spring-like shower curtain. 

I have been forgetting even after they were finally located.  I will have to add them into my bullet journal's to-do lists, I guess.  Not sure why I have been forgetting.  Maybe because I am still not actually moved in so it doesn't feel like home-home yet.  

Still having photo issues, but they show up on my laptop eventually.  I should have Leah look at it when they come down today to hang the wall shelves.  Side effects are subsiding and I'm catching up on my sleep.  (R-doc said this new med could make me tired.)  

Wild Card:

I have had so very many!  From small to really big ones.  I am always calling them the silver linings.  I'd say from just disappointing to traumatic experiences have ended up being blessings in disguise.  

I have written before on this topic if you're interested.  These were just taken out of blog posts I wrote years ago.

Rape and Love

Positives and Hidden Blessings

Note: in this second one I briefly refer to Dagan ad Leah's first house they were having built where they got scammed by the company that wasn't doing the best job in the first place and disappeared when the house was half done.  Long story, but it got resolved--whew!  And they later had this house built that I am also living in now.  Happy ending.

Let me know if the links work okay.

This coming week I am finally going to turn in my expired driver's license and get a North Dakota ID card on Wednesday.  Other than that, I hope to be feeling better and be busy sorting things in the studio!  Oh, and hopefully have more pictures to show you, too.  Till next week, my friends.  :)