On the right road....I hope!

I can hardly believe it is the 9th of August already. It's almost a month since my last blog post and many things have changed. Before I get to that, however, I want to tell you all how much I have appreciated your comments and personal emails over the past month. Your words of comfort and support were overwhelming to me at a time when I was in so much discomfort and despair. Many have shared your own health histories....some have been very similar to mine and others, much more serious. Reading those notes assured me that I was not losing my mind and that my pain was real....I just needed to keep asking questions and seeking help to find answers. My family has been loving and supportive, of course, and I never would have been able to get through those days of pain and fear without David, who was a constant reminder of the steadfastness of God's love and mercy. But it is you, dear blogging friends, who reached out and offered words of kindness to me, someone you've never met personally. I was so humbled by those gestures. Random Acts of Kindness took on many forms in cards, gifts and notes. Most importantly, thank you for praying for me and keeping me in your thoughts. Words could never adequately express my appreciation for all you have done.
So what has changed? I was finally able to schedule an appointment to see a Rheumatologist in July. She went over all of my lab results and determined, by process of elimination, that what I have is a condition called Polymyalgia Rheumatica. I am not a textbook case for this illness. It is inflammation of the soft tissues surrounding the joints and normally starts in the shoulders and hips. My pain was primarily in my chest, shoulders and neck. The key to the diagnosis was found in my blood work. (Those who are familiar with such things...my sed rate was 95 and my CRP was 49.5) The treatment for Polymyalgia is steroids (Prednisone). Three weeks ago I started my steroid regimen. Within just a few days, the pain in my chest started to subside and within a week I was able to sleep lying down for the first time in weeks and weeks. I was so grateful for the relief that the medication brought but, if you've ever been on Prednisone for any length of time, you know that there are lots of side-effects. Initially, I couldn't sleep for more than 4 or 5 hours. Over the course of a week or so, that sleep deprivation makes functioning on a productive level nearly impossible. I am starting to adjust to the drugs  and for the first time can say that I feel more like myself than I have since May. It is not clear how long I will be on the steroids.....probably 9 months-2 years, it will depend on how my blood work looks in the next months.
Now that I have been feeling better, my desire to work in my studio is returning. I have been puttering with some new projects and finally finshed up the Vintage Vacation Swap that was hosted by Jenny Heid. I was late in sending out my package to my swap partner, Karen, but she has been very understanding of my situation. We were to send along some vintage or thrifted vacation themed items, something handmade and some interesting summer food treats.  Karen and her family live in Delaware and often take day trips to Rehoboth Beach (my favorite beach location) so I made a little accordian travel album to put favorite pictures in....

I  mapped out some additional points of interest and included small maps with the routes to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Ocean City, Maryland, in addition to Rehoboth Beach..

a travel Bingo game for the journey...

and some old time candies for snacking...

Karen also likes to sew and do paper crafting so I wrapped up some "Staycation" goodies....

Cupcakes are a favorite  for Karen so I included some supplies with that theme and also a little journal decorated with an image designed by our swap hostess, Jenny.

Hopefully, I am on the right road and it is back to life as usual for me.

 Now, I have to catch up on your blogs and see what you've been up to over the summer.

Here's to happier times!

xoxo

Joyce