DAY OF DOCTORS

 What a day!  Or what another day!  I had a doctor's appointment first thing.  Well, that's not true.  I called the veterinarians office first thing to see if they had a cancellation.  They did!  Then I had a video appointment with my primary doc.  He agreed with me that I need to change RA doctors.  My current guy is not aggressive enough: telling me I only need to see him once a year, telling me that it would be hard to change medications because there weren't meds I could take, telling me to go outside maskless during the Delta surge and not understanding that I need someone who will not just wait for things to happen. So I now need to find a new doctor in the middle of Covid.  

Then we discussed how my Orencia is not working.  He explained that the medication may have been working fine until I went off for the Covid shot.  The Orencia suppresses my immune system.  Then I got the two Covid shots which basically stimulate my immune system but since I am not taking anything to suppress it, my body goes haywire.  Then eight weeks later I go back on the Orencia and the Orencia is no longer able to suppress my immune system.  It is no longer working.  I have given it since 4/24 to work and it hasn't so I think it is time to chuck it in and figure out another plan.  That plan is not long term steroids.  I just refuse.  I will take the pain rather than go back on high doses of steroids for long term.  Okay, I say that now.  I may change my mind if things get really bad but I am not there yet.  

I don't think I will go back on the Orencia next week as planned.  I only have one shot left so this would be a good time to change to another drug.  It will take 1-2 months to get on another drug because The-Insurance-Company-Who-Will-Not-Be-Named is a pain in my behind.  There has to be prescriptions and authorizations and appeals and appeals of the appeals.  You would think I was trying to take Heroin on the health plan.  They will want me to go back on Enbrel or Humira.  I have to explain that one bout of Meningitis is enough in a lifetime.  All this to say it is a long process and the doctor has to be up to the fight.  Last time I had to get on the phone and advocate for myself with the insurance company.

The Primary doc and I discussed other things including my issue with my neck and arm from my fall back in 12/2019 pre-Covid.  But that will have to wait until things get better with Covid for me to deal with.  I just wanted to make sure I was not doing permanent damage since I am getting tingling down my arm.  He said not to worry.

Then I took Lucky to the vet to get her checked out.  She has soft tissue damage to her leg/foot.  They aren't sure because as soon as we walked up she ceased to limp and acted perfectly fine.  Then the minute she got home began limping again.  Maybe it is a cry for attention, I don't know.  They gave me drugs to keep her immobile and said to keep her home tomorrow.  I am to see how she is over the weekend and I have an appointment I already scheduled for Monday.  If she is fine I will cancel and if not I will bring her back.  She is sound asleep now but was limping earlier.  It is like my car when I bring it to the shop, it never makes that noise in the shop.

Then I went to the dentist to get my temp crown replaced.  It ended up being more complicated.  I have had a lot of pain in my mouth for the last few weeks.  She did x-rays (do you know x-rays do not show cracks in your teeth?) and poked around.  Here is the latest diagnosis: Stop gritting and grinding my teeth.  Well, that's not going to happen.  She put the permanent crown on.  She tested the crown she put on last time and adjusted it since it was causing me pain.  She thinks it was taking a lot of the weight since the temporary didn't take any and it was not adjusted right.  She checked my other crown that I thought was feeling funny, it is not loose.  I have a tooth that is sensitive and will most likely need a root canal down the road since I keep grinding on it.  It has a bit of infection.  All the teeth that I spoke of have inflammation and she wonders if it is because of my RA and that is why my teeth are hurting me.  Interesting theory.  I am going to ask my doctor.  I am to contact her in a week to give an update.  Then in a few weeks we are going to adjust my bite.  With all these crowns and grinding my bite has gotten screwed up which also is hard on my teeth.  

There you go.  My day of doctors.  

Until tomorrow...