Dealing with It
Following up from my last blog post, I was able to see a rheumatologist. The first doctor my GP recommended couldn’t give me an appointment until November. I thought that was silly. I was seeing the GP in October. I wanted to have some insights then, not still be in mystery. I asked for a second recommendation. The second recommendation was able to see me that week! So off I went.
Before I visited the doctor, I wanted to be armed with all of the information about my body. I had journaled all of my aches and pains, when they were happening and how often. I also documented my loss of stamina and tiredness. Additionally, I had prepared myself for the visit with a script of other items. What would I say if the doctor wanted to weigh me? “Why do you need to weigh me? What does my weight have to do with my symptoms?” I had prepared for if the doctor asked me if I ate sugar. “What does sugar have to do with pain in my body? Would you ask someone with a BMI of 24 if they ate sugar?”
While this second rheumatologist had a website, and that website was slick and impressive (it’s all about internet impressions right?), his office was sparse and quiet. It was just the outer visiting area and receptionist desk and the inner office of the doctor. There didn’t even seem to be a nurse on staff. My pulse and temperature were taken by the receptionist. My blood pressure and weight were not taken (score!).
When I went into the doctor’s inner office, he was finishing up paperwork from another patient. I scanned the walls and discovered an undergraduate degree from Rollins College. “Rollins College in Orlando?” I asked. Sure enough that was it. He asked how I knew about Rollins College. We chatted about Florida. He went to school on a soccer scholarship. I asked him if he watched the now famous soccer comedy series “Ted Lasso.” He didn’t know about “Ted Lasso.” What?
He asked me about my pain. Where was it the most painful? How often did I feel it? He asked about my daily activities and how those were being hampered. He asked about other symptoms that I didn’t have. Waking up stiff, rashes on my body, numbness in different places, these were not my symptoms. He had me touch my toes. He had me show him movements that hurt. He said he was pretty sure he knew what was wrong. He poked me in a few spots to see what hurt. He had me make different movements. Finally he announced, “I know what is wrong. You have sciatica.” I sighed; I wasn’t new to sciatica. Back in 2012, I herniated a disc in my lower left back. As a result, the disc sat on my sciatic nerve for 6 months. Besides the unbearable back pain, there was searing pain intermingled with numbness in my left leg. It seemed that this issue was back. Compared to 9 years ago, the pain seems less offensive. I told him so. He told me the issue might not be as severe this time. Then he told me it was good that I showed up when I did. If I had waited, I might have done permanent damage to the sciatic nerve. Hopefully I didn’t do permanent damage this time.
The doctor put me on a 6-day prescription of prednisone. I would take 6 on day 1, 5 on day 2, 4 on day 3, and so on. He told me that 70% of his patients are cured after this 6-day regimen. 6 days of taking a pill and then I’m cured? This treatment was a miracle! I was so excited. That is if I could be part of the 70%. “What happens if I’m not cured?” I asked. Then I would have to go for an MRI. Based on the results of the MRI, I could expect to receive cortisone injections. I took an even bigger sigh. I told him that cortisone injections were a fail for me. 9 years ago, I had to go through these failure injections and wait 6 months before I could have pain-reducing surgery. He told me, “Well, you don’t have to go through that again if you don’t want to. You have a choice.” I was floored. A choice! This doctor was going to let me have autonomy over how they were going to treat my body. I was thrilled.
The sciatica didn’t explain why I am always tired however. That was still a mystery. The doctor explained that he didn’t think the inflammation levels were significant enough to be something more serious. He also said I didn’t have the symptoms for other illnesses such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
I’ve been talking with friends, and they have given suggestions on what might be causing the fatigue. Some say it could be a side effect of my blood pressure medication that I started in January. Some say it could be my body fighting the pain of the sciatica.
Some have recommended diet changes to help reduce the inflammation, such as giving up dairy. This recommendation scares me. I spent 40+ years restricting my diet. I’ve just reclaimed my body’s freedom to choose. Do I want to give that up again?
In the past, my restriction was about changing the shape of my body and trying to make it something it is not. Removing dairy would be about getting rid of pain. But cheese, that’s my favorite food group (what do you mean cheese isn’t a food group?). You want me to get rid of cheese? Have you looked in my refrigerator? There’s Jarlsberg, cave-aged Cheddar, a white Stilton with lemon, and a truffle cheese. Plus this month at Whole Foods is the Goudapalooza! How can I not get some Gouda?
I noticed how nervous I became thinking about a life without cheese. Can I take some more of the prednisone? Oh and what about ice cream? That One Guy (TOG) and I have filled our relationship with visits to pizza parlors and milkshake stands. What will we do if I get rid of dairy?
I can’t help but wonder if my thoughts around removing dairy from my diet would be different if I hadn’t been a dieter for so long. If I hadn’t put moral values on foods as “good” or “bad” would it be easier to get rid of cheese? Maybe my pain isn’t great enough to let the cheese go. Maybe I could try it out, starting with “dairy free day” once or twice a week and then move on to more regularly. Maybe the 6 day regimen of prednisone will work out and I’ll never have to make this decision….
