Tags

, ,


One of the definitions of “punctuate” is, “to interrupt at intervals.” I’ve decided I’ve been punctuated by RA. Sometimes it’s a comma (a pause), sometimes it’s a dash or parenthesis (setting off part of my life), but most of the time it’s a whole list of punctuation. You know, the #!%*!(&!.

So the latest punctuation comes in the form of actually breaking down and scheduling my knee surgery for the end of March. I don’t know that I’m particularly happy, but attempts at walking more than 20 minutes don’t end well, so I have to do something. My husband has been encouraging me to have the surgery I guess because he’s one person who sees how much my knee really bothers me.

If I have to look for rays of sunshine in this mess, there are a few. First, I go for my annual physical a week or so before surgery so I can just get all my labs, X-Rays, EKG, etc. done once with my PCP. That means that I don’t have to take off work and get stuck all over again. Second, I’m having the procedure done in an all-new surgical hospital. I’ve been to the other hospital more times that I want to count and I feel comfortable there — but there’s something about new facilities with all the amenities that make you feel better. And finally, my boss is being really super about the whole situation — considering that I’ve been off work already a week for my stepmother’s funeral and I’ll be off in May for the vacation.

As for the downside. Well, it’s surgery. And another thing — it’s surgery. Finally, I guess I ought to point out that it’s surgery. Surgery — even orthroscopic surgery — carries risk and stresses your body. Not something that you want to take lightly. (As I always say, “Minor surgery is something that happens to someone else.”)

Okay, beyond the fact that it’s surgery, I’ve just started on Orencia and in a couple of weeks I have to get off of it because I’m having (you guessed it) surgery. I don’t know what this will do to the whole building Orencia up in my system situation. I go see my rheumatologist in a couple of weeks and we’ll talk about it then.

And speaking of being punctured (or was that punctuation?), day after tomorrow, I go for my first labs after starting Orencia. I also get the “deep” steroid shot in my shoulder and it’s also the night I take my Orencia injection. I’m going to feel like a blooming pin cushion before the day is over.  (Insert punctuation here: #!%*!(&!.)

I am keeping up my workouts — I figure the better shape I’m in, the better the surgery will go. Doing the pool exercises isn’t as hard on me as the ones in the gym, so I may just stay in the water until after the surgery.

So that’s all I have to report at the moment. I hope the thing that punctuates your day is a :-) . Thanks for checking in.