Health is Important

Lets chat about health.  Physical, mental, and, with your insides. As long as I can remember, I would get this icky feeling upon me. I felt this when I was young, Id complain, but was told that I played soccer too hard, or played softball, so that is what it was from. (according to my parents)  Sometimes it would sneak up on me, id feel worse as the night went on.  Id feel stiff and my body would just ache.  Id have a dull headache, my tummy would cramp, my anxiety was horrible, like i could climb the walls.  Id get hot and cold flashes.  Id feel, "tough" as my mom would say she would feel too sometimes.  She would say she would feel the same way.  And her mom too had the same symptoms, I later would find out. Mom said Grandma would sit there and just sweat, like dripping sweat.  She would sit down in front of a fan till the, "hot flash" would go away.   When it would happen when i lived alone in a little place called Sutliff. I drank a lot, so I just blamed it on the alcohol.  It  passed for some years,  I didn't really feel it till I was in my early 40s.  The first time it hit me again, it felt like i had hit a brick wall.  I was down.  I woke up around 3 am, just soaked.  I went to the bathroom to change my clothes, and i could literally ring out my pj's.  For almost a week i was on my chair, trying to get better.  I couldn't eat anything, so i would eat ice chips, or sip green tea, anything i ingested, sent me running to the bathroom.  Head hurt, body just ached, Hot then cold, sweating, hot then cold, my tummy felt weird, horrible anxiety.  This went on like once a month for about a year.  I thought it was menopause.  And to be honest, I was fine with that.  My Dr did too.  We did some blood work, and it showed i was on the cusp of starting menopause.  I really started to think about what else it could be.  It had to be something i was ingesting. I drank pop during the day, and green tea with ginseng and honey.  I did a breath test for glucose, passed that.  And then I did another breath test for High Fructose Corn Syrup.  I responded to that test quite well.   So, there was my diagnosis.  And I was upset.  I loved Dr Pepper.  I loved my green tea with ginseng and honey.  So now I had to cut all that out.  We think that I was ingesting it to the point it was building up, and then  it got to the point where my body couldn't handle it, Bam, Bitch you're down.  I cut the pop, and Tea.  I started to drink just water, and slowly started to bring stuff back into my diet.  But, who would have thought that a  Intolerance to High Fructose Corn Syrup would be what was making me sick.  Really Sick.  I actually feel a little better just drinking water!  
I also have an autoimmune condition, called, Adult Onset Still's Disease.   Its a Rare, severe, form of Rheumatoid Arthritis.  I was diagnosed with this when I was just about to turn 21.  With this I also have a stiff joints, my whole body feels like a big charlie horse. My Blood work was all wonky, especially my WBC count was really High. In fact they thought i had leukemia, and i was sent to see an oncologist.  Id have a low grade fever, a salmon colored itchy rash,  and my throat was sore too.  I remember when they were still trying to figure out what was wrong with me,  my Rheumy would grab students, or other Drs, to come look at my rash.  like i was the  huge Gem someone found.  I have been on prednisone since 1999.  Im on such a low dose now, im trying to get off of them.  I also do an infusion at home, Actemra. I just stick it in my leg.  My rheumy had a hunch that something else was wrong with me because of one blood test that was concerning to him.   He studied it and then knew what it was, Antisynthetase syndrome pl 7.   Huh?!  Yeah,  I had some studying to do too now. So,  with this now explained a lot.   So symptoms are inflammation of the muscles. (myositis, got that!)  Inflammation of several joints, (polyarthritis, which I have) Thickening and cracking of the skin, especially on the hands, (oh yes, my hands get so dry, and they crack open)  Raynaud phenomenon, where my fingers and toes go numb, turn white,  and ill have a prickly sensation especially when Its cold. So, when I say I do not feel good, one of those conditions have me down. I do not work, I cant work, I've heard the, "It must be nice to not work!"  yeah,  It. Really. Is.  I hate it. I loved to work, I've had some kick ass co-workers. Its awesome to have this so I can stay home. (😏 ) And then Ill hear, "oh my friend has arthritis in his knee and he does this and that!" well, good for your buddy, (👏👏) first of all, that is one joint,  what I have affects every single joint. And just because your buddy can do it, doesn't mean that I can. I've heard, "well if you get up and move around...." I've been called lazy before too. (😣😠) I wish that that "person" could have these conditions for a week and then talk to me.  Its frustrating.  And it hurt to hear such a thing, especially since it came from a loved one. I dont talk about it, or post about it, for attention.  Or for sympathy. 
I post for awareness.  So the next time you think it's nice to be able to,  be home all the time, please know I think it must be nice to be able to work.