Saw my rheumatologist today, and she discontinued my current meds (doing nothing) in favor of a methotrexate-like drug, Arava. We discussed using Humira or another injectable, but since all of those drugs suppress the immune system, they're generally contraindicated for cancer patients.
I braced myself for a high pricetag, but I called my pharmacy and found out that there is a generic, so at least I won't be spending a fortune on it. Will it work? I dunno. I'm seriously considering going back on the Minocycline if this one does nothing. I need something, because I've been dealing with too much background pain lately. It's tiring and it makes me grumpy.
In other news, I went for a series of cervical spine x-rays to check out the pain/tingling/numbness in my left arm; the doc suspects a pinched nerve. I'm wondering if that lump will show up on any of the films. My pre-op x-ray in October of last year showed "degenerative disc disease at C4-5 manifested by disc space narrowing with the presence of spur formation," so it's not as if nothing's going on in there.
Still, I'd like to think that my current troubles are shoulder-related rather than neck-related. It hurts. I can easily imagine it getting worse, but I can also imagine it getting better and going away. That would be nice, as opposed to my recent health developments which have all been horrid things that come and never leave. (Well, the sinus infection is down to a minimal post nasal drip, these days, so I suppose I shouldn't complain.)
The rheumatologist didn't like the look of that lump, either. She did another exam and didn't feel any other lymph nodes, so I suppose that's a good thing, too. Now I get to hang around for a few days until I hear from the doc what I should do next. I've been in that state so often you'd think that I'd be used to it, but I'm not, and I don't know that I ever could be.
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