Arthritis Mom

At my rheumatologist appointment several months ago I was happy to report I was back on methotrexate and I was ready to start weaning off prednisone. I was down to taking 5 mg daily at that point and was told I could drop to 4 mg daily. I know it takes a while, the only other time I've weaned off prednisone the entire process took 9 months. I was prepared for the long haul. With osteopenia caused from my first lengthy use of prednisone, I was ready to be on my way.

I had been faithfully taking my 4 mgs along with my other daily, weekly and biweekly doses of RA medicines when my recent flare hit. It took a break for my trip last weekend but showed up in full force the day of my regularly scheduled rheumatologist appointment a few days ago (that was nice, usually Murphy's Law dictates symptoms disappear right before the doctor appointment). I figured I was in for a cortisone shot and I was right. Woohoo! They sting but they sure are effective!

Unfortunately the other recommendation was to take 10 mgs of prednisone for one week to knock the socks of this flare, then go back to 5 mgs daily. Ugh. One step forward and two steps back, not exactly how the saying is supposed to go. I keep reminding myself this is short-term, rid yourself of the flare and then worry about prednisone intake.

It's such a love/hate relationship with the medications. I used to be one of those people who never took medications. If I had a headache, I would lie down and rest, drink water and wait for it to go away. If I had a cold, I stayed hydrated and ate well and let it pass. In hindsight, I'd say I was proud of my immune system and trusted it to work properly.

Not any more. Today I wake up every day and take motrin, prednisone, calcium to combat side effects of prednisone and a prescription strength folic acid tablet to combat side effects of methotrexate. During the day I take more Motrin and calcium. Once a week I take methotrexate and biweekly I inject Humira. There are advantages. Last Saturday I was able to impress the younger children by holding 11 tablets in my hand (6 methotrexate, 2 prednisone, 2 motrin and 1 calcium) and swallowing them in one gulp.

I know I'm lucky. The drugs work for me. They let me be myself and face the world and care for my children. I know what it means to not have that, I watched my mom struggle for years taking asprin and a serious of horribly ineffective and sometimes damaging treatments before more effective treatments were available. But I still hate that I have to take all these medications. I love them for what they do, and I hate that I need them.