Resolutions

I am not one for making resolutions because I am really good at breaking them, so I don't make them. I have changed my way of eating, hopefully, for the better. Since being home, I have been cooking more instead of take-out. Switching to more tea and water and laying off of the soda and junk food. My weakness is chips and chocolate and do find the time to sneak a few items into my diet for that. So far, my rheumatoid arthritis has generally improved. With the introduction of the Humira injection, my life has upgraded itself out of the stiffness category when I wake up in the morning. I am still on 2 prednisone/1folic acid/1 metaplex vitamin a day. Four methotrexate pills every Wednesday and the Humira shot is every other week. I'm thanking my lucky stars that I have not had any side affects from my medication. My certain markers or criteria that my RAtologist always looks for has significantly been reduced. I've gained back most of my weight from four months ago when I started my water and tea diet. I can still fit into my uniform, which I'm grateful for. I'm hoping that I can remember what I have to do at work and can fall in line with everyone else. That I will be strong enough to open airplane doors or tackle a terrorist should he get past me upon trying to audit me at the gates. To have the strength and spirit to accommodate the public should there be a melt down in weather situations and not be totally frazzled by the end of my day. I'm looking forward to seeing my co-workers and getting back into my working environment. Most of all, picking up enough hours without practically "killing" or exhausting myself to see a normal paycheck instead of the pittance that I've been receiving while on sick leave. I'm looking forward to the freedom of flying again as this time off has kept me road bound to the earth. The constant joy that I receive from my employment and my friends that keep me laughing in good and bad times. No resolutions, but I have an abundance of little things to be thankful for.
Happy New Years!

Remembering my mother

as an awe-inspiring, beautiful and sometimes fearsome woman as I look back on my sweet memories of her spirit. She passed away on this day in the year 2003 on the island of Oahu with my son and daughter by her side, crying, stroking her hair and kissing her head wishing that she were still here with us and letting her know how well loved she was and will always be. I couldn't wait to whisk her away from the stark coldness of the hospital, invading steeliness of her unfamiliar platform on which she silently drifted off to infinite sleep and the inaudible, unfriendly environment of her confines. Waiting for her on the island of Molokai is the fresh fragrant scent of the lush verdant mountains, the trade winds tenderly anticipating her spirit and the warm gentle lull of the ocean waiting with open arms for my mother's arrival.
Being the eldest, I was responsible to take care of her in a way that she has taken care of me all of my years. I had her cremated to be buried atop of her mother's grave on the island of Molokai. I was bringing her home. With my Uncle Ben carving an elaborate Urn made of the finest Hawaiian wood, she would be carried by the love of the families in this way to her birthplace. Friends and families gathered at the Mormon Church to wish her well and we drove the long red dusty road of Molokai to her final resting place. Gathering under the warmth of the hot sun and the tropical breeze bringing the scent of fresh Pikake and white Ginger flowers, scents that she loved, Bishop Keanini offered words of sympathy and strength to all in our own journey and to remember the life and times of my mother. With the braveness and soul of a ten year old, my son at that time asked me if he could lay his grandmother into the ground. I was speechless and offered an affirming nod of approval to him. With my daughter by my side holding me as if to keep me from falling, we watched as my son carefully picked his grandmother's urn up, walked steadily to her resting area and gently placed her into the belly of her mother. His small sullen face watching her as she was unhurriedly descending into her entombment and through his veins flowed her strength and life. She was proud of her grandson and granddaughters. As an offering, native flowers were buried with her to carry into her afterlife, the scent of her homeland. My cousin Lani strummed the ukulele and sang "Aloha Oe". Everyone sang in unison bidding farewell to a wonderful woman and mother. My memories are vivid today as if the event happened only a moment ago. The sun on my face, the tropical breeze dancing through my hair and the scent of flowers converged all around us making it a day to remember my mother. I think of her often around this time and the life that she has given me. I love you and miss you very much, mom.

Christmas day

and we have no signs of the Christmas spirit in our home. The artificial Christmas tree is still downstairs in it's box in storage, lights are still boxed up and ornaments are packed away. With only my son home with me and he being fourteen, he knows who Santa Clause is, the North Pole is a fact and that we are struggling for every last bit of money to hold onto this house. He knows that this will be a bleak Christmas as far as presents from his mother and can always hit up his father for that. He knows that he is well loved, he gets a scolding from me from time to time but in his heart, he know that I love him very much. His sister Pua sent him a B.I.G. blanket comforter which he loves because it's warm and "gangstah". Personally, I think Christmas is overrated and it makes us all go out and spend what we don't have to just be further in debt to credit card companies.
It is also the time of year in which my mother passed away several years ago and has left me empty during this time, missing her immensely. In my house, I watch T.V or movies all day, blog on my laptop, sell EBay stuff, talk to friends and co-workers and enjoy more of my quiet time thinking about my mother and father, my children, brother and sister. I think of better tomorrows and try not to worry because God does watch over us all and cares for us as much as he can, but we have to care first.

Annual Garbage Cleanup

which I receive once a year to overhaul my home and rid myself and family of unwanted items that cannot be taken by Goodwill. This year we had eleven bags of garbage and one lone bureau drawer which was infested with rat poop. Yes, we have a rat problem which my brother has layed out some rat poison to eradicate the little buggers. I don't care about the local animal rights activist and preserving our rat society and calling me a rat killer or creatures of the almighty, but when they're in your home causing a unholy mess and you're sick of seeing rat poop everywhere, then come and talk to me. The infestation has taken place in my daughters lower apartment and they seem to be everywhere. At least five of the bags contained clothes and blankets stained by the green poop, remnants of the poison leaving a trail everywhere they go. The bureau drawer was a Goodwill buy, infested and stained, with the green poop and had to go. The Daly City once a year that I'm allowed up to twelve bags no more than 60 pounds each and two large items. I was well within my limits. My families cleaning venture took us most of the weekend and up until 10:00pm. Exhausted and hungry, we decided to call it a day. With much more room and treasure finds for my EBay selling binge, there was room to breathe. In another week or two, we will go back and investigate to see if there are signs of rat poop or infestations. Rheumatoid arthritis or not, my life still has to go on because no one else will get it done.

Low energy

from my medication and I've slept until 9:00am. I took my HUMIRA injection yesterday at my doctor's office under the guidance of Jeanine, the office nurse. She started off by showing my exactly how to handle the Humira Pen, a long tubular pen like device with a needle on one end and a push button trigger on the other end. The needle is concealed by the tube and after I have iced an area of my upper thigh, I swab it with an alcohol swab, hold the pen, lightly, to the now sterile area and press the other end of the pen. I count to 10 seconds and feel a slight pinch. When the little yellow ball in the window of the pen shows, the medication has been fully dispensed. I take a little cotton ball and hold it in the area of the injection, but not too much pressure because that almost hurts more than the shot itself and put a bandaid over the cotton ball to stop any bleeding. With Jeanine's approving smile, she pats me on the shoulder and says, "Like a champ". Continuing on, she says that most men would rather come in for the one hour I V hook up than to administer the shot themselves. Yes, I was very brave under Jeanine's care. In two weeks under my own supervision, we'll see where my brave ability level will be then!

This has been one hell of a week. My TB test turned out to be negative and I'm cleared for the Humira shot which I picked up today at Walgreen's. I'll be going into to see Jenine tomorrow at my RAtologist office for the follow up injection and how to use the pen device. I'm currently mourning the loss of a good friend and am seeking refuge and comfort in this blog. My holidays will be very quiet with the exception of a few parties that I've been invited to from my good friends that I still have. I've just barely sent out my Christmas cards in time for the holiday rush and I don't see myself going to a mall anytime soon. My RAtologist thinks that I'll be able to go back to work in January of 2008. I'm very happy for that because I need to work. Don't get me wrong, but staying at home is wonderful but only if you can afford it. I just barely squeaked by. I tasked myself for the past three months and completed just about everything that I wanted to do. I want to get back to work! I want to start travelling! I want to start living! I want to not feel unwanted! I can only hope that next year will be a much better and improved one for me.

Doc meeting

went well. I'll be taking the next phase of the medication next week. I have to take a TB test to make sure that I don't have the TB virus because this next phase of my medication can bring it on if I house that virus. My RAtologist gave me three options to take the medicine, Humira. I can either have it administered in his office by IV and be hooked up for an hour, administer it myself or come in for a weekly injection. I chose the IV, not wanting to see any type of needle let alone administering it myself. He seemed disappointed and instead, he showed me this device that looked similar to a tampon applicator and that would be how I would take my meds. He took off both ends of the plastic caps (I still never saw the needle) and showed me how to inject myself either in the fat part of my stomach area or in my thigh. Then he pushed on one end of the applicator and supposedly the medicine would be injected through the other side. It looked very easy and stated that it would pinch a little. I decided to administer it myself once every two months versus an hour in the doctors office hooked up to an IV. He would have to check with my health plan to make sure they can pay for the medication. After doing some research, I found out that this drug can cost upwards of $12,000.00-$15,000.00 a year!! Holy Crap, they better take care of it. That's half of what I make as a part-timer! He also increased my prednisone because of the recent stiffness in my hand joint and the pain I've been in. Still, he has not taken any x rays of my bones or joints and I will make an appointment with my primary and have her take it. This RAtologist doesn't seem to think I need it and besides, he says that I have an aggressive form of RA. I would want to know where I am if I have any type of bone loss due to this disease. It's true that you have to watch out for yourself in this medical field. In the meantime, I've got a TB shot to watch for the weekend and am going to take it easy.

RAtologist

I can't wait to see him! I never thought that I would be saying that but in light of the way I feel, I need a shot of something to get this old body back into the swing of things. My "rhummy" has been really bad this week with the lessening of the prednisone down to half a tablet every odd day. Mostly when I get up in the morning, my middle finger on my right hand is now in a claw like position and hurts very much If I try to straighten it out. My pinky finger is swollen right in the joint area causing pain there. Walking has been a little difficult and it seems to lessen as my day goes along. My right ankle and knees are the ones doing the most complaining and it's definite that I cannot go from a kneeling position to stand upright anymore. I notice more sounds that my body is making now, the slight cracking of my bones in my movements of walk when I go from a sitting position to a standing position. Putting one foot in front of the other as the tiny bones in my toes even crackle. Weird and scary.
The turning of my head, I hear sounds within my neck attached to the spinal column crackling. It closely resembles the sound of a ripe watermelon being torn open, very slowly. I tried to explain this sound to my RAtologist but couldn't find the description for it until this post. Not being able to fully close my hand of palm means not being able to grip simple things like keys, and writing utensils. You take for granted what you already have until it's taken away from you. I'm sure someone wrote that and it's so true. Today is my dental appointment for my yearly cleaning and I hope they don't find my mouth too offensive. I'm sure they've seen worse. I have to let them know that I have RA since my last dental cleaning. There might be a different procedure that they handle, I'm not sure, it's just a precaution.
My Casino brothers, Mel and Jaz are taking me out to Hokkaido in Foster City today. It's a Japanese Buffet and it's very inexpensive. Succulent crab and fresh oysters, entrees of all types and the sushi bar is to die for. I really enjoy my time with my co-workers and friends and I'm glad that they think of me often since I'm not working and on disability, to invite me out. It gets me out of the house and keeps me out of trouble.

I got approved

from my company fund to help me out with expenses such as my mortgage and PG&E. I am so happy that it's one less thing that I have to worry about. My company takes care of it's employees in times of financial burden, disasters and other situations beyond our control. I applied a few weeks ago and the woman, Janet called me the other day and said that they'll be going into their weekly meeting and she'll be presenting my case. I later found out that they call your station to ask about the employee's performance, attendance, training and such. She called me Tuesday to let me know that I was approved and that they would FEDX an envelope out to me. I was so elated and thanked her profusely, trying very hard not to cry during our phone conversation. I would be receiving the envelope this Thursday. I told myself that as soon as I go back to work, I will sign on and start contributing to the fund. It is such an excellent source of help for the employees and i am forever in their gratitude for it.

Painful this morning

as I wake up to my right hand in claw like position. To stretch my fingers caused me to wince and grimace at the pain. What the hell is going on? Since the lowering of my prednisone, I have been experiencing excruciating pain in my upper body region.
I received a phone call at 6:30am and it was my daughter Nani asking if I could come and pick her up at 7am. I asked, "Why can't you get a ride home?" She replied, "He doesn't have a car". After giving me directions to her location, I hung up the phone, clearly annoyed at the fact that I have to get up . I took my medication and made my way there. The directions were fairly easy and I picked her up outside of an apartment complex. As she climbed into the truck, she could sense that I was upset. It was a silent 20 minute ride home. Because freakin PG&E are doing some type of street work and I was not able to park in my driveway. I had to look for parking elsewhere. Luckily, the parking goddess was with me and I was able to find a space big enough for my truck to fit into on another street. Maneuvering parallel parking was more difficult than I thought. Because of my right hand still in pain, it took me close to 10 minutes to finally park her. Nani asked if I was OK. I replied, "No, my hand hurts and I'm not able to park this truck because of it". She apologized profusely and feeling very guilty, she asked if there was anything she could do. I stubbornly replied, "No" and we started to walk home. I told her to walk ahead of me because I was going to be a little slower. As she walked away with a quick stride, I could sense her remorse. Afterwards, I felt guilty for putting that on her and wanted her to know that I'm not well. Watching her walk away, I saw an image of myself at her age, strong and independent.
*************** Addendum ******************************
Before Nani went to work, she apologized to me for not thinking about my RA and for causing me pain and I apologized to her for snapping at her and telling her that the RA is not her fault. We hugged and gave each other the traditional kiss on the forehead to let each other know, we're ok.

Reducing my medication....again

yes, now I'm down to half a table of prednisone every odd day until Dec 12Th when I go back to see my RAtologist for the third phase of my medication process. I've been very tired and it seems that my hands joints have been stiff in the morning when I wake up particularly my right hand. A few days ago, I favored my right leg and limped around for most of the day. It was terrible. I had visions of not too long ago when I couldn't even walk and had trouble getting out of bed. I couldn't even roll over and my hands were very swollen as was my ankles and knees. I don't want to relive that again. Going from a strong woman who could throw 7o pound bags around was no problem and now, I couldn't even open a jar of peanut butter! Here is my medication this week:
half tablet of prednisone - every odd day/5mg
4 tablet of methotrexate - every Wed/2.5mg
1 tablet of folic acid/1mg
1 tablet of Hema-Plex multi nutrient vitamin.

The nights are colder

and I'm burning up the fireplace with wood. There is definitely a chill in the air and I am thankful that this is California and not New York. I got up late this morning after coming home late last night from "Beer Breakfast" with my co-workers. What I thought was going to be three people turned out to be eight of us sitting down to breakfast and yes, I did have one beer. I'm not sure if it affects my "rhummy" but it sure doesn't hurt. It was nice to see everyone and hear the tales from the airport still haven't changed. I stayed home for most of the day and tried to whittle my piles of paperwork down to something more manageable. Carmen called me later in the afternoon to help her family do laundry and if I could give them a ride there. I wasn't doing anything but sit, do paperwork and watch T.V. so I went over and lent a hand. The Evan's always have a production of laundry to do and it's a well oiled machine that runs with utter timing. I would offer to help but there is a precision in running the washer and dryer up to folding the clothes which requires patience and the routine that only Carmen and Mama know best. So I just watch in amazement. Later on, we take a ride to Sports authority in Foster City to get Maurice a basketball for practicing. He is such an energetic, smart kid and is all over the place sometimes it's hard for him to listen. As with most kids, they want to touch, see and check out everything in the store, it's hard to contain Maurice's energy. We got the ball and made our way back to the laundry mat to help mama out with the rest of the clothes. As we came back into the laundry mat, mama was talking to another gal there who seemed to know everything about us when we walked through the door. Mama can make friends easily with anyone, man, woman, color or creed, she knows no boundaries. That's a good thing about her and people feel comfortable talking with her as if they're long lost friends. With the laundry done and Maurice's basketball in hand, it was time to go home. Maurice still had some homework to do and mama rested for a bit while that was going on. It was time to get myself home and out of the cold for December is around the corner waiting to lay down it's frigid breath of winter.

My rhummy

is acting up. I woke up this morning feeling stiffer than ever in the right side of my body. My right hand is very stiff and my right ankle is a bit swollen making it difficult to walk. Many times a hot shower does just the trick and I feel as if the RA is seeping out of my body only to return a short time later to settle back in only fiercer. I can really feel the effects of the lowering of the prednisone which I'm down to half a table each day until Dec 1st. Then I go back to see my "RAtologist" for a check up and to start the 3rd phase of my medications.
I have to gather up some paper work sometime to day and get that to my friend, Sarah, who is going see if I'm able to take out a loan on my home. Also, on that note, I have to send in some paper work to my employment to see if they can help me out for the short time that I'm out of work. We have a fund that helps employees out in a time of need, like a welfare system of our own but you don't have to pay anything back. Contributions are accepted and employees that can, take full advantage of donating to the fund. I told myself, If I ever go back to work, even if I have to donate one dollar, I'll contribute to the fund.
I had an enjoyable weekend. I saw the final showing of "Stardust and empty wagons" on Sunday with the Evan's Family. It was even more heartfelt this time and as always the cast was great. They've been portraying the Katrina families for the past year in different cities and to finally have this come to a close and back to San Francisco where it was borne, it has come full circle. There was a cast party afterwards which the Evan's attended and I left to meet with Darrell and Stephanie in Burlingame for drinks. We talked about work and when I'll be back and the party coming up at our friend Gail in December. It's our annual get-together that we try to make yearly at someones house and it will be the white elephant theme.

Winter season

is upon us. It is cold and dreary outside and I'm still in bed thinking back on the type of week I've experienced. My family and I went to my friend Carmen's for Thanksgiving dinner that got a late start and the turkey finally was done...about midnight. The turkey was so delicious and all of the food cooked was very excellent. Except for the gumbo, which was overcooked, actually burned on the stove, by accident and poor mama Diane was to blame. She was making a nice pot of wasabi mashed potato and may have accidentally turned on the back burner where the large pot of gumbo was resting. The next thing we knew, there was smoke billowing from the gumbo pot and mama rushed for the pot to turn it off and my daughter and I ran to open the windows while the smoke alarm was blaring it's signal. In the meantime, Carmen was in the shower shouting to us, "Mama? Is there something burning? We couldn't hear her because Maurice's Nintendo Wii was on loud. After getting the pot off of the stove, windows were opened, Carmen came out of the shower in her robe and inspected the gumbo pot and immediately noticed that it was her labor of love all evening, her gumbo pot that had been overcooked and burned the fixings that had settled to the bottom. Visibly upset at her mother, this had changed the whole dynamics of the evening. My brother arrived with my son with some provisions from the store including two bottles of liquor, one rum and one brandy which mama took no time in opening and held the coveted glass to her heart as if praying and drank it.
Things finally cooled down and we salvaged what we could from the gumbo pot, sausages, crab and shrimp. It was still good eating and along with all the other fixings, it was a good meal. The turkey was done about midnight and by this time we were all stuffed but managed to eat a little of the very moist turkey meat that Carmen had cut for us. 1:00am rolled around and it was time to go home.
Friday took us to Target to get some shoes for Maurice. Nani didn't go to work since she managed to get up at 2:00pm and tagged along with me. Bridgepoint Center in Foster City was very crowded and because the "parking goddess" was with me, we found an excellent spot right in front of the store. Carmen found a few good pairs of shoes for Maurice at clearance and we headed home but not before gassing up my big truck. In San Mateo off of 92 is a great gas station where the prices are always about 10 cents cheaper than anywhere else.
We stayed for dinner of leftovers from last night minus the gumbo, which I'm sure Carmen stated that she was throwing it out. Leftovers at the Evan's is always good and wholesome food. Mama seemed to be doing fine, she was still in her pj's. After leaving the Evan's, Nani and I went home, made a fire and watched T.V.
Saturday was pretty much chore day. Washing and drying clothes, cleaning up the yard while it's still dry and getting out the yard waste and securing the tarp before it starts to rain. My lemons are still green and waiting for it to turn yellow. Maybe I need to add more citrus food. The afternoon rolled around and I was tired. I took a long nap which they say is now beneficial for you. Tomorrow, I'm getting together with the Evans' to see the last of their play, "Stardust and empty wagons". It should be a packed house and I'm looking forward to it.

Stiff joints

this morning. It seems that my "rhummy" is back since the lowering of my prednisone medication and I am feeling every little ache. I'm on half a tablet until December 1st and still taking the folic acid and vitamin daily. The methotrexate is still once a week at four tablets. It hasn't been easy this week. My once swollen ankles are back especially the right ankle. It is much harder to walk today than the past days. There is a varied amount of stiffness in my finger joints as well as parts of my back but I'm trudging along in my day just a little slower than usual.
I've been to the play "Stardust and empty wagons" three times since it has been back in San Francisco. It is a wonderful production of talented cast members portraying actual Katrina survivors from Hurricane Katrina. Live music by the Hot 8 band is not to be missed, they are an awesome band playing beautiful rhythm and flavors of New Orleans. The play is a heart rendering story about the lives of Katrina survivors and how they survived the hurricane and horrendous flooding, what they went through getting their families out of New Orleans and to this day dealing with the mismanagement of FEMA and where they are now. Listening to their stories unfold and told in a way that lets you embrace them as long lost family and to encourage their fight against a government that does not have a clue and can't seem to get it together in this day and age! The last day for the play is Sunday November 25th at the Brava Theatre in San Francisco. Take your family and friends to see it. You won't be disappointed.

Reducing my medication

two weeks ago and I'm totally feeling the effects of it. At my last doctors visit, he lowered my prednisone from 1 and a half to half a tablet on all odd days and one whole tablet on even days. Tomorrow, I will be switching again to half a tablet everyday until December 1st. The stiffness in my fingers have definitely come back to the point of where i cannot make a closed fist anymore. The stiffness in my left shoulder blade is more prominent. It takes me awhile to get "warmed up" and then I can move more easily as my day goes on. In December, my doctor will be putting me through phase three of my medications which will involve a series of shots. I don't know how long I will be on these medications but the thought of needle injections Is not high on my favorite list.

Holidays

I'm sorry for not writing anything in between. Life has kept me busy. My second daughter Pua is in Sacramento. She was in the hospital and is now at a Mental facility which has close monitoring of their patients. That's a good thing for her because she needs the discipline of being in a controlled facility, medication fed and cordoned off from society because of the effects from "falling off the wagon" can do to you as a young person. She is easily influenced, boyfriends come and go like running water and none of them really care about her but that's OK because none of them matter to her. She will take the "drink" or an occasional drug offering (inhaled or ingested) from whomever will offer it to her. As far as I know and have seen, she does not "shoot up" any drugs. She worries constantly about the medication she's taking and knows what ones work for her and which ones that do not. She is very vocal to her doctors and will let them know which ones make her gain weight or make her fatigued. She's a wonderful advocate for herself, loves to write poems and stories about her young life. Pua can get highly charged about a subject and is very passionate about life sometimes. Then there are the darker days where her voices have taken over and say things to her that one can only imagine. She has tried to kill herself several times by either overdosing on her medications or slitting her wrists. Pua will have conversations with them as if they were right there in front of her, cursing, angry and screaming at them to leave her alone. I can see the tiredness in her face and in the whole of her body when she goes through episodes like this. She excuses herself to nap and all the while she is awake and can't sleep because of the silent torment that her voices have waged war against her. To my little girl, now a woman, the thought of death comes easily.

Disability Insurance

I received a call from the disability office stating that I was not eligible for our states disability insurance. It's the one that I've paid into for 25 plus years and they're advising me that I cannot receive payments because I'm already receiving "sick pay" from my employer at my part-time rate. Living in California, we either pick up massive hours to compensate for the rent or mortgage and other necessities that we need to survive or have two jobs. I have the latter where as I am able to pick up large amounts of hours to where I am able to compensate my part time hours into full-time. So why won't they pay me? Because picking up hours is not my "customary work schedule"!! Heck, they should have told me that before going on disability. I would have upped my status, if possible, to full time and THEN taken disability. That would have made better sense. So it makes me think, why pay into a system when they can't help you, even with an appeal. What do all the other part-timers do in this situation? Just venting, thanks for listening!

You still have to work!!

That's the story I tell all of my very close friends at work when I come home from Las Vegas and didn't win the mega millions. Truth be told, if i won the multi millions, i would take care of my family first and my closest and dearest friends next. The ones that come out of the woodwork, you would have to go through my daughter who is the most scrutinizing woman I know. And that's being nice, she takes good care of me...thank you Nani.

As far as my RA is concerned, I'm still ticking! My doctor is trying to reschedule our appointments so that I could get into the next phase of my medication taking. I'm not sure about the herbal methods and i understand that it's much healthier. I'm still reading up on them and keep an open mind. I'm doing the juicer thing and have cut out red meats with the exception of bacon and spam, this Hawaiian gal still loves that stuff. I'm drinking a lot of water and teas. I've slowly switched from white rice to brown rice but i won't turn down a bowl if you offered it to me. We eat chicken and fish on some days. Soup and salads on a lot of days. I love my crock pot! My medications are currently as follows:

4 methotrexate at 2.5MG tabs (orange) per week - Wed night

1 and 1 half prednisone at 5MG daily in the morning from 4am-8am

1 folic acid 1MG daily

1 Multi-vitamin "Complete Iron System" by Food grown daily

My next appointment will be sometime at the end of this month. I'll keep you updated with that. So far my movements have definitely shown great improvement since i was diagnosed two and half months ago. I was a sad case and knew there was something wrong and made an appointment to see my primary who then referred me to my "RAtologist". It's been a journey! If you have RA or have been recently diagnosed with RA, i welcome your comments and questions. Have a great week everyone.

Ms Dov's wild ride

Here I am in the fabulous city of Las Vegas, Nevada and the one to watch out for is the shuttle drivers at the airport. I was the last stop on a 5 stop ride. My driver was very courteous and personable but as soon as he got behind the steering wheel, it was as if Dr. Jekyll AND Mr Hyde took over. We almost hit a car or two, he had a lead foot that was triggered on both the gas and the brake pedals, scrapped by a few tall hotel bushes, ran over a curb (luckily there was no pedestrian) and picked up other passengers that were going in another direction and collected their fare. I don't know if he called that one in but I was sitting up front and braced myself against my little rolling backpack waiting for an accident to happen. Amid all of the hotel speed bumps that we sped over, i swear that we were airborne for a few seconds. I was dropped off at my hotel in one piece and bid the man goodbye watching him roar off into parts unknown. I think I'll take a taxi back to the airport on my return.

Global Warming

It is mean and unforgiving. It will not listen. It will not go away. It is the salt on an open wound. It will not stop. It is here. It will see us to our end.

Hurricane Katrina didn't happen

My best friend Carmen and her family are Katrina Survivors from New Orleans. They were stuck on the roof of their neighbors house for three sun blazing days and four quiet star filled nights surviving on food and water that "mama Diane" stocked up on throughout the months if not years! Maurice's only wish was that he could take his kitten with him when they were rescued by the local folk there who piloted a boat looking for people that needed help. The boats man dropped them off at a stretch of road that used to be an intersection where the Orleans and Jefferson Parish meet. The Evan's were picked up by a man in a pickup truck who tirelessly shuttled people to where the I-10 meets the freeway, he is a hero. The Evan's were listening to the portable radio about the chaos at the stadium that was in pandemonium with an all out epidemic of lawlessness. The national guards had moved into town to quell the local people's anxiety, stop the looting and their machine guns set to kill. The Evan's stayed away from the stadium and needed to be on those buses heading out to Houston at any cost. Mother, daughter and grandson held onto each other for dear life.
Living in California was nothing new to Carmen who has lived here before and if it wasn't so darn expensive to live here, she would make her home here permanently. Mama had come to visit a few times and Maurice was born here.
So how is it that a car dealership, Putnam Toyota of Burlingame is giving Carmen a hard time with getting her used car repaired? Apparently, the car dealership (Putnam) is not honoring the warranties that she paid for, new car buyer and extended for the repair to take effect. They want her to produce paperwork that states she had service on the car. Ring, Ring?? Don't you have that stored in your high tech computers? In the meantime, her car is being stored at Ron Price Volkswagen of South San Francisco's repair center for the past 5 months and she is making her monthly payments on a car that was priced too high in the first place at 21 percent interest and no they weren't interested that she IS a Katrina survivor! Fellow bloggers, I am pleading my case on behalf of my best friend, send an email to eric@putnamauto.com to have them immediately repair and get her car back to her. The Evan's have been relying on Cal-train, buses and the help of friends to get to and from work, school and doctor's appointments.
Haven't they been through enough?????????

Things to ponder

Why is it that when I am sick and need rest, everyone else in the house reacts "sicker?" I am told to rest and not create stress, yet there is chaos in my family and they all look to me for assurance and an answer. And when told the answer or advice, they all "roll their eyes" or make "huffy puffy" noises and grunting sounds like they've just tried to lift a thousand pound boulder. The family members are my brother 43, oldest daughter 24, second daughter 22, youngest son 14 and an ex husband 45!! Go figure, get a clue and grow up!!

The season winds down

and we take time out to sit and watch the madness go away, at least for a moment. Until the holidays are upon us and we begin again. Unfortunately for me, i have taken a reprieve from my employment to take care of a medical condition that i recently acquired somewhere in my living of life. A disease that i have read is so devastating to the point of rendering a person horribly disabled. People that I have talked to and have seen the agony on their faces remembering their loves ones and to find out that it is now me, their co-worker, friend and mother. I should be devastated and in tears, uncontrollably angry and not wanting the company of my friends. Yet, I seek their friendship and live life as I have always done, with much aloha. Rheumatoid Arthritis is the fire that has now camped in my body and taken up residence. For how long? I don't know. I've read and surfed the headlines about this vicious disease only to come upon the words, "No cure".