Update

[Guest guest]

It has been awhile since I have updated so I thought I would. I saw my

rheumatologist on Thursday and she decided that she is not really impressed with

how I am doing and she is beginning to question whether the Remicade is actually

doing any good for me. I'm not exactly ready to go back to giving myself shots

so she decided that she was going to move the infusions closer together so now I

will be recieving Remicade every 6 weeks instead of every 8 weeks. If my joints

have not improved by this point she said we will have to change medications. Its

not so much that I dislike giving myself shots, its just that I really hate

giving myself shots..lol I'm not a big fan of it kind of lame I know.. but I

can't help it something about it really bothers me. So if the increase of

infusions doesn't help I will be starting Humira in April, I'm hoping the

Remicade starts working better. She did say that the side pain is definitely

inflamation and it looks like the AS is now affecting my ribcage

in a not so great way. She started me back on an NSAID (Lodine). She is hoping

between the increase in Remicade and the NSAID along with the Arava I am already

on that it might kick this flare out and get me feeling good again, I sure am

hoping so. I also saw my pulmonologist on Thursday and he said that the

granuloma was nothing to be worried about, it doesn't appear to be cancer, so

basically I don't have to do anything unless I start to have problems, they do

however want me to get a Pulmonary Function Test to monitor how well I am

breathing, so I will be doing that next month. My GI stuff (not so JAS related)

isn't going so great basically the endoscopy wasn't conclusive enough, there was

inflammation but it wasn't severe enough to account for the problems I am

having, so I will be having a repeat monometry and pH probe in April (apparently

there are scheduling problems.. whatever I dont want to get it anyway).. the

only annoying part is that the longer I have to wait.. the

longer it is going to take to get some answers regarding why I am always

nauseous.. They know its a side effect from the surgery they just dont know why.

So basically that is all that is going on with me. Not so great.. but not the

worst either..

Lots of Love

(JAS, 21)