i logged on today looking for advice...

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone...

When I logged on today, after quite some time being away again, I saw a message while reading down the list "'s Passing" I felt horrified, I hoped, just prayed, that this was another one of her funny ways of making us laugh... maybe she sent us a poem... something she may want on her epitaph about how she hated her doctors, her meds, her pain, and this poem will be her way of telling them.... then I read on and found out it wasn't a joke. I can't believe how different things will be now, not just in regard to this group, but other things in life that had a way of touching. I am getting married in June and we had talked about going to Disney, and jumped right in and said she'd love to meet us if we went there. Every thought I had about Disney also included .... Most importantly, she was an inspiration in my battle with all my immune system problems. Something new would come up and I'd think "How would handle this?" or "What would she say?" ... and I could ask her, and she'd have something smart and witty to offer along with good practical advice.

I felt such a strong connection with her because I have similar beliefs as she does, she was such a strong and spiritual person, and it was super comforting when I was able to read her poems and feel what we had in common. One thing that I'd like to point out that she wrote is this:

I believe when we have learned all the lessons we were sent to Earth tolearn, we are allowed to shed our physical body and return in spirit.Our body imprisons our soul the way a cocoon encloses the futurebutterfly. At the time of our physical death, we will be free of pain,free of fears and free of worries. We will be as a beautiful butterflyreturning home to God.

This was in her "Dealing with Death" writing. Really makes me cry to read this, even before passed, because it is such a positive and joyful way of looking at death... but it still hurts so bad.

I am so very sorry for everyone experiencing pain in dealing with 's passing, she will truly be missed by all.

Now for the advice I was seeking. I start the methotrexate today. I have been putting it off all day, I'm absolutely dreading it. I'm starting with 10 mg on Mondays, and my dr wants me to take the full 10 mg at once, not to spread it out over the day. She also gave me 1 full mg of folic acid daily, and more compazine because I already have a hard time taking meds. She is keeping me on the prednisone, and wants to add another quinine (?) drug to the mix in six weeks, even though I am already taking 400 mg of plaquenil a day.

Anyone have any tricks to lessening the side effects of the methotrexate, maybe certain foods or a better time of day to take it? Also, has anyone heard of taking two different quinine drugs at once? I am taking

Plaquenil 400 a day

Prednisone 10 mg a day

Plavix 75 mg a day

Relafen 1500 mg a day

Serzone 500 mg a day

Trazadone 50 mg a day

Loratadine 20 mg a day

Centrum Silver (vitamin w/0 iron b/c of problems taking iron)

Calcium *3000* mg a day with Miacalcin daily

Depo-provera once every 3 months

Tylenol with codeine as needed

Furaset as needed

Compazine as needed

and now adding the other stuff

methotrexate 10 mg a week

folic acid 1 mg a day

And I'll be starting something for diabetes in two weeks. I already feel like I am taking too many meds, and I'm sure some of my nausea are due to them. The thought of even taking the methotrexate is making me nauseous!! So any advice is greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!Take care everyone!Chell