November 17 – “Welcome back”

I woke up kind of excited today.  My follow up with the rheumatologist was at noon.  Mom asked if she could ride along.  She was getting pretty bored.  She ran out of yarn for the project she was working on, and our good ol' Galveston WalMart ran out as well.    We got there in plenty of time, and Chris an I went back to the exam room.  We didn't have to wait very long before the knock on the door came.  Doctor Bowtie had a different student tailing him this time, and I guess he didn't like her as much as the last one.   Not only did he not ask her a bunch of questions, he didn't even acknowledge that she was there.    There was no exam.  He simply shook my hand, sat down and asked me how I felt.  After my answer, he said, "You mean there's been no sudden, dramatic change in how you feel?"  Well, no.  Except for the really bad heartburn since I started on that new medicine.  That led to a dissertation on how great my blood test looked, except for the low vitamin D.  Then he explained how to take the vitamin D, which was helpful, since even Chris was confused after talking to the person who called.  Then he said to stop taking the drug that was causing the severe heartburn.  Then he took a breath, and I was terrified that he wouldn't start back up again.   But start up again he did.  He gave me a prescription for Nexium to deal with the heartburn.  I managed to ask a feeble, "So do we still not know what's going on?"  He answered that obviously this was an arthritis event.  He said they saw that back on the MRI.  Now we just have to figure out what more might be going on.  And we have to do something to help you while we figure it out.    It sounded like a buildup to something.  But I never expected what he said next.  He had one more prescription he wanted to put me on.  One that I would take every day for at least four to six weeks.  A "tiny little dose" in his words.  Welcome back … to steroids.  No sleep.  Constant movement.  Nervous energy.  But, no, he insisted.  This time I don't have to do the big dose, then slowly wean off.  This time I just take a little tiny pill every morning (along with the mega-antacid).  And come back in four to six weeks to see if anything has changed.   Woo Hoo.  Let's celebrate.   We were going to go to Luby's, but we missed the turn and ended up at Gringos.  So much for a healthy meal of green leafy vegetables prepared in my own kitchen.    We did manage to stop by Sears on the way home.  We finally ordered a plain vanilla refrigerator to put in our store room.  It was cheap and on sale – an unbeatable combination.  It will be ready to pick up tomorrow, and Kel and Nathan both said they could help get it.   Oh.  We also found a WalMart in LaMarque that had yarn for Mom.   Psalms 84:4 says, "Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you."   Father, if I have given you my body, then that means I am dwelling in your house, right?  Sometimes I don't feel blessed, but I know I don't have to.  I do praise you.  Amen.