1/14:  saw the pain dr. today.  he was okay.  Hasd me weight 1/2 hr while he viisted with some nurse/rep from a clinic.  he seems down to earth tho and had a sense of humore.  I did not do well cause I just did not feel like talking a lot and I find I just don;t want to relive the past ocer and over again.  I will get the med. records sent to him so I casn have a better appt next month when we get togwther to talk about meds and what he can do for my back.  I will also fax over the note from Dr. Z about what has ben done to my back.  he made me walk, walk on toes and heels and bend forward and backward which was no big deal but when he pushed on the sac. joints, both sides, it was very painful and i pulled away from him.  that caused him to write an order for an MRI.  I am really impressed with the insurnce since these 2 guys are just sending me where they want me to go without appearing to be concerned about the HMO.  Very reassuring.

We are going to try Vicodin and Ultram which is no big deal cause I have some Oxycotin in case the Vicondon is not the answer and it is oly for 1 month.

I don;t think these Dr.s stop tp think about the body as a whole.  They just want to fnd an area they can fix and say they were successful.  I would love to have the S. joints stop huritng and be able to sit and move better but the arthritis will also affect pther areas.  I just need to get a better attitude.

I am working all day tomorrow, finishing the laundry and soups for Butch after the graduation.  I will probably not get home until after 10pm and need to get out to the airport around 9am but at least ai can sleepon the plane.

Well, I thonk I am going to start journaling now that It is a new year and I have new Dr.s  when I had to fill out the new patient forms, it reaslly hit me in the face that you think yu will remember everything but between all the meds and the pain, I don't remeber as well as I tought I would.  also, I have to lose 70 pounds to being my cholesterol levels down and to stat feeling like my old self.  I will still be in pain but my outside will look like my oldself and i will be happy when I look in the mirror.

I am trying to eat food as close to its natural source like raw fruitd, salads and lightly cooked veggies.  Right now I don not eat enough whoich causes the metabolism to slow way down.

I lile the new rheumatologist and seems eager to take a drastic move to get my arthritis under control.  due to the ultrasound showing bone spurs and large areas of inflammation he knows that it is not under control.

first, we were going to try to het meon Rituxin altho he wanted to go with Orencia.  I was nervous due to the tumores and my smoking but they would not approve me due to insurance and having to be hospitalized for the Rituxin.  so now they are trying to ge me approved for the Orencia.  I am fnishing my last pack of cigarrettes forever.  I go to NC on Wed. and since I will not smoke in front of my son, after 10 days without I should break the smoking cycle.

Monday, I have an appt with the chronic pain Dr. and am trying to get back on duragesic patches so the pain med stays stable.  We will see what he decided when I see him and get all my records from duby and Racz sent to him.  I hope he will go for behavioral feedback and maybe P.T.

I am also trying to stay working out 1 hr a day between rreadmill and other DVD programs.  I should be able to be at 150 mid july if I stay on the diet and workup pretty serously every day.  I have been watching the Phycial Challenge on Discovery and plenty of pther people are dropping that much weight in 4 months with the help of trainers--which I don't have.