What is it with me getting sick? Sheesh, just getting over a 2-day migraine with stomach troubles. This after that darned Christmas flu and such. I'm blaming it on the Celiac *lol* BTW, I'll be going for iron infusions once every 3 months after I get my February top-up. If my levels get too low, he'll switch it to every 2 months, if they're good or even a bit high (god forbid,the last thing I'll need is Chromatosis), he'll switch it to every 4 months. At least that's srtaightened out.
Dad is OK, but experiencing some joint stiffness (internal swelling?) in his hands and so forth. Still on the 3 Methotrexate on Mondays, so we rarely plan anything for Mondays and Tuesdays sometimes. He's noticed more indigestion / acid reflux over the past couple of months...medication-related? Any ideas? He can take something like Tums for it, but I'd like him to talk to the Doc about something like Zantac (more of an acid inhibitor). Then again, the Zantac would probably affect the meds somehow... At least there's still no visible swelling. I'm assuming that the stiffness is both a part of him "lying around" on Mondays due to the effects of the Methotrexate (sometimes Tuesday too) - let's just say he doesn't feel like being very active on those days - and the rather cold and damp Wimter weather we get here in Toronto. Which seems to be colder and damper than normal this year, or is it just me?
I'm OK, just busy at the office with our departmental move (LOVE how part of that word is "mental" *lol*). Still have the dark purple hair (actually, badly in need of a touch-up still). Still window-shopping on Etsy too much (but made a neat new friend who runs Briony Lodge Vintage there - if you need a vintage hat (mainly 1930s -1940's, with a few from other decades when she can find them) she's your "man"! Her prices are reasonable, and she strives to give the most accurate description she can. And on that note...yours truly will be trying to open a shop there soon! Nothing listed yet, but I thought it might be something fun to try, and why not get a few dollars fr items I'm no longer using or need. Only on a part-time basi, however, as I still have my "regular" job (and plan to keep it, especially in this economy). Not to worry, I'll be making that very clear to any possible patrons (in my main shop description, actually). It's like running a small business, so there are tax implications I need to sort out to my satisfaction. I'm also brewing up a couple of ideas to make my business sustainable - I need to keep posting new things or my shop will get old and stale in no time *lol* There are no real "niche" markets anymore, but I'm hoping to glean some ideas from simple observation of what sells and what I can get the most impact out of (buy low sell high, after all - actually, that should read "buy low, much elbow grease and imagination-using, sell higher than the cost of my work"). Fun times ahead, I guarantee! :)
I certainly post here when I finally get this shop up and running - I'm calling it "Mugsy's Occasional Shop", as I'll only be listing items occasionally to sell. Yep, that's what we call a "groan-er", but it's just kitschy-cute enough to make people take a short look at the shop, I hope... Need to be losing a few pounds (like, 20) to get back into fighting trim. Along with my iron problems, I seem to be lacking in various vitamins and minerals which is apparently fairly common in Celiacs - even after being on the "diet" for a while. Looking into suppliments, but would really rather do it with food somehow. Smoothies perhaps? I don't mean the all fruit types, the sweet ones, but more so veggies and nuts and so forth. Will be looking into that to see what information I can find out there - any Celiacs are more than welcome to comment! :)
Must be off and get back to work - ya'll take care, be well, and enjoy the rest of your day! :)
TTFN
Showing posts with label rheumatoid arthritis in men. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rheumatoid arthritis in men. Show all posts
Monday, 2 February 2015
Wednesday, 1 October 2014
Hi there, remember me?
Oddly enough, I shall be more or less offline for the next couple of weeks - nothing bad, I assure you. :)
Dad's been doing really well lately, been off of the steroids for about a month now. Still has a bad day or two after his Methotrexate (sorry my spelling sucks), but in general he's been doing well. Still stiffens up a bit when he doesn't move around enough, but good otherwise. He's currently out West, so I like to think that it's both the drier air and the different span above sea level that's helping. A wonky theory, but I like it for now.
Been looking at Halloween stuff - a bit early, but for some reason it's really capturing my imagination this year. One costume idea I've seen is that of a Silent Movie star, and considering my love of old movies its right up my alley. As I have more era-appropriate brown clothing than black and white, I may go as a sepia-toned star rather than black white and grey. Meh, just thinking out loud...
Apparently some relatives of mine have entered me in a "Shopping Buggy / Lawn Mower Race" this coming weekend. Someone here at the office told me what a shopping buggy race was...which reminded me I really have to update my Will... If I manage to get any non-wounded or non-bloody massacre-like pics of this, I shall share (yeah, yeah, heard that one before).
Anywho, may you all have a fantastic couple of weeks, and I'll be back online for sure as soon as I can... :)
TTFN
Dad's been doing really well lately, been off of the steroids for about a month now. Still has a bad day or two after his Methotrexate (sorry my spelling sucks), but in general he's been doing well. Still stiffens up a bit when he doesn't move around enough, but good otherwise. He's currently out West, so I like to think that it's both the drier air and the different span above sea level that's helping. A wonky theory, but I like it for now.
Been looking at Halloween stuff - a bit early, but for some reason it's really capturing my imagination this year. One costume idea I've seen is that of a Silent Movie star, and considering my love of old movies its right up my alley. As I have more era-appropriate brown clothing than black and white, I may go as a sepia-toned star rather than black white and grey. Meh, just thinking out loud...
Apparently some relatives of mine have entered me in a "Shopping Buggy / Lawn Mower Race" this coming weekend. Someone here at the office told me what a shopping buggy race was...which reminded me I really have to update my Will... If I manage to get any non-wounded or non-bloody massacre-like pics of this, I shall share (yeah, yeah, heard that one before).
Anywho, may you all have a fantastic couple of weeks, and I'll be back online for sure as soon as I can... :)
TTFN
Friday, 1 August 2014
In case you need a laugh...
Ok, gonna be bad and link to a page of a website. This one is about pet insurance, and I dug around and found a great page on pet breeds that is packed with information. I especially liked this one. It looks like the ideal dog breed for almost anyone - hypoallergenic, a small breed, very small appetite, very few health problems, and an all around generally low maintenance dog! Perfect! *lol* Now, I have no idea if this amazing dog will be allowed to live in our Canadian climate, but I admit I sent the company an e-mail to try and see. I'll let you know if I get to be the proud owner of this truely incredible dog...
Update on Dad:
Numbers are down to 10 (!!) - these are the inflammitory figures that all of the blood tests are for (besides checking liver and kidney function). Not bad considering he started at around 200 - 300, eh? Now it's a matter of weaning him off of the steroids again - he's like the Energiser Bunny or something lately, more like his old self - but the appetite that goes with it is having it's effects...Still, small price to pay when he can now curl his fingers to make an approximation of a fist. And thanks to him we've got the back porch and deck finished! Yay!
Me? Oh, just chugging along. Super crazy busy here on the work front - quarter-end and all that rot. Thinking of quitting the office "Social Committee" at the end of the year - due to lack of communication. Seems some members of the group think that others are psychic and know what's going on in some members minds. Yeesh - please, I get enough of that in my job, I don't need it in something that I've volunteered to do out of the goodness of my heart (and yes, I do actually have a heart, contrary to what you might have heard from the peanut gallery!) Hanging in there long enough to join the Christmas Party at the end of the year, then I'm out. Hell, I put in my three years, it's someone else's turn, for goodness sakes.
Quickly learning that Marcelle's skin care and makeup seems to be mostly gluten-free! Even they admit that some products do have gluten, but they tell you which ingredients to look out for. There's always a risk of cross-contamination - unless the company or production line is dedicated to gluten-free ONLY - but so far it's been smooth sailing. LOVING their cleansers, and the BB cream hasn't caused me any problems. Still hesitating on the lip products, but I have purchased one so I have to try it soon, or risk not being able to return it. I myself can find Marcelle products at both Shoppers Drug Mart and Rexall / Pharmaplus, but I honestly have no idea if they can be found State-side...? I'd say try the big chain drugstores first - these are not salon-quality products, not super-exclusive or anything like that, but they can be a little on the pricey side. Well, pricey as compared to the drugstore brand or products like Neutrogena. Still loving my Neutrogena Naturals, but looking to branch out because my skin gets bored and wants something new every once in a while - ahhh, the wonders of being human! *lol* Oh, and still in love with my Lush brand "Coal Face" soap - my blackheads are actually a little less noticable! Wow.
Holy crow, another long entry. All the better to keep you up to date on my tiny corner of the world... ;)
TTFN!
Update on Dad:
Numbers are down to 10 (!!) - these are the inflammitory figures that all of the blood tests are for (besides checking liver and kidney function). Not bad considering he started at around 200 - 300, eh? Now it's a matter of weaning him off of the steroids again - he's like the Energiser Bunny or something lately, more like his old self - but the appetite that goes with it is having it's effects...Still, small price to pay when he can now curl his fingers to make an approximation of a fist. And thanks to him we've got the back porch and deck finished! Yay!
Me? Oh, just chugging along. Super crazy busy here on the work front - quarter-end and all that rot. Thinking of quitting the office "Social Committee" at the end of the year - due to lack of communication. Seems some members of the group think that others are psychic and know what's going on in some members minds. Yeesh - please, I get enough of that in my job, I don't need it in something that I've volunteered to do out of the goodness of my heart (and yes, I do actually have a heart, contrary to what you might have heard from the peanut gallery!) Hanging in there long enough to join the Christmas Party at the end of the year, then I'm out. Hell, I put in my three years, it's someone else's turn, for goodness sakes.
Quickly learning that Marcelle's skin care and makeup seems to be mostly gluten-free! Even they admit that some products do have gluten, but they tell you which ingredients to look out for. There's always a risk of cross-contamination - unless the company or production line is dedicated to gluten-free ONLY - but so far it's been smooth sailing. LOVING their cleansers, and the BB cream hasn't caused me any problems. Still hesitating on the lip products, but I have purchased one so I have to try it soon, or risk not being able to return it. I myself can find Marcelle products at both Shoppers Drug Mart and Rexall / Pharmaplus, but I honestly have no idea if they can be found State-side...? I'd say try the big chain drugstores first - these are not salon-quality products, not super-exclusive or anything like that, but they can be a little on the pricey side. Well, pricey as compared to the drugstore brand or products like Neutrogena. Still loving my Neutrogena Naturals, but looking to branch out because my skin gets bored and wants something new every once in a while - ahhh, the wonders of being human! *lol* Oh, and still in love with my Lush brand "Coal Face" soap - my blackheads are actually a little less noticable! Wow.
Holy crow, another long entry. All the better to keep you up to date on my tiny corner of the world... ;)
TTFN!
Thursday, 3 July 2014
Enough about me...
I'm a fairly boring subject, as you've started figuring out by now *lol*
Papa Mugsy is doing better, according to his RA specialist (that's Rheumatoid Arthritis, BTW). His inflammitory numbers are down by almost half (47 down to 26), and in general things are improving. He's still in a fair amount of pain, complete with "reminder jabs" in one hand, but we've been noticing in the past three weeks that we can see knuckles again, so no more "sausage fingers" (for the most part). The Doc decided to increase the dose of the meds he's on (Methotrexate and Hydroxychloroquine - can't remember the dosage, sorry - and Folic Acid for funzies as the Methotrexate can really suck the folic acid out of you), I'm guessing to aggressively kick this things ass. This time. The Doc did agree to put Dad back on steroids for a bit to get him over the hump, as they really seemed to help last time he was on them - it was almost a 180, he was so much better even in attitude. Can't be on them for very long due to the long-term effects, unfortunately. However, it should be long enough to allow the meds to really kick in and do their work - he's only been on them (not the steroids, the other two mentioned previously) for about 5 weeks, and they can take 6 - 8 weeks to really take effect. There are many websites you can Googe to learn more about R.A., but not very many sites for men - this is a disease that affects more women than men, and it seems that women get it worse than men as well (generally speaking). One website / blog that is good is Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy as well as another website / blog called Living With RA for a male persprective of this disease. As far as technical information, I'd suggest a site like WebMD or perhaps the Arthritis Foundation in your area.
As you've noticed, my focus has changed a little. I still plan on posting sewing stuff (vintage and modern, but more of a focus on vintage), a little nail art (there's so much out there already by some very talented people), as well as my life in general. But I'm adding updates on Papa Mugsy as well, as there seems to be very little information on how R.A. from a male perspective. Once I can talk with Papa Mugsy about my idea, perhaps I can convince him to add the occasional update of his own, or at least allow me to give more information about him as related to his R.A. (no guarantees, though - as you can tell, I'm shy so I must have gotten it from somewhere *lol*)
Anywho, that's all for today. have a good one!
TTFN
Papa Mugsy is doing better, according to his RA specialist (that's Rheumatoid Arthritis, BTW). His inflammitory numbers are down by almost half (47 down to 26), and in general things are improving. He's still in a fair amount of pain, complete with "reminder jabs" in one hand, but we've been noticing in the past three weeks that we can see knuckles again, so no more "sausage fingers" (for the most part). The Doc decided to increase the dose of the meds he's on (Methotrexate and Hydroxychloroquine - can't remember the dosage, sorry - and Folic Acid for funzies as the Methotrexate can really suck the folic acid out of you), I'm guessing to aggressively kick this things ass. This time. The Doc did agree to put Dad back on steroids for a bit to get him over the hump, as they really seemed to help last time he was on them - it was almost a 180, he was so much better even in attitude. Can't be on them for very long due to the long-term effects, unfortunately. However, it should be long enough to allow the meds to really kick in and do their work - he's only been on them (not the steroids, the other two mentioned previously) for about 5 weeks, and they can take 6 - 8 weeks to really take effect. There are many websites you can Googe to learn more about R.A., but not very many sites for men - this is a disease that affects more women than men, and it seems that women get it worse than men as well (generally speaking). One website / blog that is good is Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy as well as another website / blog called Living With RA for a male persprective of this disease. As far as technical information, I'd suggest a site like WebMD or perhaps the Arthritis Foundation in your area.
As you've noticed, my focus has changed a little. I still plan on posting sewing stuff (vintage and modern, but more of a focus on vintage), a little nail art (there's so much out there already by some very talented people), as well as my life in general. But I'm adding updates on Papa Mugsy as well, as there seems to be very little information on how R.A. from a male perspective. Once I can talk with Papa Mugsy about my idea, perhaps I can convince him to add the occasional update of his own, or at least allow me to give more information about him as related to his R.A. (no guarantees, though - as you can tell, I'm shy so I must have gotten it from somewhere *lol*)
Anywho, that's all for today. have a good one!
TTFN
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