Clutziness and RA

Do any of you with RA deal with a newfound level of clutziness? I have always been quite the clutz but wow, have things gone south in that direction quickly!

I grab something out of the fridge and watch helplessly as it slips through my hands and onto the tile floor. Should I consider carpeting my kitchen floor? Well, maybe not, but I must remember to get a better grip on things, that's for sure. Now to remember that thought when I need it...maybe short term memory loss is hitting me too! Yikes, I don't even want to go there right now!

Yesterday I was going to pour some grape juice into a glass. All of a sudden the half gallon container fell to the floor. Of course the lid was already off and the lovely purple liquid spilled everywhere including under the fridge! So what are you going to do? Laugh or cry? This is always my first thought when these things happen. I'm trying to choose laughing but there have been occasions I'm tempted to burst into tears as I realize my hands just can't do what they use to. When the RA is active in my hands I have nicknamed them "flippers". You can still do stuff but you might have to get more creative on how to do things with flippers instead of fingers! Thankfully, usually I don't have flipper hands!!

Lessons learned: 1) Try to slow down and be sure I have a firm grasp on things before picking them up 2) From now on my shopping trips for kitchen ware will be in the aisle featuring plastic options! And a word to the wise, don't let me hold your baby!

A lesson from my Grandchildren

Mike and I are blessed with 3 grandchildren and a 4^th on the way. Thankfully we live within 25 miles of our two daughters and their families.

As we live in the mountain community of Idyllwild we do our best to see our precious eldest daughter and her darling little 2 year old Gianna as often as possible. We also have Gianna stay with us for a weekend each month so we can have lots of memory making time with her.

My youngest daughter lives just around the corner so we thankfully get to see them and their children often. Yesterday was one of the days we spent with them so mom and dad could have some dinner/date time.

Levi is almost 5 and he is a wonderful older brother. He loves little Mabry, helping her with her puzzles and making sure she is safe when they play. She in turn looks up to him with the adoration only a 2 year old can show so completely with her upturned face and eyes full of admiration as she watches him. What can’t he do? In her eyes the answer is probably nothing!

It got me to thinking – what about my eyes of love and admiration? Do I keep them focused on my loving God who always cares for and never forgets us?  He is our loving God and Father. Do I look at Him knowing He can do anything, anytime and perfectly?

It was one of those little lesson reminders that got tucked into my heart. That night I woke up and went over to the window to look out at the darkness of the nighttime forest. I gazed up at the brilliant stars shining down faithfully. The stars God had placed there and that in years past were what guided the ships safely at sea. How faithful God is! I stood there in awe and gratefulness for the wondrous display above me. Usually I’m sound asleep while these stars shine above our little house but tonight God had called me to this moment of communion with Him. After crawling back into bed – my overwhelmed heart reflected on the beautiful Psalm that says: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that You visit him...”

Thank you Lord for these reminders that surround us – from our grandchildren to the stars. WOW!

A day at the Getty

A few weeks ago my youngest daughter suggested we have a girl’s day out at the J.P. Getty Museum in Los Angeles. We both love this place. It is well worth the trip if you live anywhere near enough to LA. The idea sounded good to me!  After all I had been feeling pretty good lately and my stamina has improved steadily over the past few months, thanks, in part I believe, to the dietary changes I’ve been practicing.

We got a nice early start, hit minimal traffic on the way, and arrived shortly after they opened their gates. Hmm…now to unfold myself from the car. Had I forgotten that a car trip might stiffen me up? I pulled myself together, loosened up those weary muscles and joints, and we started off. Oops, today was the day I had taken my methotrexate and like many of you that makes me feel a bit tired and nauseous. So I suggested we have lunch early as it was hitting me hard. Lunch service wouldn’t start for 20 minutes so we looked around a bit without committing to any major exhibit we hoped to enjoy at our leisure after we ate. We walked down many stairs – where was that elevator (!?) and enjoyed a healthy and heartening lunch. Feeling much better we made our way over to an exhibit about Paris – fashions, arts and lifestyle of Paris (circa.1750ish).

Hmmm...what is it about standing as opposed to walking that makes me extra achy and weary? Anyone else out there experience that? So my sweet daughter sensing my distress went and checked out one of the complimentary wheelchairs. At this time I should mention she is 7 months pregnant with child number 3. There were a few stares from folks as my dear daughter pushed me around in the wheelchair. Often I tried to use it as a walker instead to give her a break.

Time was of the essence.  We hoped to leave The Getty early enough to beat the worst of the afternoon traffic. So we came up with a game plan to prioritize what our favorite exhibits were. We meandered through several rooms and exhibits and did our best to enjoy everything knowing we had to keep an eye on the time. It amazes us both that you are able to study the paintings so closely – priceless works of art by timeless artists!  One of our favorite things to enjoy at the Getty are the amazing gardens. They were closed that day but even closed we could view enough to see an array of beauty that is hard to beat. Then it was time to head home.

Things I learned: 1) Take advantage of these opportunities and DO what you can for these times are precious! My daughter agreed. 2) Relax, and don’t stress over missed exhibits. You’re there making the effort and isn’t the important thing to enjoy the experience, the company, and your day out together? 3) Start looking for a nice used seated walker. They come in great colors and one of my dear sisters wants to get me streamers for the handlebars.  :-)

The $800 mistake!

In the blog about medications I mentioned that the directions for using Humira was overkill. Well folks, there has been an event to humble me on that score. A couple of weeks ago when I was preparing to do the Humira injection, I felt so confident. There was nothing to this at all. So the directions were set aside and I pressed on with the task at hand. Yup, easy as pie...got it covered...could do this in my sleep - you get the drift.

So as I lay down on the couch to do the injection procedure, I took off the two caps confidently and pressed the WRONG END ONTO MY FLESH, and as this was the release button for the medication and not the end with the needle, I watched as the Humira shot up into the air about 4 feet in a fine stream of fluid. You know how it is when your mind doesn't quite grasp what your eyes are seeing and you think, WOW what is that stuff going up into the air? And then BAM you realize what the stuff is that is shooting up into the air and not into your body and you say to yourself, 'its your medication, goofball'! Thankfully my thumb never made it onto the other end, the one I had assumed was the release button but was actually the shot end, or my thumb would be trying to absorb all that medicine and with my luck I'd be swollen up like a tick!

A little side note here: on the box of Humira it says the cost is $3200 for four shots without insurance. Can you even believe that! With insurance it is thankfully $30 a month! So when I told my daughter what had happened, she said - "you just made an 800 dollar mistake!" In my case it was a $7.50 mistake but still! Then she said, "That would be a great title for your next blog!"

So here it is, a mistake that will hopefully never be repeated. In fact since that little incident,  those detailed instructions will be reviewed before moving ahead with the dosage!

Earlier I said it was easy as pie...make that humble pie.  A taste I've grown familiar with!