Wake-up call, I suppose.
I've mentioned here before that I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis a year or two ago. Truth is, it hasn't troubled me much. Some joint discomfort, but my bigger issue has been tiredness and soreness, which I've attributed to fibromyalgia. I take no meds for either; I just hit up the Tylenol when needed. It's pretty controllable. I've done well enough that my last rheumatologist visit a couple of months ago, he said I didn't need to see him regularly, but to let him know if things got worse. I was fine with that.
Well, yesterday was a sharp smack in the face. I've been having some really bad foot pain since Tuesday. Top of my right foot, kinda wrapping around. But mostly top. And it's been enough to make me limp, and yesterday morning I was pretty much in tears. Tylenol took just a thin slice off the top. (I'm still geek enough to recognize that XF quote.)
I tried to make an appt with my PCP, but out of the office. So I decided I'd go to the walk-in clinic at the same location, because if I was walking on a broken foot I was kind of an idiot.
I got a doc I've never seen, but she was brisk, nice enough, and says, "We'll x-ray and see if it's a stress fracture or if it's your arthritis."
I sort of blinked at her. Arthritis? Right, I have that, don't I? It never. crossed. my mind.
So long story short, there is no fracture. But my ring-finger toe is a wee sausage, and that is inflammatory arthritis. Doc seemed perturbed I wasn't taking anything. I explained I'm sensitive to NSAIDS and leery of things like Cymbalta, post-awful Prozac experience years ago. "Well," she said, "how would you feel about methotrexate?"
Seriously, it was my second blank, blinking moment in that visit. I had no idea what to say. "No problem I know of," I mumbled at her.
"I'm calling your rheumatologist."
I'm pretty sure she didn't yet, since they close at noon on Fridays and it was about 4:00.
But holy fuck. I -- I know I'm going to sound stupid and denial-y, and I am those things, but I thought I'd felt what psoriatic arthritis was like, and it wasn't that bad. I just realize how truly idiotic I've been. I just hadn't felt it before. I'm horrified at the idea of sticking that foot in a shoe again. I have on my really soft and comfy houseshoes and I'm fine, but what about Monday? OMG it's like sticking a live coal inside your shoe and trying to walk on it. It hurts like fuck. It's hot as a little steam engine, although it's pink, not fire-engine red or anything. It's like a little hairy cocktail sausage. (I have hobbit toes.Nurse said mine weren't hobbit toes, but she's wrong, they're little and i'm so hairy, it's hilarious.)
And I tried to downplay everything, because when I get in a dr's office that tends to be what I do, and that doc didn't EVEN fall for it. She kinda smiled once but that was it. Otherwise she was kinda intense. And they put me in a wheelchair to go to radiology and I felt like such a faker, I told them I didn't need it. But if our positions had been reversed, I'd have tried to put a limping person in a chair, too, so I'm not complaining. I just feel like a faker.
Anyway, I guess I'll be going to the rheumy again after all. We'll see. I wonder how long it takes for my toe to get better. Does it get better? Surely it does.
Well, yesterday was a sharp smack in the face. I've been having some really bad foot pain since Tuesday. Top of my right foot, kinda wrapping around. But mostly top. And it's been enough to make me limp, and yesterday morning I was pretty much in tears. Tylenol took just a thin slice off the top. (I'm still geek enough to recognize that XF quote.)
I tried to make an appt with my PCP, but out of the office. So I decided I'd go to the walk-in clinic at the same location, because if I was walking on a broken foot I was kind of an idiot.
I got a doc I've never seen, but she was brisk, nice enough, and says, "We'll x-ray and see if it's a stress fracture or if it's your arthritis."
I sort of blinked at her. Arthritis? Right, I have that, don't I? It never. crossed. my mind.
So long story short, there is no fracture. But my ring-finger toe is a wee sausage, and that is inflammatory arthritis. Doc seemed perturbed I wasn't taking anything. I explained I'm sensitive to NSAIDS and leery of things like Cymbalta, post-awful Prozac experience years ago. "Well," she said, "how would you feel about methotrexate?"
Seriously, it was my second blank, blinking moment in that visit. I had no idea what to say. "No problem I know of," I mumbled at her.
"I'm calling your rheumatologist."
I'm pretty sure she didn't yet, since they close at noon on Fridays and it was about 4:00.
But holy fuck. I -- I know I'm going to sound stupid and denial-y, and I am those things, but I thought I'd felt what psoriatic arthritis was like, and it wasn't that bad. I just realize how truly idiotic I've been. I just hadn't felt it before. I'm horrified at the idea of sticking that foot in a shoe again. I have on my really soft and comfy houseshoes and I'm fine, but what about Monday? OMG it's like sticking a live coal inside your shoe and trying to walk on it. It hurts like fuck. It's hot as a little steam engine, although it's pink, not fire-engine red or anything. It's like a little hairy cocktail sausage. (I have hobbit toes.Nurse said mine weren't hobbit toes, but she's wrong, they're little and i'm so hairy, it's hilarious.)
And I tried to downplay everything, because when I get in a dr's office that tends to be what I do, and that doc didn't EVEN fall for it. She kinda smiled once but that was it. Otherwise she was kinda intense. And they put me in a wheelchair to go to radiology and I felt like such a faker, I told them I didn't need it. But if our positions had been reversed, I'd have tried to put a limping person in a chair, too, so I'm not complaining. I just feel like a faker.
Anyway, I guess I'll be going to the rheumy again after all. We'll see. I wonder how long it takes for my toe to get better. Does it get better? Surely it does.