Some of my most popular posts of all time make sense. My series on Hood To Coast. I love that people are using my recaps to help them prepare for their own Hood to Coast races (even 13 years later!)! The posts I’ve done about cycling have been really popular over the years. My swimming posts were popular, too. One of the most visited posts was the Slow Carb Food List — the power of google searches, I guess!
THE most popular post? So…About that Runner’s Knee… Ugh.
As part of my grieving process as I figure out this diagnosis and treatment of psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis, I went through my medical history for the last 15 years or so. Having my blog was helpful. I was able to go back and look at old posts and make a timeline with dates and injuries. It connected so many dots for me.
Also, DAMN. I was injured A LOT. Also, DAMN. My blog was about injuries A LOT. And people seemed to related to that. LOL A lot of page hits and searches for running injuries and healing from injuries, etc.
So yeah, things are making sense now. Now that I have something that shows me in black and white what was missed for so long.
For a little while some of these posts will be about that, and will be about the learning process I’ve gone through. I know it won’t appeal or apply to all my readers but maybe it will help someone else out there that hasn’t been diagnosed yet. Because you know what? When I got my diagnosis last year and left that rheumatology appointment, I wasn’t given any information. I was directed to get an MRI, an X-Ray and a giant ankle brace for my Achilles tendonitis.
It would have been nice to get a pamphlet? A recommendation for a book to read? A suggestion for online support groups? SOMETHING?! But nope. I had to go to google to figure out what the diagnosis even WAS. And the more research I did, the more reddit forums and facebook groups and podcasts I found on PsA and rheumatoid arthritis, this is the same story for most. 5-10 years (or more) to get diagnosed, dismissed by doctors, and given zero information. That’s not good. Can you imagine getting a life long diagnosis and the doctor essentially says “Good luck and god speed, google it?”
SO I am going to do some posts explaining some things. Hopefully some people going through something similar will find them. Thanks Google!
Sylvia
My story does not compare with yours but I experienced the SAME treatment with peri-menopause. It took me breaking down in a new doctor’s office with a long list of ‘problems’ to get anyone’s attention. For YEARS afterwards (I just turned 60), I would cringe at my behavior. But at an appt 2 years ago, my doctor’s nurse told me ‘I’m so glad you did that. I was having so many of those symptoms and I just didn’t know WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME’. A Nurse. In an OB/GYN practice.
If you think about, we pay a lot of money for our health insurance. We deserve treatment and we deserve dignity.
I’m so glad you have found a path forward.
Lisa Eirene
Oh don’t feel bad! I am sorry it took that for the doctor to listen, but at least they finally did. How frustrating! And even more frustrating that a nurse said that. It’s insane how little research goes into a lot of women’s health issues!