Flare

I’d much rather be talking about Office Space Flare! Instead, I had a flare up of my back. I suppose I should have seen it coming. I’ve been pushing myself too much for a long time now. I especially did too much over the holidays. Since my diagnosis a year and a half ago, I have tried to pay attention to my body more and one of the signs of a flare (for me) is first feeling like I am coming down with a cold or something. It feels like mild flu-like symptoms, run-down, exhausted, maybe a scratchy throat and swollen glands.

I am thinking about this saying:

Well, my body picked it for me. I kept pushing it. We hosted A LOT during the holidays. And then I took it upon myself to clean like a crazy person before and afterwards. Not listening to my body. Then the weekend of New Year’s Eve my back decided it was time for me to rest. SIGH.

I have been trying to do the usual things for my back: stretching, gentle yoga, walking, Advil, Tylenol, muscle relaxers, heating pad, ice, chiropractor and now prednisone. Yay!

So far I am pretty ho-hum about my new medication. I’m taking a biosimilar of Humira every other week. I don’t have any side effects that I can tell. But I also don’t see that it’s something magical either. I have a follow-up appointment with my rheumatologist in a few weeks. I am hoping I am not going to be on the Ferris wheel ride of trying new medications endlessly…..

Needless to say, I am disappointed with how my new year started. I was feeling more positive about things in general and had even started doing some slow jog/walking on the treadmill here and there when I felt like my body could handle it. I am crossing my fingers this is just a small bump in the road that will resolve quickly! My goals for 2024 are centered around healing. So….come on 2024! Get back on track.

Hope you had a better start to 2024!