Happy Anniversary

I reached the one-year 'anniversary' of my diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis at the end of May. I celebrated by finally cutting my Prednisone down to 2.5mg a day (from 20 mg just 1 year ago!). But I can work and play with my grandkids, and cook. I am going to happy hour tonight with my husband to watch a baseball game. And I'll have beer!



It's quite a club I'm in.  We live very careful lives but, dammit, we still live! And that's the victory. We can't beat the disease, really. But we CAN and DO learn to live with it, and around it, and have full and meaningful lives.

The trick, for me at least, was finally realizing that the disease isn't going away. And with my diagnostics and progression I probably won't be experiencing the "R" word. But I decided to manage my disease, instead of it managing me!


Yes, I'm overweight and don't always eat healthy. And I don't exercise very regularly (but have a rheumy who thinks that golf is just great exercise for me!). But I mostly do the right things and live that careful life. Getting enough rest. Not overdoing it. Taking my meds, seeing my doc, yada yada yada. (And after a while, it all seems like yada yada yada).


I've learned when and how I can push it.  If all the kids are coming over and I'll have a house full of babies for the day I'd rather it be on a Saturday, so I can rest on Sunday.  If I am going to get energetic and tackle physical projects, it should be on a Saturday (for the same reason, see the pattern?)
 
There are people who haven't made peace with the cards they've been dealt, but being angry takes too much energy and that just makes me tired...