health – Page 4 – Doreen's Health And Wellness Journey and Other Things

June 13, 2024

My RA

I haven’t blogged about my rheumatoid arthritis recently due to the effectiveness of the medication I take.However, the last few days have been physically challenging. My muscles have been achy, and my hands and fingers are hurting. My body is a mess! I believe anyone with a chronic illness understands the many challenges that are…
June 6, 2024

Dear God

I am here this morning praying to you for my mental health. Today starts with challenges that I do not want to submit to. So, I am asking you for the strength necessary to deal with these demons. I am asking you today for my sanity. I love you very much. Doreen
May 28, 2024

When my grandson came home from school last week, he wanted to know what was wrong with my eye. I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I jumped up, looked in my mirror, and saw something red in my left eye. I was like, WTH!I gave my grandson my phone and told him to photograph my eye so I could see what was going on. When he returned my phone, I could clearly see the blood clot in my left eye. The clot was so sizeable I thought it strange that I felt nothing.Again, I was like, WTH! I went to Google, where I saw several things a blood clot in the eye could mean. Retinal artery occlusion(RAO) can come from having diabetes and high blood pressure. This condition can cause permanent eye damage if left untreated. I also read something about an eye stroke, the narrowing of the blood vessels in the retina.I didn’t understand most of what I was reading, so I decided it was best to see a doctor. I went to an urgent care clinic that evening. Besides the blood clot, I shared my other symptoms with the doctor. I told her that I had been having headaches, jaw discomfort( which could be my TMJ), and temple and scalp tenderness for a few days. I thought I was having a tension headache because the above symptoms were signs of a tension headache.During my examination, the doctor explained that my symptoms were also classic for Giant cell arteritis (GCA). GCA is inflammation in the blood vessels. This condition, if I had it, needed to be treated promptly, which is why she wanted me to go to the ER. However, I didn’t want to go to the emergency room. She insisted that I see an eye doctor the next day. I agreed. Why wouldn’t I?Before I left Urgent Care that evening, the doctor gave me a prescription for 60 mg of prednisone. This large dose would reduce any inflammation going on. The next day, I saw my primary care doctor. She wasn’t as concerned about the blood clot in my eye as she was about the other symptoms I mentioned.She was skeptical about sending me for labs because anything that would have shown up probably wouldn’t because of the prednisone I took the night before. I spoke with my primary care doctor today, and she told me my lab results were good. However, if I get another blood clot, I can come in and be reevaluated. As always, until the next blog, be blessed.
May 18, 2024

Mental Health

May
May 8, 2024

To take Ozempic or not! #2

I went to my daughter’s house Sunday for dinner and ate like I didn’t have type 2 diabetes. Despite my shot of Lantus that evening, my numbers weren’t great when I tested my blood sugar in the morning. It doesn’t matter what kind of meds I am on. If I don’t eat properly and exercise,…
April 20, 2024

Water, really?

I went to bed with a bothering in my chest; I brushed it off because I was tired. When I woke up the following day, I was in much pain. It wasn’t my typical RA pain, but what else could it have been? I stayed on my couch all day taking medication, believing it was…
April 8, 2024

To take Ozempic or not!

I’ve been a type 2 diabetic for several years. I have been on a variety of diabetic medicines. As of this blog, I am taking insulin and another injectable diabetic drug. My morning numbers aren’t bad, but there is plenty of room for improvement with my numbers during the day. My during-the-day numbers have much…
March 27, 2024

Low Blood Pressure and Metoprolol

I’ve been having issues with my blood pressure being low for several months. Within the last couple of months, when checking my blood pressure, my systolic (top) number has been under 100, and my diastolic (bottom) number has been under 64. I was getting lightheaded. Was it due to a medication I was taking? When…
March 24, 2024

Speaks for itself!
March 22, 2024

Paper plates!

Stop trying to figure out why there are so many dishes in the sink and wash them! Then buy some paper plates!

Category: health