Blood test went way faster than I thought since there was no line, and I took two hours off work when I could've just taken one. Oh well.

It's wild to think that I went to the same medical building three times in a row this week.

All for different reasons, but mainly for health. Duh.

Something I realized... Not only because I've been diagnosed with RA, but it may seem like I've been going to a lot of doctors lately because all of them are only open Mondays to Fridays, and I have to request time off for them. It feels weird to be on record in terms of clocking in and out.

Now I'm realizing it's been a little more than four months since I started physical therapy. Lots of stuff has happened since then, and I think I have gained some strength.

The other day I was thinking it has been like a year since I started advocating for my health and discovered something was up with me. This coming June will be my first anniversary of my rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis, too.

Last Friday was my 18th injection, and I started my period today! Why am I typing this? It's because I'm tracking them here! Whee!

Upgraded my resistance band level today during physical therapy, and now my body feels like it's dying. Ahhh. I'm so sore.

Last Friday was my 17th injection.

I've been avoiding cashmere; my body isn't reactive anymore, so that may be some correlation.

This past weekend I actually felt very good, like my left elbow doesn't feel as flaring.

I hope that means my medication is finally kicking in and my body likes it.

I think the flare-ups I was having was from this cashmere jacket I was wearing since I tried wearing it earlier, and I may have triggered an itch, so I took it off right away.

I don't know if I want to tempt it again since omg, I was itching for a couple of days before...

Sigh...

Or maybe it's the blouse I was wearing. I don't know. I definitely need to hydrate more either way, though, so it's a good reminder to do so when I'm out and about on my day!

I should sleep soon to recover, too, but...

I think yesterday was my 15th injection. I wrote it down in my journal, but I'm not there to check right now.

I also had a really long day going to a botanical garden with Tom today and did not drink that much water, which I think caused physically red flare-ups on my arm.

Apparently I have four more physical therapy sessions left. That means I have gone for at least eight times. That's wild.

I'll have to see how I feel and if I feel okay, then I will be discharged.

Wowwww.

So I may be allergic to oat milk...

So glad that I had my phone reminder to tell myself to do my 14th injection today.

And oh herro period. You literally came like 30 days after. I'm surprised that you came on time.

Definitely caught a cold. I'm sure it was the same one that came towards me just to tell me one thing on Friday. Ugh.

I got approval from my rheumatologist today that I can take either Tylenol or Aleve, so that's a relief.

I hope I get better soon.

Physical therapy kicked my ass today. The PT did some intense massage/adjustment on my left elbow by pressing and bending my elbow at a certain angle before I did the rest of my workout.

I have a feeling I'm going to wake up so sore tomorrow.

Did I not talk about my 12th injection? Well, today was my 13th!

Chronic illness be like... staying put where you at because it's not really stressful, therefore, not causing much inflammation to your body...

Good news: my latest blood show my inflammation went down.

Not so good news: I still have inflammation in my left elbow, but it's a lot less than before.

In other news: I was prescribed with hydroxychloroquine to hopefully reduce my inflammation further.

It's another part of the journey.

- I did my third physical therapy session yesterday. I remember I didn't feel like going, but my physical therapist actually increased my difficulty because he said I'm growing stronger. Ahhh.
- 11th injection was last Friday, so I don't need it today. I still have one more in the fridge.

Lately:
- I'm surprised that my rheumatologist office is open on Christmas Eve since they actually called me back when I called in yesterday for a prior authorization approval. That's pretty cool.
- I hope the prior authorization goes through, but I'm sure it'll go slowly with the holidays...

It's 1am now. Sleep for real. 😭😭

I did take a nap when I got home from work. When Tom got home, he helped me with my 10th injection. I bled a little bit, but nothing too crazy. I feel okay despite having period again and just worried about that??

I should go sleep now since it's 12:30am. I'm kind of having fun doom scrolling...

50 minutes left. I want to go home and sleep. I know I said this already, but... that's how much I want to do that...

Sooooo... I think I went to walk outside for at least 15 minutes. That was relatively nice since I got some "fresh" air. It was fun to poke some cow0rkers about what they are going to wear to the holiday party tomorrow (and man, hearing some drama as usual).

Oh yeah, I'm getting my 10th injection today as well. Ahhhh.

My period started again after two weeks, which is what I'm concerned about actually. I'm going to my OBGYN for a pap smear on Thursday, so I can also ask about this.

It's also the end of the week, which means my fatigue is in an all time high. It's only 2:40 ish, and I want to go home and sleep.

Sigh. I'm feeling kind of scared of sharing too much about my health feelings, even to doctors, even though they're supposed to be there to help you. But I have to keep on believing that if you don't share, then they won't be able to help. It's so hard to.

(This is not just about RA.)

Flare...? Is it because of this cookie I just ate? 😭😡

I just realized I never talked about how physical therapy went, and now I'm at work, so I don't have time to go in detail. Oops.

I also just scheduled like five more sessions since the lady was kind enough to accommodate my schedule after work. 🥺

I'm glad that I decided to take 30m off work early to get some forms done before my first appointment. It got dark fast.