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A whole new journey

Posted , 8 users are following.

Dublin,_Ireland
Dublin,_Ireland

Hi all,

I had a review with my rheumy this morning....not a good one :cry: .

Truth be told, I haven't felt great for the last month and I DID limp in as my right knee has been sore for over a week :roll: , but I thought I could cope and at least I was down to 9mgs RIGHT,:? :wink: .

WRONG.....Esr was back up to 22 (4 in Feb) and CRP was 34 (had been 5).

He drew 30mls of fluid from my knee before giving me a steroid injection...I think I had been denying that it was swollen :shock: .

Anyway, the bottom line is that he thinks that PMR may be the wrong diagnosis and that I have \"Inlammatory / Rheumatoid \" arthritis.

He said my best chance of getting remission and not causing long term joint damage is the Methorexate, as the steroids at an acceptable dose simply will not work, so with a heavy heart, I accept that I will have to give it a shot. I have to get base-line blood test results before I start on it so will probably have my first dose sometime next week, then tests every 4 weeks to make sure all is well.

I was not at all enamoured with having a PMR diagnosis, but was hoping that it would clear up in its own good time sad .

This is a different challenge, and I know it is one many others have to live with, but I just feel like I am going backwards instead of forwards.

Sorry for moaning, but feeling very sorry myself right now :cry:

Hope everyone else is having a better day,

Love, Pauline

0 likes, 67 replies

67 Replies

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  • sparklin
    sparklin

    Posted

    Pauline I'm also leaving a hug for you
  • EileenH
    EileenH

    Posted

    Pauline - HOW old are your kids?????? :roll: Hope they had to starve too!

    Enjoy Spain and house-hunting - have you got your tick list? No compromises now - keep \"what if...\" in mind, then nothing will stop you enjoying your new retreat! No essential stairs should be a priority! Stairs are good exercise - but not at the end of a 2 hour walk, as I found in Innsbruck last week :lol: I did get up them by pulling up on the hand rail, didn't have to resort to hands and knees... :roll: :lol:

    Hugs, Eileen

  • Dublin,_Ireland
    Dublin,_Ireland

    Posted

    Hi Eileen....they are 21, 19 & 17 :roll: :lol: and have to hold my hand up that most of the sweets were for me :wink: .

    We plan to meet a solicitor before we view any properties to go over the legal aspects. Our friend is out there and will be introducing us to the English speaking company that he and several other people he knows have used.

    I have e-mailed a lenghty list of requirements to a few agents, ie ground or 1st floor max, easy walking distance to shops etc. There are some lovely apartments on higher floors in some complexes, but I do not want to be at the mercy of a lift that may break down :wink:

    I will be quite ruthless when viewing, as this is an investment we would hope to use a lot when Michael retires and we need to be sure that it will still suit when we are both older.

    Am starting to look forward to the trip now as I am feeling significantly better....a few weeks ago I could not even face the journey to the airport :!:

    Must head off now & drop daughter to the stables.

    Love to all,

    Pauline.

  • Lizzie_Ellen
    Lizzie_Ellen

    Posted

    Hi Pauline,

    How lovely to hear that you are starting to feel a little better and also off to Spain on the 26th. Have a great time, don't buy anything in the heat of the moment (literally 8) , when the sun's out people do things they wouldn't normally do!!). And just remember, whatever the agent or owner says, the property will still be there next day/next week probably even next month if you're not sure. When we went on an inspection trip we were being pressured by the agent to sign up for a property we were interested in, that day. We wanted to come home, check out the legalities etc and when the agent said 'they'll all be gone in the morning' my late husband laughed and said 'fine, we'll wait until they built the next 1,000 then'. Needless to say our villa was still there a few days later after we'd checked it all out and we enjoyed many happy years in it. Jeeps, I'm sounding like an old gal who knows it all :yikes: its just that our friends 'own' an illegal villa in Albox after paying £130k for it. They just saw it, bought it and now regret it. Get it right and its wonderful. Yes I know Mazarron, we used to have friends there. Lovely part of Spain and lots of perfectly legal properties up for grabs. Just steer clear of the two companies I mentioned in my PM!! We're off on the 21st June, driving down for a month, weather's lovely now (at last) so I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. I've been feeling pants for a couple of weeks so I'm hoping I cope with the drive - the weather and the relaxed way of life always make me feel better. Do let me know how it goes, I'm online in Spain so will be keeping up with all the news.

    Love from Lizzie xxx

  • EileenH
    EileenH

    Posted

    Buying here in South Tirol is a totally different kettle of fish to Spain for a whole bunch of reasons - not least because foreigners (and that includes Italians from the \"mainland\"wink are restricted as to what they are allowed to buy and there isn't a lot of flat ground to build on. And because of that it is often true when you are told it won't be here next week - however, when we first thought about it we looked around just to get an idea of what you got for your money and looked at the most beautiful appartment on two levels high above the valley which fulfilled all the requirements except I don't think it had a garage, just parking in front of the door. The views were really out of this world and it was also suitable to live in - the rest of the flats were occupied by locals I think. Luckily we hadn't got money available just at the drop of a hat or we might have gone ahead although it was at the maximum altitude we could consider dur to David's lungs. The following year, much to our surprise, it was still available and I called to ask if we could view it again. The only options offered were on weekends or bank holidays which seemed strange, but we found out why soon enough. Another agent we had an appointment with had the flat below on his books - even lovelier, with a garden this time. But he knew we wanted it as a potetial retirement flat and so would be in during the day and pointed out the downside: just below, not obvious to the uninitiated, was a factory. A manufacturing joinery with 60 joiners making double glazed windows, Monday to Friday, less than 100 vertical yards away. Wheeeeeeeee, wheeeeeeeeee, wheeeeeee - from 8.30 am to 5pm, day in day out. Living there was fine as long as you went out to work! Or just used it at weekends and August. Which wasn't QUITE what we had in mind!

    Do your homework - and go there on a proper work day as well as at the weekend. And if there is someone non-biased around - ask what it is like! And remember too - I'm sure Lizzie will have mentioned it - many houses in Spain (like in southern Italy) aren't designed for proper winter occupation and tiled floors without underfloor heating are chilly! And a house without central heating and double glazing can be cold, uninviting and draughty when there is a howling gale and rain outside. Even Spain can be cold! We froze in the south of Italy at Christmas with our friends even with some heating - the houses just aren't designed for inclement weather!

    Lizzie - have a lovely time when you go - I hope you feel less pants by then :wink: AFter all, you can \"die\" in bed for a day or two once you get there and recover slowly!

    Eileen

  • Lizzie_Ellen
    Lizzie_Ellen

    Posted

    Eileen. Hope you mean sun bed 8) !! And how well I remember our first Christmas in the villa, long before we moved there to live. Holiday home furniture, very basic cooker, tiled floors but no rugs and 4 tog quilts. Big mistake, although I do remember walking along the beach in the afternoon in beautiful sunshine, fabulous. I also recall going to bed wearing a track suit with a jumber underneath and thick socks!

    Lizzie xx

  • EileenH
    EileenH

    Posted

    I hope it will be a sun bed yes! To warm up the death :lol:

    Tog 4 quilts in winter in a Spanish house - that was a bit optimistic wasn't it? I find tog 4 a bit warm here :roll: - I got tog 6 for winter but they have been relegated to the caravan for early/late season use :lol: Our neighbours heat so well in winter and the insulation is so amazing in this building that I rarely use the radiators in the rooms, just the underfloor heating which is in the bathrooms, tiny hall and a few square feet in front of the kitchen block! It goes off at 10am and comes back on about 4-ish and unless it's minus 15C and no sun that is fine! We have a wood burning stove which has been used about half a dozen times in 5 years - it's so efficient you have to open a window which makes it rather pointless :roll:

    Eileen

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