had my latest follow up with my rheumatologist last week. the results of the blood work warranted him ordering yet another round, this time testing for various B vitamins. he said i was mildly anemic, which i thought was odd considering the whole menopause thing. He wasn't concerned - no orders to take iron supplements or anything like that - but i'm taking it as a sign to eat more burgers and thrown in a steak once in a while.
i have a friend who processes samples at the local lab, so i've been paying more attention to the tubes and stuff when i have blood drawn - the different tubes have different purposes, and the different types of tests require different types of samples. a new one for me: wrapping the vial in foil!! the sample for B vitamins needs to be protected from sunlight, so as soon as it was drawn, the nurse wrapped it up tight. she said some places have black tubes. i'm utterly fascinated that people have figured all this stuff out. if people like me were running the world, we'd still be in the stone age, doing thing the most difficult and inefficient way possible.
the good news is that all of that appeared normal. i suppose it's just the normal ebb and flow of the human body.
Since my appointments with this doc are never just "blood work looks fine, see you in three months," we got into the nitty-gritty of daily life. knee pain --specifically my "crunchy" knees -- is getting to be problematic, rising above all the other things in the Sjogren's stew. Doc quizzed me about it, and i fully admitted that i'd spent the last too many weekend on the couch because of the pain, too hurty and too tired to be willing or able to do anything but stay off my feet. he did not like that. it means i'm letting this thing get me. it's a vicious cycle, and one we need to break. he once again ordered me to exercise. but instead of stopping there, he actually told me NOT to walk. because when i think "exercise" i think "start with walking, THEN move to "real" exercise when i'm in better shape". given the state of my knees, that's actually the WRONG way to go. strength straining (weights/machines) and water aerobics are where i need to be. he told me to "dick around on the machines" in a gym. he always uses that term "dick around" which i think is just hilarious. he told me that I'm "smart enough to figure it out but also smart enough to talk yourself out of it." oh yes, he nailed that one. the other thing he said that haunts me still: I am really quite healthy overall. exercise is the one thing i can do to maintain this.
to jumpstart the exercise and give me some relief, he gave me some knee-strengthening exercises to do at home, and then gave me kenalog injections into both knees. needles under the kneecaps are not my favorite, but in the grand scheme of things (like this!), are pretty cool. this wasn't my first round, so i sort of knew what to expect. last time i remember much more of a numbing sensation initially, which is kinda freaky. the pain isn't totally gone, but it's decreased enough that i can move a little better, and grumble less when taking the stairs.
I promised the doc i'd look more seriously into joining the local YMCA. a friend and her family just joined, so i've got the added benefit of having someone to cheer me on and keep me accountable. she's already taking a couple water aerobics classes and liked them, so i should have a built-in workout partner once i get myself motivated.
now that it's the weekend again, it's time to put this all to the test. my nephew's baseball game was rained out, but that's no excuse to keep sitting here like a lump. so, on the doctor's orders, i think i will remove myself to the car, drive about an hour to where a friend is spending his day at a craft show, and do some shopping.
