Ok I am new to blogging, so forgive me if this post is kinda random. I just couldn't stand seeing an empty page staring back at me from the computer screen. I promise I'll get the hang of this eventually!
I guess I should start with a little background (just in case anyone actually reads this!) My name is Miss T. (Obviously a pseudonym...for now I would like to retain my anonymity.) I am a 35 year old woman who still lives in the same little northeast Texas town where she was born. I know - boring, right? At the age of 17, after 13 trips to the emergency room, and a rapid 80 pound weightloss, I was diagnosed with aggressive rheumatoid arthritis. Two years later, the doctors told me I also had myasthenia gravis. Over the next few years, I learned I would also have the pleasure of living with lupus, fibromyalgia, scleroderma, and Raynaud's disease (and possibly Crone's disease...but that's a story for another day.) Basically, my immune system is screwed.
These illnesses wreak havoc on my body and can make daily life a real challenge. I wake up each morning with painful swollen joints, stiff muscles, and fatigue. Sometimes, just opening a soda bottle can be a real challenge. I have scars on my fingers and toes where the ulcerations from the Raynaud's has caused the tissue to turn black and die similar to frost bite. I can't sit or stand in one position for more than 5 minutes without pain. While medication can help ease some of these symptoms, it's not completely effective. It won't stop the diseases' progression. What damage has been done is irreversible.
Every six weeks for 17 years, I travel over 120 miles (round trip) to Louisiana to see a rheumatologist, Dr. P. Now Dr. P has always said that medicine is not the cure for what ails me. The best thing I can do for my body is exercise. As Dr. P would say, use it or lose it. Constantly using the joints and muscles is the best way to maintain and possibly improve my mobility. Building the muscles around the joints adds more protective cushion from the impact of daily movements. Most people run to look better and feel better. I run today so that I am able to walk tomorrow because I know there will be a day when I no longer can.
My preferred choice of torture exercise is running...hence the title Running with Meds. I started running while panting and gasping wildly walking on a treadmill at the gym about two years ago. (I use a treadmill because it allows more cushion than pavement.) So my plan for this blog is to chronicle my daily struggles, triumphs, disappointments, and challenges while, hopefully, keeping an open mind and a sense of humor. So if you're still reading this, I invite you to run with me....just run slow because I'm not very good at this.
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