The last few months have been pretty ordinary. I’ve had two appointments with Dr. Walker (my rheumy) which both went well. They were just basic, “How are you feeling?” appointments, which is fine since nothing has really been too different. I have really enjoyed working with Dr. Walker. I like his sense of humor, his personality, his knowledge. He’s been really great. He makes me feel comfortable and can joke around with me, yet still be quite caring. I’m glad I didn’t listen to others who told me not to go to him. If I felt like there was something others could do for me that he isn’t already doing, then I would request a referral, but I truly believe that he is doing all he can, and I really appreciate him.
I mentioned to Dr. Walker at my October appointment that I wondered if there was anything I could do to build back my strength. He suggested physical therapy, so now I go to physical therapy every once in a while.
My first physical therapy experience was interesting. Well, actually all of them have been. I talked to the physical therapist for about 5 minutes, then he went and got a list of stretches for me to do, then told me to come back in about 2 weeks. Can I just say that those stretches totally suck. They aren’t even that hard, which is probably why I find them to be even more frustrating. One of them is to sit on the chair and bend over as far as I can. I’m quite pathetic at it. Very much so.
After the first two weeks I had another PT appointment. It literally lasted about 3 minutes. I went in, the physical therapist asked me if I felt the stretches were working, I said no, and he said, “Okay, we’ll have you keep doing them, and check back in another two weeks.” Not even kidding. That was that. So I kept doing them. Didn’t see a whole lot of improvement. When I went back, he gave me some strengthening exercises to do. They, again, are pretty simple, yet they totally kick my butt. I’ve done such a terrible job of doing them. I’ve been okay doing my arm ones, but my leg ones, not as much. It’s just hard to keep going when you’re not seeing any improvement. But I do it to do it. We’ll see if it pays off.
Other than that, nothing else has been going on. I had an EKG on the 19th of December to make sure my heart is still functioning properly, as one of the medications I am on can mess with my heart. I also met with Dr. Garg, my GI to follow-up on said medication (Domperidone). It was another quick and short appointment. I was kind of annoyed because when we got there, the nurse asks, “So what is the reason for this appointment?” Umm, well you guys called me, so why don’t you tell me. But Dr. Garg just asked me a few questions about the medication and swallowing.
It’s been quite an interesting experience. I really have a hard time deciphering how I feel. When people ask me how I feel, I don’t know how to answer. Like, how do I feel compared to when I was healthy? Or, how do I feel compared to this time last year? It’s a hard question to answer. I don’t know if some of the things I’m feeling are “normal” or are something to be concerned about. If I’m still able to perform my daily activities, I just chalk it up to a “scleroderma thing”. It’s never anything I feel to be life-threatening, of course, but when I read about others who go to different doctors for different things, I kind of wonder if I should be more concerned. But I’m not. I just go with the flow and take it.
I mentioned to Dr. Walker at my October appointment that I wondered if there was anything I could do to build back my strength. He suggested physical therapy, so now I go to physical therapy every once in a while.
My first physical therapy experience was interesting. Well, actually all of them have been. I talked to the physical therapist for about 5 minutes, then he went and got a list of stretches for me to do, then told me to come back in about 2 weeks. Can I just say that those stretches totally suck. They aren’t even that hard, which is probably why I find them to be even more frustrating. One of them is to sit on the chair and bend over as far as I can. I’m quite pathetic at it. Very much so.
After the first two weeks I had another PT appointment. It literally lasted about 3 minutes. I went in, the physical therapist asked me if I felt the stretches were working, I said no, and he said, “Okay, we’ll have you keep doing them, and check back in another two weeks.” Not even kidding. That was that. So I kept doing them. Didn’t see a whole lot of improvement. When I went back, he gave me some strengthening exercises to do. They, again, are pretty simple, yet they totally kick my butt. I’ve done such a terrible job of doing them. I’ve been okay doing my arm ones, but my leg ones, not as much. It’s just hard to keep going when you’re not seeing any improvement. But I do it to do it. We’ll see if it pays off.
Other than that, nothing else has been going on. I had an EKG on the 19th of December to make sure my heart is still functioning properly, as one of the medications I am on can mess with my heart. I also met with Dr. Garg, my GI to follow-up on said medication (Domperidone). It was another quick and short appointment. I was kind of annoyed because when we got there, the nurse asks, “So what is the reason for this appointment?” Umm, well you guys called me, so why don’t you tell me. But Dr. Garg just asked me a few questions about the medication and swallowing.
It’s been quite an interesting experience. I really have a hard time deciphering how I feel. When people ask me how I feel, I don’t know how to answer. Like, how do I feel compared to when I was healthy? Or, how do I feel compared to this time last year? It’s a hard question to answer. I don’t know if some of the things I’m feeling are “normal” or are something to be concerned about. If I’m still able to perform my daily activities, I just chalk it up to a “scleroderma thing”. It’s never anything I feel to be life-threatening, of course, but when I read about others who go to different doctors for different things, I kind of wonder if I should be more concerned. But I’m not. I just go with the flow and take it.
