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When it comes to psoriatic arthritis, managing your weight can have significant impacts on your overall health. As reported by the National Psoriasis Foundation, weight loss in conjunction with certain medications can together help improve your symptoms. Carrying less weight will help lessen the burden on your joints and can potentially give you more energy.
However, managing your weight with psoriatic arthritis is difficult. Your joints are achy and swollen. You’re low on energy. And your whole body is inflamed. Conditions aren’t always conducive for a two-mile jog!
Whenever I have a psoriatic arthritis flare, I find myself gaining weight from lack of activity, side effects from medications, and the inflammation all throughout my body.
While we each may have different reasons we’ve gained the weight, I have detailed out my seven tips on ways to manage weight while thriving with your psoriatic arthritis.
Click to read and make sure to share after reading!
I get asked frequently “what are red flags to look out for which may indicate a psoriatic arthritis flare?”
It’s a great question. I wish it was extremely straight forward, but unfortunately each of us are so unique.
I know so many people who experience psoriatic arthritic flares differently. That being said, there are many indicators that you should look out for that absolutely indicate you’re in (or about to) flare.
Malaise, fatigue, psoriasis, joint swelling and pain, eye problems, stomach problems . . . there are many.
I created a slide show with 10 symptoms I believe you should be on the look out for. Click to check out the slides and learn more.
You may experience some, all or none of these in your own experience. Always consult your rheumatologist and/or dermatologist if you believe you’re having a flare up.
It’s important to always be cognizant of your body and take the time to check in.
If you can get ahead of a flare before it gets worse, you’ll be better off in the long run! Be prepared and get a game plan in place for if you run into any of these 10 red flags.
Having a chronic condition can be extremely tough. There are ways that you may be hurting that other’s can’t completely understand.
You can try to explain it, but so many times you can’t understand it unless you’re living with it. Which can be so frustrating!
Here are 2 articles that I wrote for you that may help.
This first one would be a great one to share with others. Let them know if certain parts resonate with you! And if there are things you’d add, make sure to tell them!
This next one is a great resource for you to arm yourself with tools to get others to help you. Asking for help is NOT a form a weakness. On the contrary, asking for help is knowing your limits and knowing that you can’t do EVERYTHING yourself.
We must learn to educate others and ask for help. This may sound crazy, but the people in our lives can’t read out minds! We must speak up and let them know how we’re feeling and what we need.
I hope these two resources can help you! Do you have any suggestions on getting the support you need for your chronic illness? Let me know in the comments below.
Traveling has always been one of my favorite things to do.
Ever since I was young, I’ve always enjoyed seeing new places, cultures, and things. From exploring America, laying on the beaches of the Caribbean, safari-ing (is that even a word?) through the African bush, riding camels on a Tunisian beach with Arabic speaking natives, eating my way through Europe or whatever other trips I can find myself on – I’ve always had a wander lustful heart. I always tried to soak up every moment and never knowingly took the situations for granted.
Having my mobility taken away from me for 3.5 years made me look at things in a different light.
It was during that trip I had the realization that I still could live an awesome life – despite any obstacle that was presented in my way.
Obstacle: Psoriatic arthritis?
Solution: Pacing myself and planning ahead.
Obstacle: Avascular Necrosis (aka why I was on crutches)?
Solution: Planning ahead, renting wheelchairs, and asking for help
The first few trips I took were sobering. I didn’t have the stamina that I had before (my 2012 flare up + disability leave) and had to rest a lot.
I remember going on a trip with my boyfriend at the time and I so badly wanted to keep up with him and his sister’s family. I was in a lot of pain, tired, and would call it a day fairly early. I had never been like that and it was something I wasn’t used to while traveling. That trip, albeit a great one, was a wake-up call to me that things may never be as they were before.
I’d have someone drop me off, I’d check my bag so I wouldn’t have to worry about it, get a wheelchair and be wheeled straight to my gate. Someone would help me on the flight, they’d pick me up at my destination and then either take me to my next flight or take me to baggage claim to get my bag. Once I had my bag, I’d either get them to help me in a cab or go rent a car.
After a while, this routine seemed perfectly normal. To me, dragging my bag behind my crutches didn’t seem like such a big deal at all! I still didn’t have the stamina to walk around or be as active as I’d like – but at least I was confident in going places myself.
When I went out to Colorado to have my stem cell procedure done, I was so bummed because the atmosphere out there was SO active. I wanted to go hiking or biking or walk up to see beautiful views on the top of mountains. And to an extent, I did! I crutched over little rocks and wiggled my way to the top of more easily accessible viewpoints. And it was beautiful! I told myself that I’d be back and next time I’d be back to do all the active activities.
Since my stem cell procedure, I’ve gone on many trips. Mostly for work or advocacy things, but sneaking in a vacation here or there (like this one). But during my trips, I still paced myself. I didn’t walk as much as I wanted to and made sure to take care of me. It was always at the top of my mind.
But at the end of May/beginning of June 2017, my family went on the trip of a lifetime – 12 days to explore 3 of the 8 Hawaiian islands.
We made it to Hawaii 🙂 #FamilyVacation
Up to this point, every trip I had gone on I’d have a twinge of fear that I wouldn’t be able to keep up or do the things I wanted to. But to be honest, that thought never crossed my mind going to Hawaii. I was so excited to see everything.
Every day for 2 months prior, I rode my desk bike hoping to build up my stamina to hike and see all the things I wanted to see. I knew I’d have to build myself up and then make sure to take care of myself when I was there.
My sister and I planned to make sure we had the right food to eat, I brought my Deep Blue, extra supplements and I brought pain pills just in case.
In Hawaii, we hiked up Diamond Head on Oahu, we hiked Waipi’o Valley (which is insane fyi), we hiked to see waterfalls, botanical gardens and more on the Big Island and in Maui, we hiked on the Road to Hana.
To a normally active person, these hikes may not have been a big deal.
But to me, they were huge. This trip was the most active I’ve been in 5 years.
I remember the first time I walked on the beach after my stem cell procedure (read about it here) and to be hiking around Hawaii 2 years later was so amazing.
The significance of what I was doing was never lost on me the entire time we were there.
I swear the whole trip I just kept saying thank you, mahalo, thank you, mahalo, over and over and over again in my head.
I tried to soak up every moment that I could.
At the end of the day, there are a few things I’d like to leave my chronically fabulous friends with as takeaways from my health journey (thus far):
1) Just because you can’t do something now, doesn’t mean you won’t ever be able to do it again.
As life goes on, our plans and goals adjust. The way we’re able to function and do things may need to be altered, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find SOME way to enjoy the things we used to love to do. Maybe it’s not today, but if it’s important to you, you can always find a way. If there’s a will, there’s a way.
2) Pace yourself and listen to your body.
I’m extremely fortunate to be able to walk again. I realize that some are not as lucky as I have been. But, just because I can walk doesn’t mean I can do ANYTHING I want. I still have to modify, I still have to pace myself. Sure, I hiked around the island, but I definitely had pain in the evenings. I doubled my turmeric every day and, eventually, I did end up taking pain pills in the evenings towards the end of the trip. It was a way for me to still enjoy everything I wanted to. There were a few times that I wanted to hike further, but I didn’t. (ok, so my parents forced me not too – but they were right and I was being stupid) We can still enjoy things, but need to PACE.
3) Plan ahead.
My sister and I always have to be careful of what we eat. So planning ahead, bringing food and knowing where I could go and get diet approved foods was really key for me. It helped me not stress out about it and made me feel comfortable.
4) Don’t be afraid to ask for help or support.
If you need help in the airport – ask for it! If you need to park in the handicap spot – don’t feel guilty! If you have to call it a night early, don’t feel bad doing so. You have to take care of you, first. Don’t worry about what others think – they don’t have to live in your body. YOU DO. Ask for help and take it.
5) Enjoy every little moment.
We take so much for granted. Things we wish we could do often cloud our minds. Instead, we need to focus on the things we CAN do and the things we’re grateful for. Make sure to remember this and try not to dwell on what’s lost or what can’t be. Focus on the here and now and what you can do. Embrace every moment the best you can.
RIP Pill-box 🙁
During the trip, I did leave something behind though that I am a little sad about.
I’ve had the same pill-box for the last 5 years. It’s seen me through some pretty rough times and it’s helped hold my supplements to get me better. The little compartments have been falling apart and I knew I needed to get a new one. Since we were going to be gone for 2 weeks, I knew I had to get another box anyway. I bought a new one, filled them both up and took them both to Hawaii. Once I took all the pills in my old one, I left it behind.
It’s weird, but I felt a little sad doing so because that pill-box has been a part of my health journey. BUT, if I had to leave it behind, it was a great place to do so. In a place that I had the opportunity to be active in!
All in all, this trip was the best trip I’ve ever taken in my life.
Mahalo to my parents, Mahalo to my body, Mahalo to life.
The amazing sites we saw, the experiences we had and the personal obstacles I overcame . . . this trip will be EXTREMELY hard to beat!
Have you gone on a vacation, or had an experience, where you overcame personal obstacles as well? I’d love to hear about them! Post about it in the comments below👇👇👇
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Living the #ChronicLife is a 24/7/365 job.
Unfortunately, our conditions don’t take a break during the holiday season.
So how do I help manage my psoriatic arthritis during the holidays? Here are 4 resources for you!
1. 10 Tips For Keeping Your Stress In Check
Here are 10 tips for managing stress and keeping our symptoms in check this holiday season that I recently put together for HealthCentral.
This post originally appeared as a guest post on Painfully Optimistic! Ross, from Painfully Optimistic, asked me to write a guest post for his blog. He’s a wonderful CRPS advocate who is living a great life, despite chronic pain. Make sure to check out his site and follow him on twitter!
3. Think ahead and plan your meals.
Living with chronic conditions usually means that we must be picky about the food we’re eating. (And if you’re not, you probably should be. BUT, you can wait until the new year to tackle that monster!) Last year I put together 101+ recipe Holiday guide. What will you make this year?
This year my diet has changed even more! January 2016 I cut out Poultry and in April 2016 I cut out fish. Since then, I’ve only been eating fruits, veggies and nuts and seeds. I plan on incorporating seafood back into my diet at the beginning of the new year. For thanksgiving, I made tons of sides, cut out the ghee and used coconut oil or EVOO and used flax-seed “eggs” in my stuffing recipe. I can’t lie, I enjoyed every bite tremendously!
Last year I published a post about my Thanksgiving menu (check it out here!) and a lot of people said it was super helpful. I’ve been asked a ton of times already what foods I’ll eat during the holidays and to point them to yummy recipes. Well, here ya go folks!
4. Keep calm and listen to Christmas music.
Music is SO healing to me. I truly think music is medicine for my soul. Here’s a playlist that I use during the holidays to help calm me down and get me smiling 🙂 They’re not in any specific order, so hit shuffle and click play!
In September, I traveled for almost 3 weeks straight. It was a CRAZY month for me.
I can’t lie – I was really worried about how my body would hold up. Through the stem cell FDA hearing, Stanford Medicine X, a WEGO Health all hands meeting in Cape Cod, and an MS Patient Leader Summit in Boston. . . My August flare up was DEFINITELY in the back of my mind.
During my travels, I found out that there was going to be the first ever Psoriatic Arthritis Awareness Day on September 28th! I didn’t have time to blog about it, or really even celebrate for that matter, but better late than never right?
As part of the awareness day activities, Dr. Feldman and psoriatic arthritis patient Christina (Who I’ve had the opportunity to meet a few times!!) were gracious enough to sit for interviews. I wasn’t able to interview these two beautiful women myself, but I sent in questions for them to answer. And they gave a great interview!
I LOVE Christina’s answer on how psoriatic arthritis “Isn’t YOU”!
Make sure to watch this interview and then check out Go PsA Day!
I promise I will DEFINITELY be celebrating Psoriatic Arthritis Awareness Day next year ON September 28th 🙂
I’d be hard pressed to find an autoimmune patient who doesn’t know what a biologic is, but many of them aren’t as familiar with what a biosimilar is. My first reaction to hearing about biosimilars was negative. How could insurance companies just swap out biologics that are working for a patient for a “generic” version. The more you dive into it, the more you’ll realize that a biosimilar IS NOT just a generic form of a biologic. That these new drugs can actually provide a lot of positive benefits, BUT there needs to be regulation around them. This is something that the FDA and our health care system has never dealt with before, since biologics are in a whole drug class of their own.
But first, let’s start at the very beginning… a very good place to start 😉
Are Biosimilars good or are they bad?
So many chronically fabulous patients are on biologics and let’s be honest, biologics can be a scary drug to take! The side effects sometimes can seem like they’re endless. I was talking to a woman who’s 6 year old daughter was diagnosed with JRA at 3 years old. She was first put on Enbrel, but after developing arthritis in her eye, she was switched to Remicade. When she was first put on the biologics the doctor told her mom, it’s not if, it’s when she develops cancer…. What kind of parent or patient wants to hear that?!
Now, that the pharmacy industry is trying to introduce biosimilars in the USA (they’re already available in some other countries) there are concerns whether this will be a good thing or a bad thing.
Many, who are pushing for the introduction of these drugs, are basically saying that they’re generic versions of biologics. It would make sense, except…. Biologics aren’t simply a drug. Biologics are extremely complex.
What are biologics?
According to BIO,“A biologic is manufactured in a living system such as a microorganism, or plant or animal cells. Most biologics are very large, complex molecules or mixtures of molecules. Many biologics are produced using recombinant DNA technology.”
“Most biologics are given by injection. Some are injected under the skin, while others must be injected directly into a vein. One medication, tofacitinib citrate (Xeljanz), is available as a pill taken orally. Biologics provide relief to some patients who do not respond to older drugs. They also have the advantage of fewer side effects. They’re not completely free of side effects, however.
Biologics work by interrupting immune system signals involved in the damage of joint tissue. Many newer drugs target a protein called tumor-necrosis factor (TNF). These drugs are called anti-TNF biologics. Like other DMARDs, biologics affect immune system function. Because of this, they can make a person more susceptible to serious infections. Infections affecting the airways are particularly common. There is also an increased risk of liver damage. The body’s ability to produce new blood cells could also be affected.
Biologics work for more patients because they target specific aspects of the immune system to reduce inflammation in the joints. Any drug that suppresses the immune system carries risks, though. It is important to tell your doctor about any unusual symptoms you experience, such as fever or other symptoms that are not easily explained. For instance, some people may have a dormant infection that can become active after starting biologic therapy. For this reason, it’s important to have a tuberculosis test before taking one of these drugs. People with liver disease may not be eligible to take a biologic drug.”
In an advocacy meeting I had with a Representative Maher, he made such a great point. Biologics and biosimilars are like comparing chemistry and biology.
In chemistry, 1+1 will always equal 2.
In biology, 1+1 could equal an infinite amount of answers depending on an infinite amount of variables.
Biologics need to be handled a specific way, injected or infused a certain way, shipped in a certain way. One small tweak in the process can ruin a whole batch of the biologic. Biologics are living organisms and are very sensitive.
Right now what the industry is trying to do is to make the biosimilars interchangeable with the biologics.
Just like generic drugs are with brand drugs. There are a few concerns with this approach.
Let’s take this example scenario
The FDA approves Biosimilar A (BSA) as an interchangeable biologic to Biologic A (BA).
1. Since biologics are so complex, there’s no guarantee that BSA will work just as effectively as BA for the patient.
2. There are no delivery standards for these drugs, so sure, maybe the chemical make up of BSA and BA are the same, but if they’re not delivered in the same way they may effect a patient differently. This could be as generic from the way it’s made and delivered to the actual way it’s delivered into the patients body ie. Infusion vs. Self-Injection.
In this example, a patient’s insurance company may decide not to cover the original biologic BA and only cover the biosimilar BSA. Many patients are very afraid of this happening! Now insurance companies do it with generic drugs, so why would these drugs be any different? Some patients spend years and years and years trying to find the right medication to help control their symptoms and with the induction of these new drugs they may be forced to switch to something that, not only isn’t the same drug, but may end up being non-effective!
The point it boils down to is this, biologics and biosimilars are NOT the same and should not be regarded as interchangeable.
Biosimilar Opportunities?
I always looked at biosimilars in a negative light, BUT! There are some really great opportunities on the horizon because of biosimilars as well.
Benefit 1. Right now there is NO competition in the biologic space. That’s why it can easily cost $2,500 per month for a biologic drug. With the induction of biosimilars, there will easily be a 30/40% reduction in the price of these drugs. This WILL create competition in the market and hopefully bring the cost of the biologics down as well.
Benefit 2. With the induction of these new drugs, there will now be more treatment options to explore. It’s one thing for the insurance company to mandate you to take one Biosimilar over a biologic, but it’s another to actively choose to try a Biosimilar. Who knows, some of these news drugs may end up being more effective than what we have now. Only time will tell!
Biosimilars can be a great pathway to helping drive down prices in the biologic space and can really offer patients more treatment options. The main issue is that there needs to be legislation surrounding the interchangeability of these compounds and how that will all work. Right now, generics can interchangeably be filled for a brand drug. Because biologics and biosimilars are different than brand vs. generic, there are several states trying to pass and introduce bills to help regulate it.
While in Harrisburg for the Advocacy Day, we talked with our Representatives and Senators to support a bill that would mandate communication between pharmacists and doctors regarding the interchangeability of biosimilars and biologics.
ISSUE: Biosimilar Substitution
In any instance of a Biosimilar product substitution for a biologic medicine, prescriber communication is essential.
The background of the bill:
– Biosimilars are complex genetically engineered products which offer new treatment opportunities for people with forms of inflammatory autoimmune arthritis and other chronic diseases.
– Through special review processes conducted by the FDA some of these Biosimilar products may be deemed to be therapeutically equivalent of interchangeable with an original biologic or reference product.
– In the future, interchangeable biosimilars recognized by the FDA may be substituted for an approved biologic.
– As both biologics and biosimilars are complex treatments requiring careful therapeutic monitoring, pathways for substitution require communication and transparency in all pharmacy transactions.
Our requests were:
– Communication to the patient upon substitution
– Communication to the prescriber within 48 hours of the substitution
– Retention of substitution records for a minimum of 5 years
– Permit a physician to override to substitution where patients are stable on a prescribed biologic
– Biosimilar medications must be approved by the FDA as therapeutic equivalent and interchangeable to original biologic
– Biosimilar medications must have an individualized and unique name noticeably different than the reference biologic.
Everyone we talked to seem to agree that the bill would do a whole heck of a lot of good and there really aren’t any downfalls to the bill. After spending the day talking a lot about biosimilars, I think that their introduction into our health system is going to do a lot of good!
Acupuncture is a wonderful treatment for pain management. Avascular necrosis (AVN) of the knee and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are extremely painful on their own, let alone combined! My knee was finally settling down and the complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) was pretty much gone. The AVN specialist that I was seeing at the time said that he wouldn’t recommend a joint replacement. He wanted me to wait and see if I could get my pain to a tolerable level so that I could walk on my leg until my femur completely collapsed. I wasn’t really convinced this was the best approach to helping my avascular necrosis (AVN), but I looked to the ‘specialist’ to give me the best advice.
Going to a pain management doctor who mixed eastern and western medicine was amazing. I was nervous at first because I had no idea what I was getting into, but in the end it was so worth it.
Yup, I have a Disney World shirt on. We just came back from Florida… ok!? My Mom will probably kill me for putting this picture of her up. haha Love you Mom 🙂
The first time I went my Mom came with me. As we were sitting in the examination room waiting for the doctor to come in we speculated on how it would go. Would I be laying down on a table? Would he put the needles in my back? My leg? My face? I had seen pictures of acupuncture before and that’s what my picture of the treatment was.
The Doc came in and was so positive, as usual. His enthusiasm and positivity was infectious. It’s so wonderful to have a doctor who really radiates the feeling that he can help you and manage your pain. I can honestly say they are few and far between out there. He explained that he would put the needles in ‘sweet spots’, as he called them, on my knee and would hook up an stim machine to send electronic pulses through the needles. This would help to reset and redirect my nerves.
He had me just sit in a chair and 1,2,3 *pop* hit the needles into the sweet spot. I thought it would hurt more than it did. I will say when he would hit a ‘really sweet spot’ it would hurt a lot more. But it would sting for maybe 3 seconds and that was it. The stim machine attached onto the needles just like jumper cables hook up to a car battery. And that was it! I sat there for 20-30 minutes and let the machine happen. The first couple times I was tense and I would consciously need to relax my body at first, but when the treatment was over my whole body was so relaxed. What other pain management treatment makes you feel like you just had a yoga session?
When I first had my consultation he mentioned a ‘magic bullet’ for anxiety and I wasn’t leaving before I had that bullet! Once my acupuncture session was over the pain management Doc came in, took out the needles and then would get out the supplies for the anxiety magic bullet. To my surprise it was a 24 karat gold needle that he stuck at the top of both of my ears. They came with a little magnet and whenever I was feeling anxious I was supposed to take that magnet, put it over the gold needle and twist it back and forth. The great thing about the magic bullet was that it was hitting a ‘sweet spot’ that would automatically help me lower my anxiety anyways. They were to stay in my ear until they fell out. Sometimes I would realize when they fell out and others I had no idea. They would stay in about 3-4 days. I was going to see the Doc once a week so the next trip he would put it back in. Honestly, at this point I was really tired of having anxiety and wanted to get rid of it so bad. I was trying EVERYTHING in my power to get rid of it. After getting this ‘magic bullet’ about 4 times my anxiety level went from about a 10 to a 3. This part of the treatment alone was WORTH IT!
The Doc said that I probably wouldn’t see any results, in terms of pain management, and if I did it would be temporary. Apparently it would take a good 4ish sessions before I would really start seeing results. So going into the second treatment I was excited to see what he thought of how the first session went.
He was overly positive and said that these treatments were really going to help me. This time he wanted to try something else to help me get the swelling down which he believed would also help in my pain management. The second session he introduced me to cupping. I had heard of it before, but really wasn’t sure how it worked. He had these little suction cup things that he would pump onto my leg. As he suctioned them on it would putt my skin into the cup. It looked crazy weird. It was a weird feeling, but it didn’t hurt. Between the suction cups he put the acupuncture needles in. I mentioned to him that my right wrist really bothers me from time to time as well from the psoriatic arthritis. He ended up putting a needle in my hand as well. That one little needle in my hand helped my wrist tremendously. There was a long time where I thought I possibly had carpal tunnel because every time I would use my laptop my wrist and arm would go numb and would hurt. I spent years wearing a splint on my wrist at night to immobilize it hoping that giving it rest would help it. Nope! Never really helped. All I needed was for an asian doctor to stick a needle into it! 😉 haha!!! (the OVERLY simplified fix- right? lol)
My leg looked so funny after cupping. The Doc said that the more it bruised the better it worked. The first time I really didn’t have lasting bruises. Of course I had these circles on my leg for a few hours, but then they would go away. It wasn’t until later treatments where I would get bruises that looked like giant hickeys on my leg! haha!
At this point in my pain management regiment my knee wasn’t extremely swollen. It was not like a regular knee, but it definitely wasn’t what it had been the previous 8 months. After a few cupping and acupuncture sessions my knee looked almost normal! For the FIRST TIME IN A YEAR AND A HALF my knee looked like my right knee! I was BLOWN away! I couldn’t even believe it. I had tried so many different things- my own stim machine, ice, heat, anti-inflammatories, rest, elevation, meditation, yoga, physical therapy, essential oils, the list could go on and on – but this really helped get the swelling down.
I continued going to see the pain management doctor for acupuncture and cupping sessions for a good 8 or 9 weeks. At that point we decided that I would only need to come in on an as needed basis. I left him in September and I actually haven’t been back since. (Now that I think about it, I’m not sure why I haven’t been back to see him. I should make an appointment because my wrist is going numb while I type this!)
After September I can honestly say that my knee pain has been at a ‘manageable’ level. And you need to take that with a grain of salt because the avascular necrosis pain and burning really won’t go away until I correct the dead bone.
I received my acupuncture treatments from a doctor who attended medical school in China. I cannot attest to acupuncture treatments done at other places. I would recommend trying this treatment out to anyone who has any kind of pain. And not even pain- my anxiety was helped TREMENDOUSLY by this treatment!
Have you ever had acupuncture treatments done before? I’d love to hear your experiences! Leave them in the comments below. And feel free to ask any questions that you may have 🙂
During the follow up to my June nerve block my pain doctor said that I needed to start weening myself off the meds. I had been on them for the past year soooooo I.was.scared! My pain had progressively been getting better, but it was still there. Avascular necrosis causes pain and burning sensations that really won’t go away until the problem is fixed. It was still at a point where it was not bearable to live a normal life. I asked for suggestions on where to turn to for other pain management remedies. After thinking for a second he referred me to another pain management doctor who specializes in acupuncture. This doctor actually had my current pain management doctor as a fellow and practiced western medicine with a mix of eastern medicine. He said that he could definitely come up with an acupuncture plan to help my avascular necrosis (AVN), complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). It sounded great to me and I immediately book an appointment!
I was able to see this new doctor in July 2013 and I was really excited to hear what he has to say. From the moment the new doctor walked into my examination room I knew I liked him. He had reviewed all of my pain management doctor’s notes and was up to speed on where I was. The one thing that surprised him though was the state of my knee. He said he expected it to be much worse that it looked. To him, he said that the Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) was pretty much gone and all of the nerve blocks and treatments that my doctor had given me had been really successful. We talked about how the Avascular Necrosis (AVN) specialist wanted me to try to get my pain down to a tolerable amount where I could walk on my knee for another 10 years before getting a knee replacement. Right off the bat he was so positive and so certain that he could help me. He said that he would do acupuncture and cupping on my knee and that he could help get my pain down so I could walk on it. Thankfully he said that the state my knee was currently in was the perfect state to start the treatment. Had I come any earlier he would have told me my knee wasn’t ready to handle the treatment and to continue with the nerve blocks.
We agreed I’d stop with the nerve blocks for the Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and I would start coming once a week for acupuncture to help manage the pain for avascular necrosis and psoriatic arthritis. He also informed me that he had a ‘magic bullet’ that he would put in my ear that would help me get rid of my anxiety. Once he said that I was 150% sold on the idea.
The first week of August I booked my first session and eagerly awaited! Read about it here!
