No, lupus doesn't mean you are loopy...

So, training class is officially over as of 1 pm today, and I will be back at my old desk full time come Monday. I know it is just odd that I am happy about having my old desk back, but I am. Of course, I would be even happier if I had every other week off, but we can't have everything, can we?

I went to my rheumatologist today for my normal visit. The PA, the person I normally see, is out until January or February of next year due to health issues, so I saw Dr Kim today. He is a nice guy. Really nice. I told him all about my knee issue but he isn't gonna make me have any injections or anything just yet. He said, basically, once you start injecting cortisone into the joints, it goes downhill from there, and he really wants to avoid any early knee replacements or further bone damage (since cortisone injections can destroy bone). I totally agreed with him - lol. I sure don't want any shots or crap like that. I don't like pain! But he said it may be inevitable down the road. I think I can hold off going down that road for a while....a long while.

He did give me a piece of news that I really did not want to hear. For years, the doctor has been labeling what I have as inflammatory arthritis. But, from the test results and the fact that I always run a low-grade fever and from my consistent low white blood cell counts, he has determined that it is lupus and not inflammatory arthritis as I have been told all this time. But, then Lupus is hard to diagnose and can take years to diagnose, from what I have read. I have been taking Plaquenil for quite some time, and he said as long as I stay on that medication, I should be fine. Still, I think I would rather have the arthritis than lupus - lol. I dunno. It is probably all similar anyway. But still.....

So, I am a bit bummed about that, but there isn't anything I can do about it, since there is no cure for the crap. Blah blah blah. I sound like a whiner, I know. Part of me is relieved in a way, knowing now what it is instead of all this uncertainty. Things could be worse, I know.

I could be held hostage in an 8x8 room, strapped to a chair and being forced to watch Steven Seagal movies 24/7.

That would be WAY worse!