Communication is Critical

Those of us who fight for motion, against RA, know how important a good relationship is with one's doctor. That being said, I just had a lesson in why this is important, which I wanted to share.

For the last couple months, my left leg seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. It hurt far worse than my right leg. Well, everyone "knows" that RA is typically bi-lateral, so what I was experiencing must be either neurological or something else, right? WRONG!

I ended up buying a cane and was starting to adjust to the fact that my ability to get around was going to be more limited. I've mentioned before that I've got a great doctor, so I figured I should go see him, just to make sure there was nothing that could be done to help what was happening.

He did the typical doctor things... pulling, poking, prodding, etc. When he was done, he said this isn't neurological. If it was, the whole leg would be involved, not just the joints. It also wasn't a blood clot or anything else he could identify, so that just left RA.

We talked about treatment options, the fact that I hate Prednisone, and how we could knock down this weird flare. He was going to prescribe a Medrol Dose Pack, but instead simply gave me the pills with a list of how many to take, when.

After a few days, it was like my legs were almost back to normal. The point being don't settle. Talk to your doctor and keep fighting for motion.