Fatigue You Can’t Hold me down..Oatmeal You are No Help..lol

The other day I mentioned to a friend I was exhausted and was headed home early to turn in. My friend replied that I should eat Oatmeal for breakfast, as she had started eating Oatmeal and it has been giving her energy for the day, SMH!! Now, If the Quaker Oatmeal man can cure the fatigue of RA, I would have bought stock in Quaker years ago. But Oatmeal doesn’t do squat for fatigue. So I came across this article which was shared by a participant of  an online support group and decided I must share as Fatigue is one of the underline issues of RA that many people tend not to acknowledge.  However, on those days when you either just can’t get out of the bed, or you just can’t wait to get home to get in bed, you are reminded that Fatigue is part of RA. And contrary to popular belief, feeling tired and fatigue are DIFFERENT.

Mastering the Impact of Fatigue in Rheumatoid Arthritis

http://www.hss.edu/conditions_mastering-impact-fatigue-ra.asp

Hey Doc..You work for me…So join my team..

I had a chance to read an article “Five Reasons Why People Don’t Ask Their Doctors Questions” and they are the following:

1. Fear
2. The Doctor Knows Best
3. Not Wanting to interrupt
4. Not being asked by their doctor if they have any questions
5. Patients feel rushed

Now I think these are all key reasons as to why people don’t ask their doctors questions. I have experienced all of these reasons, I was intimidated by my doctor for reason number 2 and 5.  Initially I did all the listening and didn’t ask questions, however, I would have a ton of questions later on in the day, but by then it didn’t matter because the doctor wasn’t there. Duh! I received advice to write down my questions and I followed through on that advice, except for the part of actually asking the questions (Reason#3). So again, useless…lol.

For me I had to do a paradigm shift to ensure my questions would get asked. The way I became successful at asking questions was to look at my doctor as someone who works for me and was on my team. When I changed my point of view, I didn’t care if he was in a hurry or if I thought the questions were a bit stupid. I had to remember that I am paying this person for a service, and just like the person I pay for any other service, I expect the service to be completed to my satisfaction, and the same goes for my doctor. When I began to look at my doctor as a member of my team it took the intimidation factor out of the equation and I started to ask all my questions. Now, I don’t care if he has one foot out the door, I am STILL TALKING until I am satisfied… I am paying for a service and I expect the best.. and so should YOU!

Do you have any tips you use to help ensure you get the most out of your doctor visits??

Old Man Winter Never Looked so GOOD….

Ok, I realize I have been neglecting my fashion obligations so I am writing this post for all my sick fashionistas who want to look good even when they don’t feel good. For me there are a few key things cold weather fashions must possess for it to be worthy of spending my hard earned cash:

1. Lightweight. When you have Rheumatoid Arthritis, your body is achy and your joints are swollen making the slightest bit of weight feel like a thousand pounds. Therefore instead of the heavy, bulky items, I searched high and low for warm, thin, insulated items that didn’t make me feel like I was wearing a heavy suit of armor.

2. Fabulous and Non-Trendy. Because staying warm in the winter months are important, I selected items that I could carry over into next winter, without looking like it was last winter. In order to achieve this, I avoided items with a huge brand labeling and stuck to classics, such as belted wool coats and colors that stand the test of time such as Black, Grey and Navy.

So here a few of my favorite designers that incorporate the most important items a fabulous sick chick needs to endure the cold.

http://zapp.me/7653783

Columbia: The brand is synonyms with warmth and comfort, and this coat lives up to it’s reputation. It is perfect for the cold winter days as well as the milder days. It is very light in weight and fashionable, with a great belt to give you that slim waist line every girl loves to show off. The color is classic and the style can go with jeans or slacks and snow boats or stilettos..Great all around winter coat and it looks better in person with a beautiful scarf.

http://amzn.com/B0018P2DQA

Pajar: Now, I don’t have these exact boots, mine have fur around the top of the boot. I love, love these boots. Pajar may not be as familiar to everyone as UGG or Sorel, but it is a great quality brand. Their boots are easy to get on and off and lightweight. I have had them for a while and I get compliments on them all the time. They match with all my winter coats and my feet never get cold. My favorite thing about these boots are the comfort level, typically I have to wear orthopedic insoles but not with these boots, “These boots are made for walking”, so corny,,but so true.

Medicine Payment Assistance Options..

As many of you may know I am an advocate for those struggling to afford medication. Why? Because unfortunately, medications that really help you live your life as great as possible with Rheumatoid Arthritis can be very expensive. So I have been spending some much needed time researching insurance benefits coverage plan booklets. Now a new thing the insurance companies utilize are formulary tiers for medications. Of course, majority of the RA medicines such as Remincade, Celebrex and Humira are on the higher tiers, which means they have the highest out of pocket co-payments. However, I have discovered there is hope in regards to securing better pricing options. Depending on your situation , you may be able to request a “Tiering Exception”. If the medication is medically necessary and alternatives do not work or cause damaging side effects, your doctor can make a written request to lower the medication to a more affordable tier.

Now, I do not know of the success rate, but if your medication co-payments are draining your bank account, I think this is something that is definitely worth investigating.

Also, You may want to check out the following link for other options and resources for financial assistance.

www.medicareinteractive.org

Darvocet Recall Help

If you are like me, Darvocet is one of the few pain killers that help you have a progressive day. It helps you function as much as a person can without many harmful side effects such as nausea, ulcers and headaches. Now, it is not the answer for everyone, but for many, it truly does help them navigate through life with a manageable amount pain. For those who have suffered complications, I believe they should add additional warning labels on the containers, after all this medication has been around helping those in pain for over 50 years. Not to mention, they offer a generic version at a very affordable price. So if you believe that Darvocet should be placed back on the market with either further research into the complication claims or with additional disclaimers, PLEASE PLEAS PLEASE send you request to the following addresses below:

Public Citizen (The Group that pushed for the recall)
Main office is:1600 20th Street NW
Washington DC
Phone is 202-588-1000
E-mail them at hrg1@citizen.org

Food and Drug Administration
10903 New Hampshire Ave.
Silver Springs MD 20993-0002 PHONE 1-888-463-6332 also 301-796-8460
http://www.fda.gov or drug info@fda.hhs.gov or OSHI@fda.hhs.gov

 

Let our voices be heard, we deserve the best medical treatment and the best life possible.