David is a full time permanent employee again! You may recall that his company in New Jersey had him on a trial period as a remote employee. The trial period is over. He will continue working for them from home in Texas! We are so thankful for God’s Providence.

Above is a photograph a friend of ours took to express our emotions right now. We got to move back to Texas. We didn’t have to go on COBRA. David got the job. His Psoriatic Arthritis is in remission. We are so blessed! But we know that even if things get bad again, even if David goes back to having flares that leave him bedridden, God is in control.

So, please check out our friends photography at Still Light Media!

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• Praise God for His Providence
• Things Are Going Really Well
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I’m sorry I haven’t been blogging much lately. Things are going really well. And when things are going really well, there isn’t much for me to blog about.

David’s Psoriatic Arthritis is still in remission. He still has pain every day, but he’s able to do quite a bit. For instance, this weekend Bro #3 graduated from high school. We celebrated Friday and Saturday with family and attended the actual graduation ceremony. Sunday morning, David was still able to attend church services!

Thanks to me having regular chiropractic care again, and another adjustment on my night guard by my TMJ Disorder specialist, my jaw is better than ever. I have had steak twice. I have been very happy with my current jaw status. I rarely had pain, and could eat almost anything I wanted. I never dreamed I’d be well enough to eat steak again.

My insterstitial cystitis has been almost non-existent since we got back to Texas. My job at the law firm is going well, and I’ve got a nice part time schedule again.

We are so thankful to be back in Texas and (relatively) healthy!

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• What I Wish I’d Known the Day My Husband Was Diagnosed With Psoriatic Arthritis
• Answers
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This was originally posted on April 25, 2009. It was the second blog post I wrote. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come. And to know David’s arthritis could be this bad again.

My husband, David has Psoriatic Arthritis. He was diagnosed a year ago, at age 23. He’s only ever had mild psoriasis on his scalp. We actually didn’t know it was psoriasis until the rheumatologist told us. David has a family history of rheumatoid arthritis, so we were relieved to know he does not have the rheumatoid factor, although I recently learned that it could develop into rheumatoid arthritis.

David takes several different medications. The rheumatologist thinks he should go into remission. It could be today, it could be next year. There’s no time frame. The cold really bothers him, as do changes in the barometric pressure. He takes two or three baths a day with epsom salts. He sees a chiropractor a few times a week, and gets a massage or two every month.

And still, with all that, he’s in constant pain. It’s miserable.

The arthritis is so bad we’re selling our beautiful home because David can’t handle the stairs when he has a flare up. The last severe flare up completely immobilized him. I couldn’t leave him. My parents brought us meals. His parents brought us groceries. We need to be closer to our family in case it happens again.

Everyone keeps telling David he needs to exercise. But how exactly is he supposed to do that when it’s a struggle to get out of bed in the morning?

The arthritis is quite a strain on our marriage. David goes to work and then crashes at night. He’s not up to going on dates. Most evenings we’re sitting at home watching a movie. We can’t go to the movie theatre because it’s difficult for David to sit in the chairs for so long. If we take the dog for a walk, it’s a good day. But there is no going to the mall, no bowling or putt-putt. No fairs, no opera. Nothing that requires sitting or standing for any length of time.

David can’t help around the house. He can’t help me move furniture or bring in groceries. Sometimes without thinking I’ll ask him to help me with something. And sometimes he does something stupid like play duck duck goose with kids at church. Then he’s in agony for days afterwards, and I’m resentful.

Even though it totally sucks that my husband has PSA, we really are very blessed. David has a good job. He can even work from home when he’s having a very bad day. Frankly, the fact that he’s still able to work is a huge blessing. We have health insurance. Our family lives nearby. We have the prayers and support of our church. And you know, at least we know what’s wrong, and he’s being treated.

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• The Chronic Illness
• David’s Psoriatic Arthritis is in Remission!
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Check out my guest post over at Healing Well.

Matthew 6:25-27 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Even though David’s psoriatic arthritis is in remission, we don’t know how long it will last. We are really enjoying a more “normal” life right now, but I still struggle with fear and anxiety.

The last time David saw the awful New Jersey rheumatologist, he would only write a script for a 90 day supply of Humira instead of the typical 12 month supply doctors usually send to the Humira Patient Assistance Program. When I called to order another shipment (they send one 90 day supply at a time), they reminded me he’d need another script.

I told them the name of David’s new rheumy, and they said they didn’t have her info in their system. No big deal. They said they’d contact her and fax her portion of the paperwork.

But, I felt nervous. What if they didn’t have her info because she refused to work with Humira or something? Sounds silly, I know. After my experiences with David’s first rheumatologist and COBRA though, it’s not that farfetched.

Then I started worrying about the rheumy giving us a hard time since David still hasn’t had the lab work done that she ordered. He’s so busy at work right now, and Saturdays we try to rest so that we can attend church on Sundays. We really miss our doctors in Texas with labs in their office. He needs to have the lab work done. It is important. But I was terrified his medicine would be delayed. I worried that he’d have a flare while we were moving.

The doctor sent us the paperwork, saying we needed to fill out our portion. Her office didn’t know we’d done our portion months ago. David took the doctor’s portion to his office and faxed it.

In the past, a rep from the Patient Assistance Program has called me within 24 hours of receiving David’s paperwork. Busy packing, I waited several days. They didn’t call. I worried. I asked David again if he’d faxed it. Not only had he faxed it, but he had the confirmation page.

Finally I called them. They had received the doctor’s portion. Everything was fine. The rep put me on hold while he verified the pharmacy department had received the script.

While I was on hold, I became terribly anxious. What if they said we had to resubmit our portion of the paperwork? Our part is good for one year, but that had always been with a one year script. And what if they thought it was odd we were moving back to Texas, but the doctor was in New Jersey? What if they gave me a hard time about shipping to a new address?

What if David couldn’t get the Humira any more?

Finally, I told myself, “These are the Humira people! They didn’t give you a hard time when you moved from Texas to New Jersey. They’ve never hassled you about anything. They’ve never had to speak with David to authorize or verify anything. They’ve been incredibly accommodating. They have always believed everything you’ve said!”

And they did. They had everything they needed. They were perfectly courteous and professional as always.

David’s next shipment will arrive a few days after we move home. God continues to provide for us, and I shouldn’t panic when I refill David’s Humira. Letting my thoughts spiral into worst case scenarios is great for writing fiction, but not healthy for real life.

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• David’s Psoriatic Arthritis is in Remission!
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The day David was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis we learned several things. One, David has psoriasis. He thought he merely had dandruff. Two, he had Psoriatic Arthritis, which we’d never heard of. David and I both felt pretty good when we left the rheumatologist’s office. We had a name for David’s terrible back pain. The doctor was starting him on medication, sending him for x-rays and a bone scan. The rheumatologist said he’d soon be in remission.

We were so naive. The rheumatologist was overly optimistic. (A year later he was fired.) Here’s what I wish I’d known the day my husband was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis.

1. Remission is not as easy as the doctor makes it sound. David was diagnosed in February 2008. He didn’t go into remission until December 2010. He got much, much worse than he was the day he was diagnosed before he got better.

2. Remission does not mean you’ll be doing everything you were doing before the diagnosis. David still has pain every day. He’ll probably never go back to playing softball, racquetball and wakeboarding. We are extremely grateful that he is doing as well as he is. But it’s not like it was before the diagnosis. Remission does not mean cured.

3. Your life will completely change. This is a really big deal.

David and Me Just Before the Diagnosis

4. Try alternative medicine. Seriously. I’m amazed at how holistic we’ve become. Hello? I’m the Diet Coke Queen. I’ve always believed in eating lots of fruits and vegetables and exercising, but I’m the last person you’d ever expect to hear singing the praises of acupuncture and chiropractic care. It’s shocking to me to see organic milk and produce in my shopping cart today. Alternative medicine has been incredibly helpful for David.

5. There are other young people with chronic illnesses. I wish I’d gotten online to look for chronic illness communities and blogs sooner. Rest Ministries, RA Warrior, my friend Kerri at Living With Chronic Illness and so many other sites have given me so much encouragement. I wish I’d known about them the day David was diagnosed.

6. Say yes every time someone offers to help. Chronic illness is very humbling. Get over your pride. Fast.

What do you wish you’d known the day you received your diagnosis?

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• How David Copes With Psoriatic Arthritis Pain
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This is a post I’ve wanted to be able to write for a long time!

Yesterday, I blogged about David’s appointment with his new rheumatologist. As the nurse was asking David what medications he was taking, David mentioned that he has been taking less than one pain pill a week. I knew he was taking less, but I didn’t realize how much less. The only other medication he’s been taking is Humira.

Since December, David has been off of most of his medication. He has been in better moods, he has only flared when he’s done too much, and even then, they were mild flares.

Throughout his appointment, David talked. He answered ninety percent of the questions asked. At past appointments, I’ve done at least fifty percent of the talking. He volunteered information he thought the doctor might like to know. It was pretty amazing.

And then it happened. The rheumatologist said the R word. David’s Psoriatic Arthritis is in remission! Thank you, Lord!

He has to continue Humira, and he’ll keep pain medicine on hand in case he flares, but that’s it. He still is in pain every day, but it’s much less pain than he has experienced in the past. He has more stamina. He’s been in a great mood for the past three months. He still has to be careful not to strain his body. Walking and swimming are okay at this point, but running and wakeboarding are not okay.

We don’t know how long the remission will last. There are no guarantees. Humira is not a cure. David will live with Psoriatic Arthritis for the rest of his life.

The remission may have been caused by a combination of all the medication David was taking, the acupuncture and chiropractic care getting his pain under control. The easy, gradual changes in the weather here in New Jersey may also have played a part.

However it happened, we know God has blessed David with remission. We know the prayers of our friends and family have been answered. Thank you. Thank you for reading about our journey with Psoriatic Arthritis. Thank you for praying with us.

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• The Psoriatic Arthritis
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It was a rough weekend. The hours at my part time job have changed so I’m no longer driving home in rush hour traffic. This has taken a lot of stress off me. However, Friday afternoon there was a chemical spill on I-635. It took me three hours to get home. It was insane.

David’s arthritis has been pretty bad lately. David had to leave church early two Sundays in a row in January. His back and neck hurt too much for him to sit down that long. Sunday week he had to take a pain pill before church so he’d be able to make it through the services. Yesterday he was bedridden.

This is so frustrating and discouraging, especially since David’s Humira injections have increased to every 10 days instead of every 14. He’s supposed to be going into remission! Why is he flaring now? He’s gone all winter without being bedridden.

David’s job search continues. He’s been approached by a few out of state companies looking to hire a developer with his particular skills. We’ll see what happens.

Thank you all so much for your prayers!

Love,
A Young Wife

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• David’s Psoriatic Arthritis is in Remission!
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On May 15, I’ll be walking with Henry in the 2010 Dallas Arthritis Walk. I am so excited about this! I didn’t even know there were walks for arthritis until a friend mentioned one of her friends was doing this. David is considering doing the one mile walk. This seems like a great opportunity to raise awareness about arthritis in young people. Here’s my Arthritis Walk Webpage if you’d like to learn more or make a donation.

Have you signed up for Swagbucks yet? It’s an Internet Search engine with reward points. You can use the reward points for magazine subscriptions, gift cards, books, toys and more!

Here’s an intriguing article on MRSA and the over-use of antibiotics. This sort of thing grabs my attention because David takes immuno-suppresion drugs for his arthritis, and he is more susceptible to infection than the average person.

This article on how being overweight may decrease the chances of arthritis going into remission was quite interesting.

And one more random thing. I feel like I should tell my readers that I typically respond to comments via email. It suddenly occured to me that someone looking at the comments might think I was ignoring people. I love getting comments, and I typically respond to each comment with an email, that way I’m sure the commenter sees what I said.

Love,
A Young Wife

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I’m seeing signs. Signs of remission.

First of all, we’ve had rain and cold fronts pass through without the drastic flares that leave David bedridden.

Second, two nights in a row this week, David came home from work and didn’t head straight upstairs to soak his back. We actually ate dinner at the table. (The table in the kitchen. Not the table with the Christmas tree.)

Third, the last time David worked out he complained that his KNEES were sore from swimming. Not his back or neck. His knees.

Lastly, several people have told me they can tell a difference. One person said he looks happier. A couple people said he looks like he’s moving around better. One friend even told me his color looks better.

I’d say the Psoriatic Arthritis is very close to being in remission. Thursday night he had another Humira injection. He didn’t have to go to my parents’ house so they could help him. I held my hand over his, and he pushed the button within two minutes. No screaming involved, thank you Jesus.

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement! I’m really hopeful.

Love,
A Young Wife

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• Humira and Worrying
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Not much to report. David’s not in remission. However, he didn’t flare this weekend even though we had rain. We were very thankful for that, but I’m still anxious for his arthritis to be in remission.

It feels like we’re on hold. Just waiting for David’s back to be better.

We pray a lot, and we’re so thankful to everyone who prays for us.

We used to dance. In high school and in college. We did country western and swing. Actually, we knew how to waltz and foxtrot, but David didn’t like those dances very much. There’s a video tape of us somewhere. I’ll have to ask David to upload the video. You just wouldn’t believe the way he could lift me and flip me around. It seems like that was ten or twenty years ago, and really it was only three.

Today I feel like an old wife. Like we’ve been through so much more than any couple our age could possibly have been through. You know, that’s one cliche that’s never bothered me. When people find out David has Psoriatic Arthritis, they often say, “But he’s too young to be so sick!” That’s never bothered me. Usually, my response is, “I know.”

So, what’s going on in your life? Are you ready for Thanksgiving? Talk to me. Tell me something interesting while I’m on hold.

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