I Am Medication Free! For Now, Anyway……..

Right now I am medication free! No, I have not forsaken the wonders of modern medicine in any way shape or form, but in careful consultation with my rheumatologist I am taking nothing at the moment. How long this will be the case, I am unsure: we will reassess in February. If anything goes belly up, I’ll just make a phone call.

NEVER CHANGE YOUR MEDICATIONS WITHOUT YOUR DOCTOR’S APPROVAL.

Why is this happening? The medication I was on, my second inflammatory arthritis medication, was GREAT for the arthritis. However, it is considered not so great for my skin. This is my left arm a couple of days after the biopsies. This is the worst patch, always has been the problem area. Ignore the scar circled in black – that was the result of having a run-in, literally, with a broken fire extinguisher. The area circled in green is one of the biopsy sites.

Why is my suture not covered? Well, the steri strips started to come off, so I soaked them off. I can not use bandaids of any sort any more, my skin is so fragile – I remove them and the skin comes with them. Rather nasty, so I just don’t go there. It is bandages after bllod tests these days.

About two years ago we investigated my skin and it was then diagnosed as photosensitive eczema. It looked a little different back then. This November I have a completely different diagnosis. This does not mean the original diagnosis was incorrect – things change. In 2016 I was on different medications. Around the time of that first diagnosis I changed my arthritis medication and early this year (2018) I ceased taking medication for my hyperthyroid, having undergone radioactive iodine treatment. So a few changes in the two years.

My skin diagnosis now is atypical psoriasis, believed to be exacerbated (considerably) by my arthritis medication. My dermatologist discussed the matter with my rheumatologist and off the medication it is! I am starting UV B light therapy in the new year – can’t wait! I say atypical because it looks more like subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) (per dermatologist) than psoriasis, but the biopsies, thankfully, told a different story.

My nails, which usually readers never see due to my passion for polish, look like this. Not all the time, it comes and goes, but the little fingers are particularly unhappy at the moment.

The next medication in line for me, agreed to by my dermatologist, rheumatologist and gastroenterologist, is methotrexate. By the time I saw my rheumatologist, I had been medication-free for a month and I don’t feel too bad at all. I asked about the possibility of seeing how I go without any medication. Other medical professionals are investigating some other symptoms I’m experiencing, some of my blood tests have been a bit erratic – it might be easier to isolate a cause if I’m medication free. That consideration aside, the less medication the better makes me happy. Methotrexate only takes four weeks to “kick in” and I’m certainly not going to be a martyr about it – if I feel I’m going downhill, I’ll be in my rheumatologist’s office very quick smart. I have backup medications in case I flare.

As I have to change medication anyway, it is an opportune time to try and see what happens. My arthritis related blood tests have improved considerably since late 2014 when I was diagnosed.

So how am I finding it? My feet have niggled at me a few times, both my knees are slightly grumpy at night if I walk too much during the day, the base of my thumbs hurt a little bit with certain grip actions (think holding my drink bottle to unscrew the top). If I have a really busy day I do stiffen up at night – but then that is not exactly new, I don’t think it has gotten worse – it is also more likely related to the degenerative changes in my lumbar spine than the arthritis. Other than that, I can’t complain. I swam 1,100 metres today, the first time I’ve managed a swim session over 1,000 metres for quite some time. I did 40 minutes strength training yesterday, my quad strength is actually improving. I did 9,000 steps (accidentally) on Thursday with no ill effects.

My biggest concern is my fatigue/lethargy may return. For me, that was a major problem. Settling the thyroid helped, of course. Now my bloods are indicating my parathyroid is not behaving – endocrinologist appointment in January to try to get to the bottom of that.

The BEST part is I can go out in the sun – sensibly, of course. I’ve spent two years avoiding any sunlight because of my skin, slathering sun cream from head to toe: slip, slop, slapping to within an inch of my life. Yes, I still have to be Sun Smart, but at least I can be normally Sun Smart now instead of paranoid! I also feel better psychologically: I felt as if I was a constant Seasonal Affective Disorder patient.

I don’t know if I will stay free of medication for the arthritis. I see this as an experiment. I do seem to be susceptible to the side effects of medications so if I can stay as healthy as I am now, I’ll be happy. Any deterioration, I’ll be in my rheumatologist’s office. It takes a while for the drug to wash out of one’s system, so I won’t really know for three months – I’m only a third of the way through.

I am very grateful to my specialists for allowing me to try this. It would not be an ideal option for a lot of patients, I know. I am certainly not recommending what I am doing and would definitely NOT be doing it without having discussed all the pros and cons with my guardian angel doctors. I am monitoring myself carefully.

The physical fitness and strength I’ve slowly spent four years building back up has certainly helped me manage my condition so far, but no, there is no guarantee by itself it is enough.

We shall see – wish me luck!