I can’t believe it’s been 3 months since my last acupuncture post. So sorry! If you follow my blog, Instagram or Facebook page you know there has been a lot going on with my health so finding time to write has been hard. I have been dealing with my worst iritis flare to date and just can’t seem to shake it. I am back on oral prednisone and have been using a stronger steroid eye drop called Durezol. My eye doctor suggested I see my rheumatologist because at this point my body is not responding to the standard treatment and there is not much else he can do. I feel very blessed to have a rheumatologist at the Mayo Clinic but it can be difficult to get in, especially at the last minute. Luckily they were able to squeeze me in two weeks ago with my doctor’s nurse practitioner. Overall, it was a good visit with no major surprises. My inflammatory markers all looked really good which I attribute to my diet but I’m sure acupuncture is also playing a role. I am still waiting for more clarity on my MRI results which I hope to get when I go back to Mayo at the end of August. I will be visiting with an ophthalmologist who specializes in iritis and then with my rheumatologist. The initial medication suggestion at my appointment two weeks ago was oral methotrexate. Again, not a huge surprise given the research I have done. I know methotrexate has been shown to really help control chronic iritis. I can’t say I’m not scared to death at the thought of starting medication because I am. I have tried to avoid medication for so long and the thought of being on anything long term with so many side effects is frightening. Please know, I am not saying medication is bad, I understand sometimes it’s a necessity. Taking medication is a choice and must be right for the person. I do not look down on anyone choosing to take medication. I personally wanted to try others things first but this is not for everyone. No one should feel bad for wanting to live the most pain free, symptom free life possible and however you achieve that is ok with me! I love living the most natural, holistic life possible, but known there needs to be a balance. I am blessed to even have a medication option that may help this condition regardless of the side effects. I may not be happy that I have gotten to a place where medication is needed but I know it is not due to any failure on my part. We can be so hard on ourselves when we are on a healing journey. Thinking that we must have done something wrong when we hit a bump in the road. I know I put forth my best effort and it shows with my blood work. Embarking down this road is scary but I know I will get through it. We don’t have opportunities in life come our way that we can’t handle. I say opportunity because even though my autoimmune condition has brought a lot of uncertainly into my life it has made me stronger and has allowed me to connect with so many wonderful people going through the same thing. I know acupuncture will play an even more critical role during this time from the standpoint of managing my stress, helping with the side effects of the medication and keeping my body balanced.
Ok, let’s talk acupuncture. I have continued to see Kate most weeks over the last 3 months. When my iritis re-flared for the second time this spring I e-mailed her right away to let her know. I wanted to see if she had any ideas on anything additional we could be doing. I have done a lot of research and have found very little success stories for acupuncture helping iritis. Unfortunately, it’s just not that easy. Iritis seems to be a really tough condition to treat once it becomes chronic, and as with all autoimmune diseases, you need to figure out the root cause and treat that. It’s not just the eye, it’s something more, a bigger underlying cause. At least that is what I believe. Diet has helped my ankylosing spondylitis symptoms immensely. However, diet does not seem to be making an impact on my iritis. There has to be something else underlying. My goal is to get to the bottom of it and I am positive that I will get there. Kate feels there may be some liver deficiency at play so she is going to keep working to strengthen my liver function which will become even more important when I start medication. Methotrexate is very hard on the liver so it will be important to keep my liver functioning at its best.
On a positive note, I continue to feel the benefits of the focus Kate has put on my left hip and right shoulder. During the last month and a half or so I have really been focusing on getting back into my running routine. I have to say I am really proud of myself and have been running at least 3 miles most days. It has taken me a long time to get back into this habit and it feels so great to finally be able to zip around the lake without stopping. For me, running can bring on a bit of stiffness, even when I’m really good about stretching. Acupuncture has been a huge player to keep inflammation down and keep me feeling flexible and loose. As you recall from my previous posts my right hip responded almost immediately to treatment whereas my left one responded and then immediately regressed. Overtime with treatment I do feel my left hip is starting to catch up to the right. With my shoulder it’s the opposite. My left responded right away however, my right has continued to give me trouble. Some weeks I feel my right shoulder shows improvement and other weeks I feel it is worse. It has been a bit back and forth for a while now but I’m excited to share that this past weekend we took our toddler to the playground and for fun I held on to the monkey bars and was actually able to hang and stretch my arm out with little pain. At the beginning of the summer this was impossible. I’m not doing cartwheels yet but summer still has a month to go! All in all acupuncture has continued to play a critical role in my healing. If you are still debating giving it a try I say go for it! It’s not going to hurt anything. Keep in mind that you have to be patient with acupuncture and be open to it. Don’t expect miracles from one treatment however, you may see immediate results for some areas of your body. I definitely have but other things have taken many months of treatment to see improvement. Typically the longer the condition has been present, the longer it will take for the body to adjust to the treatment and rebalance. My tip this month is to keep an open mind and believe in the treatment. A positive thought process is like icing on the cake! Happy Healing!
How often are you doing the acupuncture? More than 1 time a week? I’m currently doing PT and aqua therapy. I have lupus, fibro and osteoarthritis. The water helps me soooo much. My hips are my biggest issue. Sounds like acupuncture has helped you in that area. Your so lucky to be close to mayo. My rheumy there was Dr. Thomas. I enjoy following you on Instagram. 😊
Thank you so much for the comment! I have been going one time a week for around 7 months. I used to go a few years ago about once per month. I know over time you can go less but I feel like I get so much out of it that I really love going once per week right now. I also go to PT on an as needed basis when my upper back gets tight. I tend to need a little maintenance here and there but overall acupuncture has helped me a ton. When I first started going again back in February I did not even think to mention my hip stiffness. So glad I did! It’s amazing how much my stiffness has reduced. I really think it could be helpful for you. Wow! dealing with so many things all at once. I’m so sorry to hear that. I am certainly blessed to be so close to Mayo and to have gotten accepted there which took some time. My rheumy is Dr. Percellin. I wish you nothing but the best on your healing journey. If ever you want to chat shoot me an e-mail! And thanks about Instagram 🙂 Means a lot!
I’ve just started following your blog; thank you for the time you put into sharing your story and information.
I have both AS and RA. I have been on methotrexate for a little over a year, since being diagnosed. I’m on a pretty small dose; just three pills a week, down from four. It has helped SO much.
When I first started seeing my rheumatologist, EVERYTHING hurt. I’d already been gluten-free for over 10 years and paleo for a little over two. Despite that, I was so inflammed and miserable. I’d like to reduce my dose even more, but now isn’t the time.
All that to say, if you need medication, don’t let the other voices, either in your head or out, keep you from getting the help you need.
And, I’ve not considered acupuncture! I have a hip that constantly hurts, still. I use lidocaine patches almost nightly, and I’ve had three cortisone shots (which have helped temporarily). So, I’m going to look into acupuncture.
Thanks again!
So happy you are following. Thank you! Wow! Both AS and RA. It’s wonderful to hear that methotrexate has helped your pain and amazing job on your diet. I am such a believer in diet but I know that sometimes it’s just not enough. It’s encouraging to hear about your experience so thank you for commenting. Gives me a little pep in my step 🙂 Thank you for the reminder about the voices. Most of those are in my head and it’s been hard to keep them quite but I am certainly making progress. Comments like yours help so much! You should totally think about acupuncture. I really feel it’s one of the best things I do from a stress relief standpoint as well as pain management. If you start acupuncture and find it’s helpful I would love to hear back from you. Eventually, I would like to have others acupuncture success stories (for those interested in telling them) on here. Wishing you nothing but the best. Happy healing!