Ganoderma ?

I know it's been a long time since my last post but a woman at work who knows about my RA came to me yesterday with this tea, "Organic Green Tea with ganoderma lucidum" what is that? Well she said to take some time and do some research but that this Chinese herb may help me. So here in front of me I have 6 packets of tea to try. I am starting today. I googled the term and it said that this is a type of mushroom, and it is used in chinese medicine. I'm willing to try anything that's alternative. So I narrowed my search to Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ganoderma and found some interesting things!!

follow these links:

1. http://rheumatoiddisease.com/241661-Ganoderma-Lucidum-Healing-Herb.html
2. http://www.ganoderma-lucidum-benefits.com/2010/07/ganoderma-lucidum-and-arthritis/

& this one person's blog: http://theshroomlife.wordpress.com/2010/03/15/ganodermareishilingzhi-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/

facebook for this person: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ganoderma-Diary/405638444007?v=wall&sk=wall

I want to here opinions, would you all try this? have you already tried this?

I need to make a rheumy appointment and see if he's heard of this herb.

New Pharmacy

I just need to vent. As you know if you've been reading I had to switch insurances on december 1st, I was no longer able to be carried on my dads. So I was able to get it from my work. I received all my info and card etc but found out that I had to use a different pharmacy for Enbrel to be delivered. This meant I needed to get a new pre auth and a new prescription faxed to them once approved. OK so that took time, this new pharmacy said they received it yesterday, cool they have all the info so I asked to schedule a delivery. Well this idiot woman on the phone was telling me how it needs to be "processed still" and they need to wait for whatever reasons 9 days WTF? I told her to make it urgent because I only have 1 shot left that I take today so I need more by next thursday. This just really frustrates me, I hate how insurance companies have no problem taking your damn money but when it comes to getting medications it can be such a freaking hassle. It just drives me nuts, and going through all this is just a reminder of how much i HATE having RA. I just hate it so much. & I'm feeling depressed now.

:(

New Year!

Happy New Year everyone, hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! Any new years resolutions? I haven't really ever had one, but this year i'm committed to taking 1 photo every day for 365 days, so if any of you are interested in following that adventure I made my first post today that can be found here :)

RA Update: Still working on the new insurance issue for Enbrel, I need another pre auth to get it started again and i'm hoping it's all settled within the next two weeks cause i only have two shots left.. yikes!

An iPad update

Posting from my new iPad I got for Christmas from my grandma god it's seriously great!!! I was able to view everyones blogs beautifully over an app call flipboard it's so nice and useful. My RA has been acting up lately so instead of codeine I smoked marijuana yesterday once and today, it really does help I'm never in pain after but I don't like to do it often cause sometimes it does make me feel weird but it didn't yesterday or today :) so that's good. I have to work 7:15 to 12am tonight I really wish I didn't have too :( standing on my feet a few days ago hurt so bad I had to call out the next day I couldn't move. So I will probably try to update more 2011 that's one of my new years resolution. Hope everyone has a pain free Christmas on Saturday!

medical updates & shoes

I got my new insurance card in the mail, It's a very weird feeling knowing that it's my own and i'm not carried on my dads anymore. I don't really like it, it's like.. another step to growing up lol. I know it might sound weird. I'm just happy it's not super expensive 64 bucks a month roughly just to have it, which is way cheaper then those expensive injections. I was thinking about switching my Rheumy to a woman instead. Mine is starting to.. i dont know bother me, sometimes I feel like he isn't giving me enough time, or like he doesn't care, I don't know I figure it might be easier to conversate with a woman rheumatologist instead. We will see how that goes. In other new in regards to my RA, I'm just about healed from that horible cold I had that last about two weeks. So I took my MTX on monday and did my enbrel on wed. The past few days i've woken up really sore in my hands/fingers, but i know thats because I stopped the meds for awhile while I was sick. I ordered some RX Crocs, the Cloud ones, I heard they run big and it's true they are a tad big but they still fit good with the strap. My feet have been really sore lately and so far, while wearing these shoes my feet feel so great! I love them. I am even ordering some pins to put on them when i'm feeling adventurous lol. They aren't the best looking shoes but I promise they make my feet feel great!


Today has been a lazy day I work this whole weekend but they are all 7:30pm-12am shifts, yikes. I'm not looking forward to it. I got xmas shopping done for the boy, his mom & my grandma. Just need to get a few other things for some family then I'll be done! Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. =)

very sick

I've been very sick the past two weeks, so i've skipped 1 MTX shot and 1 Enbrel shot in hopes that i'd be able to heal quicker. So now that I am finally getting better I can feel the soreness starting to come back. It was so weird because while I had this terrible cold I wasn't feeling any joint pain or anything. I went to disneyland on wed and to my surprise my feet didn't even hurt! But now everything is coming back in sync and it kinda sucks, trading 1 for the other I guess.

UGHHH

"I wish I could just wake up one day and not have this stupid disease!!!! I just want some relief... a break, i'm so tired of my RA and how negatively it's impacted my life. I'm tired of worrying about health care and worrying about how much money i'll get a month because it's so hard to work without hurting in some way! I have a rheumy apt nov 29. Last one before the insurance change.

well happy thanksgiving everyone..."

That was my first update on this post. I decided to edit a bit. So I have had a horrid day quiet honestly. I feel like it passed by so fast that the entire day was filled with .. hm, pain and stress and crying. Made tons of phone calls today, 2 pharmacies, 2 doctors, a few insurance companies, a couple lawyers, and ssi.

Mistake for today? yeah i think i'm more happier when i forgot about all this crap in my life and pretend it doesn't exists, oh except for the days that I shoot myself up, that reminds me of just how serious things are. Seriously way to much to handle at age 23.. oh yeah I turned 23 last week on Nov 18th. I've been officially diagnosed ( by my rheumy) with my RA for 1 year. So happy birthday RA and to me.

what's changed? or whats gotten worse? or better?

I can say that my pain has improved since being on biological medication.. but it's not to the point where I would like it to be. I am still in pain .. a LOT. & the winter weather doesn't make it easier either! I've dealt with a lot this past year. & I still feel like i'm grieving! I can't get over the "why me" phase. Not only am I struggling with RA but also the financial hardships it's caused.

how do you all do it? I always used to be so optimistic, but ever since RA all i am is pessimistic!