New Year, New Habits

I am starting off 2018 in a good place. It seems all my efforts these last couple months have been paying off, and I’m proud to say I’ve been flare-up free since my rheumatologist appointment at the end of November - about 6 weeks! This is the longest I’ve gone feeling good since this past summer, so I am really so grateful and appreciative of each moment of feeling healthy and well. 

I do not know what exactly is causing the improvement, since I made a few changes at the same time. I went back to physical therapy (as a patient), increased my naproxen dose, added in a new medication for centralized pain, started using some topical anti-inflammatories and pain relievers, and cut out added/processed sugars to reduce overall inflammation. I continue to use electrolyte supplements daily, take allergy medicine daily, use Zantac for nausea/reflux as needed, and work out whenever possible. It’s a lot of constant effort, but since I’m feeling more myself, I guess I’ll stick with it all.

I made it to aerial 3 times in December, and finally feel like I’m making improvements rather than just playing catch-up. I’ve gone on 2 hikes in the last month. I’ve stayed up a little bit later on some nights without feeling like a truck hit me. I am feeling overall less pain, and managing my fatigue better. And all of this is contributing to an improved mood, more positive energy, and more engagement during social interactions since I feel better!

So things are going pretty well as this new year begins. I am hopeful that I can stay on this positive trajectory and continue to improve in overall health, energy, and positivity. Though I am staying reasonable and anticipating setbacks, I am not letting a fear of setbacks dictate my actions. Let’s see where 2018 takes me!

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