A dose of reality and other news

Jumping for joy on the summit of Stuart Peak with
the Love of My Life (sometime in the last 6 months).

 Earlier this month, I missed doses of Humira and methotrexate during the same cycle. The old saying "you don't know what you have until it is gone" more or less holds true here. The doses were not missed intentionally. I simply had a lapse in memory and mistakenly left the Humira in the fridge and the methotrexate in its child-proof - and RA-proof - container when I should have been administering both.

You do not know what you have until it is gone. It is surprising how easily deluded we can become. Upon becoming aware of the fact that I had missed a dose, I convinced myself that because I had not had a flare-up in a very long time - at least 6 months - I was cured and had graduated out of my pill-a-day containers! Not so. Within a few days of missing my doses, dull aches begin to settle into my wrists and shoulders. A few days later, my left wrist began to act like its old self, pre-meds: achey, with occasional bursts of sharp, radiant pain. The rest of my body joined the protest: Humira, Humira, Humira. I won't pretend like I was crippled by the experience, fortunately my body communicated its dissatisfaction with my lapsed doses and I responded swiftly with an injection of Humira, methotrexate and ibuprofen. Success. 

This experience of missed doses, was a reminder of how far I have come in managing inflammation and pain through lifestyle and medication choices. I am beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a rheumatologist and dial in the right combination of medications that allow me to be active and lead a "normal" life.

That is that.

In other news, I began going to physical therapy again to get my back, hips and legs back on track. I have been had issues with inexplicable - until PT - aches and pains in my leg (may or may not be associated with RA). I am committed to working hard at getting the proper muscles strengthened and the proper training regimen established. It is critical that this be so if I am to have any longevity in my active, outdoor life. I couldn't be more thrilled with the new clinic that I am going to: they seem to get me and what I am trying to do.

And that is that.

In other-other news, I took my brother up Pikes Peak last month on a two-day climb up the east face. We had a splendid time. It had been almost 15 years since we had stood on top of a mountain together. The outing - both as a climb and a reunion of sorts - goes down as one of my most memorable and enjoyable experiences in the mountains. Here are the highlights:

Jason, my brother, raising his ice axe to
sun on the east face of Pikes Peak.

Jason and I on the summit of Pikes peak after a 4AM start.

And finally, in other-other-other news, Wade Balmer with the Arthritis Foundation wrote a really nice article about this blog and last years adventures. Click here to check it out!

Onward and upward,

Brian