Post by theresar on Mar 13, 2015 11:24:40 GMT -5
Hi, my name is Theresa and I'm a 60-year old female, living with my brother in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I *was* an adjunct Instructor at the state community college here in FW, teaching Public Speaking and loving my job. Then last August, my doctor changed my cholesterol-lowering medication (I was woefully ignorant about a *lot* of things) to Crestor. BAM! Seventeen days later, my hands and feet were swollen, my tendons inflamed, and I had instant carpal tunnel in both hands.
I worked the rest of that semester, but by December, I was in constant pain, unable to sleep more than an hour at a time, giving less and less feedback to my students because I couldn't write. By January I gave up on trying to continue teaching.
Long story short, I spent a lot of time going to my physician, a rheumatologist, a neurologist, a hand specialist, and an occupational therapist. I had a short course of oral steroids that worked well for six days. The rheumatologist told me that my inflamed tendons (tenosynovitis) were more or less a precursor of Rheumatoid Arthritis, but I couldn't be diagnosed without more evidence -- the blood tests showed no signs of RA, or any inflammation whatsover.
I got cortisone shots in both wrists from the hand specialist to relieve carpal tunnel symptoms, and was offered surgery to "release" the pressure. I was horrified! It was then that I finally realized that traditional medicine was not going to help me. I started looking on my own and found Sarah Ballantyne's book at the local library. I devoured it in a week, and have been 100% AIP for the last four weeks.
Though I can't say my symptoms have disappeared, I am managing with fewer drugs -- gave up the Pantoprazadole, now using 3 Aleve tablets per day. I do gentle "dancersize" and floor exercises, try to sit outside or walk a little bit each day. Though progress is not fast when NSAIDS are necessary -- not for the pain, but to manage the inflammation and retain the use of my hands -- there IS progress, which makes me determined to DO THIS!!
I'm so glad to find a community of people who share some of the same problems and solutions! My family is great, but even *they* get tired of hearing about gut health after a while, lol ...
I worked the rest of that semester, but by December, I was in constant pain, unable to sleep more than an hour at a time, giving less and less feedback to my students because I couldn't write. By January I gave up on trying to continue teaching.
Long story short, I spent a lot of time going to my physician, a rheumatologist, a neurologist, a hand specialist, and an occupational therapist. I had a short course of oral steroids that worked well for six days. The rheumatologist told me that my inflamed tendons (tenosynovitis) were more or less a precursor of Rheumatoid Arthritis, but I couldn't be diagnosed without more evidence -- the blood tests showed no signs of RA, or any inflammation whatsover.
I got cortisone shots in both wrists from the hand specialist to relieve carpal tunnel symptoms, and was offered surgery to "release" the pressure. I was horrified! It was then that I finally realized that traditional medicine was not going to help me. I started looking on my own and found Sarah Ballantyne's book at the local library. I devoured it in a week, and have been 100% AIP for the last four weeks.
Though I can't say my symptoms have disappeared, I am managing with fewer drugs -- gave up the Pantoprazadole, now using 3 Aleve tablets per day. I do gentle "dancersize" and floor exercises, try to sit outside or walk a little bit each day. Though progress is not fast when NSAIDS are necessary -- not for the pain, but to manage the inflammation and retain the use of my hands -- there IS progress, which makes me determined to DO THIS!!
I'm so glad to find a community of people who share some of the same problems and solutions! My family is great, but even *they* get tired of hearing about gut health after a while, lol ...