Infusions? Being hooked up to an IV every month to get medication?
It’s funny how comfortable I am now, walking into Dr. Parker’s office. Ma seems to feel the same way, giving the rheumatologist a friendly greeting and motioning for me to begin.
“How are you doing, Libby?” she asks.
Gone are the days of stammering over my symptoms, trying to explain them away, feeling uncomfortable. I’ve learned that what I feel is real, and I’m the best one to advocate for myself. I tell Dr. Parker about the joint pain coming back, the fatigue.
“I don’t know why,” I tell her, a little plaintively. “I’ve been taking the pills every day, reducing the dose like you told me, but it’s just not working.”
She nods sympathetically, “Hmm. It seems that you’re not responding to the other medication with a lower dose of steroids. Looks like it’s time for a change of treatment plan.”
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