FACT: I’ve been in remission since April-May 2005.
Life can take on teeth: I’ve had a few symptoms the past few days. They bear watching. This is the world of the weggie. “Symptoms” may suggest Wegener’s granulomatosis, but it mimics many other diseases, making it a difficult disease to diagnose or live with.
A symptom can result from nothing more than over-doing a turn in the garden; many ordinary, non-threatening things such as colds or flu; or a full-blown Wegener’s granulomatosis flare.
I’m hesitant to mention specifics, as if that can put the “hoodoo” on me, assuring a flare.
(I found this on “Stumble”. I don’t know who to attribute it to other than “Russelljo”. The little guy starts down the hill on his own. This is how I feel today!)
http://studenthome.nku.edu/~russelljo/flash/dudefalling.swf
Yes, if symptoms persist, I will make an appointment with my pulmonologist to review symptoms, to give blood and urine samples for analyses, to establish which direction my immune system is headed.
If it a flare, there’s the “Duo from Hell”, Cytoxan and Prednisone: there may be less toxic therapies available now, but they still seem to be the old reliable combo, the one recommended by most rheumatologists.
Yet, I’ve had these symptoms before, and they turned out to be a false alarm. I’m counting on that again.
In the end, hope and faith are what every weggie needs. That and an understanding that there will always be a “new normal” down the road, where you take pause, assess what body parts are still attached (just joking, sorta), and come to grips with what the next medical plateau in your life will be.