Well I got a call from the Dr. yesterday saying that my ultrasound was 'abnormal' so I'm getting sent for a CT scan tomorrow morning. They say it is no big deal, certainly less frustrating than an MRI and I do very well with those. I'm not sure what they think they see, nothing stated as of yet. I'm not very concerned as it is probably just some issue with angles on the ultrasound and whatnot.
Either way if it is an issue or not, it is all in God's hands. He made me, He will complete me and won't give me anything He doesn't know I can handle or need to make me into what He wants me to be. I'll post tomorrow about how the procedure goes / went. I am sure it will take a few days to get any results, just like the ultrasound did.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Ultrasound
I had my third ultrasound this morning. Uneventful as the previous two. The idea is to look at my pancreas and make sure there is nothing going wrong with it. It is a standard precautionary test in this drug study as the sister drug (leflunomide) has had a rare side-effect that can mess up your pancreas. Definitely something you don't want to happen. Anyway, 30 minutes later I'm all done, but feeling like I got slimed in Ghostbusters. I cannot tell what anything looks like, but I got to read the report from my previous one and time after time it kept saying nothing extraordinary. Gotta love that.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Good News
I had a visit with my Neuro(s) last week and got some good news. The drug trial will be officially ending before the end of the year but they are join ahead with an 'extension study'. It isn't a Phase 4 trial (which are long-term tracking trials to look for side-effects that don't show up under shortened use of the drug), but it is a 48 week run of continued care and everyone gets the 14mg (higher) dose of the drug the entire time. It is to compare the results of the placebo group, which will then be known, to see if they then start improving. Pretty cool and while the fine print says "if you qualify", I was told that pretty much everyone who wants to participate can.
The other cool thing is that I have been exercising on a new plan and it is working. I am trying to put on muscle which means gaining weight. I need to change my body fat % and the only way to do that now is to make more muscle. My arms and legs and chest have all shown big improvements from 1/2-3/4" in my arms to about 1.5" in my legs. My chest is about 1" bigger and the differences in the sizes of my left and right sides are shrinking. I have to eat a ton, and that is the real chore at this point. The workouts are not what you may expect and I may post more about that another time, but they are not really fatiguing as much as you may think. I know that I recover faster from these than other longer workouts I have done. I miss the balance work and coordination stuff that Marsha had me do, and I will switch back to that once I finish this bulking cycle. My thought is I will have to do a few bulk / fat loss cycles over the next year or two to get my body where I want it. Overall I think it is helping my walking also because that doesn't seem to be as difficult an issue this summer, although I will admit with the extreme heat, I am actually outside less than last year, so it could also just be the precision of heat avoidance. :)
The other cool thing is that I have been exercising on a new plan and it is working. I am trying to put on muscle which means gaining weight. I need to change my body fat % and the only way to do that now is to make more muscle. My arms and legs and chest have all shown big improvements from 1/2-3/4" in my arms to about 1.5" in my legs. My chest is about 1" bigger and the differences in the sizes of my left and right sides are shrinking. I have to eat a ton, and that is the real chore at this point. The workouts are not what you may expect and I may post more about that another time, but they are not really fatiguing as much as you may think. I know that I recover faster from these than other longer workouts I have done. I miss the balance work and coordination stuff that Marsha had me do, and I will switch back to that once I finish this bulking cycle. My thought is I will have to do a few bulk / fat loss cycles over the next year or two to get my body where I want it. Overall I think it is helping my walking also because that doesn't seem to be as difficult an issue this summer, although I will admit with the extreme heat, I am actually outside less than last year, so it could also just be the precision of heat avoidance. :)
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
July 12th
I used to feel really bad about not posting often. I've come to realize that not posting can actually be a good thing. I haven't had any material changes in my symptoms in a long time now. I don't know if it is because of the meds I'm on or not, but things certainly are consistent.
I still have balance issues and I fatigue terribly easy. My left leg is still my primary culprit although my right one has its own brand of fatigue. The summer heat is playing havoc with my fatigue and how fast it overcomes me as usual.
I have been doing a new workout that focuses on on extremely heavy weights for short intervals. It is helping me with my strength and I am putting on weight, which is nice because it will change my lean/fat ratio over time. My hope is to put on the weight I lost (about 20 lbs.) as muscle and then use that additional 'good' weight to help burn the remaining fat off. I think it will take a year or so to get where I want to go, but it looks promising right now.
I still have balance issues and I fatigue terribly easy. My left leg is still my primary culprit although my right one has its own brand of fatigue. The summer heat is playing havoc with my fatigue and how fast it overcomes me as usual.
I have been doing a new workout that focuses on on extremely heavy weights for short intervals. It is helping me with my strength and I am putting on weight, which is nice because it will change my lean/fat ratio over time. My hope is to put on the weight I lost (about 20 lbs.) as muscle and then use that additional 'good' weight to help burn the remaining fat off. I think it will take a year or so to get where I want to go, but it looks promising right now.
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