*SQUEE!*

Here's the 411 on today's Dr's appt:

* Doc asked if I'd had any funky skin reactions to the first infusion: nope
* Told doc since he was going to be out next Fri when I have my next round to make a note that it's OK to water me down when I have another reaction to the initial steroid shot again and to resume the infusion once I'm done reacting so that we can keep doing it while he's not there to give the go ahead: check
* Given OK to do second round of dose one next Fri the 16th: yay :-)
* Given go ahead to start lowering prednisone dose from 40mg to 30mg starting today and just keep on lowering till it's gone: WOOHOO!!!
* Told to stop taking maloxicam: one less drug = yay!

Though I'm still a bit of a walking pharmacy, getting to cut one drug out completely starting today and lowering the steroid again with the goal of finally being off of it soon is absolutely fabulous news.  Dr P says right now goal is to get me off the prednisone and once that's done we'll take a look at the plaquenil next for dropping.  I asked about the leftover red spots on my legs from the medium/large blood vessel inflammation thing and he said hopefully it's just a matter of time before they fade.  The good drugs I'm on now aren't going to make them go away.  Thankfully the blister/itchy effect they'd taken on a few months ago before we re-upped the prednisone dose to tell with it is gone.  It's not getting worse.  It has in fact gotten a lot better than it was.  But now it's just holding and doesn't appear to be going away with what's left.  Used to have pretty legs :-(  Maybe someday they'll go back to that translucent white they used to be.  Hooray being so pale I glow ;-)

Bit of a side note from the UCTD stuffs, but still health related ish, am looking at getting in on this birth control thing called Mirena.  Best friend C has been using it for 7 months now and said it's awesome and recommended it to me with glowing reviews.  This ties into the general health stuff because as long as I'm on the methotrexate I can't risk getting pregnant; frakin' guaranteed birth defects.  After reading over the website last night and talking to C some more I think I'm going to go with this if girl doc, Dr MN, approves.  Cost should be what I pay for the visit and in theory, insurance will cover the rest.  Supposed to work for 5 years and if at any point my condition gets to where I can consider munchkindom I just go in and they take it out and I get to havin' with the munchkins.  Some bonuses of course are not having to keep paying the $35/month I'm paying now for ortho-tri-cyclen lo so that's a savings of $2100 right there over 5 years plus apparently women who use this flavor of contraceptive also after awhile don't have periods anymore so hooray no more products for those 3-4 days of awful a month.  Oh, and uuumm... no down time since period won't be happening anymore; hooray bathing suit weather year round!!  There of course are risks as with everything, but for the most part after reading the FAQ and the pdf of intimidation, the positives really outweigh the negatives currently.  Waiting on call back from nurse at Dr MN's office to see if it's something that they'd do and any good/bad stuff they know about it and see if I can make an appt in the next few weeks to get this done.  Hooray once less thing to worry about.  Oh, and one of C's coworkers had had this particular flavor for 4 years and never had any issues and when her and her husband decided to make with the munchkins and had it taken out, I think C said they were pregnant within a month.  Good to know :-)  Knowing someone who knows someone whose had it a long time with no issues during that time and was able to go about the munchkinness when it was taken out is encouraging.

Anyways, might be a bit of over sharing with the last part, but I figure since I'm trying to keep track of my health world here it was worth including.  Next up is the second infusion next Fri and seeing how things go with the lowering of the prednisone and ditching the meloxicam.

*crosses fingers*

Steady as she goes...

***update: Heard back from Dr MN's office Fri and though they said they normally shy away from doing the Mirena thing to women who haven't had kids yet that they're not totally against it, especially given my circumstances.  Will be going in on the 26th for the.. *ahem* installation. Nervous, but think right now this is the best option to try and ensure no munchkins while on crazy drugs and will help on the spare change front as well.