Tag Archives: health issues

Another Panicky Dentist Appointment (or I Don’t Like Unexpected Moments)

Posted on April 5, 2022 | Comments Off on Another Panicky Dentist Appointment (or I Don’t Like Unexpected Moments)

I still hate how I have panic attacks when I go to the dentist. I am tired of them and it’s annoying for me. And because of how my panic attacks can manifest in my body, they can be exhausting and sometimes painful. And even though I haven’t had a lot of bad dentist appointments in the past few years, I can’t get over these attacks. I would think that having enough normal appointments would help. And when I’ve had more major work done, it’s been a lot better than it used to be. I have tried so many things to make dentist appointments easier for me, but I always have a horrible pit in my stomach every time I go.

I am still grateful that everyone at the dentist’s office is understanding how I get at appointments and they do try to make things as quick and easy for me as possible. But I still look miserable when I’m arriving and I think they have thought at times that I might pass out. One of the ways they help me work through my panic is by trying to keep things to a routine so I know what to expect and in what order. But when things are changed up, my attacks can get pretty bad. And unfortunately, that’s what happened at my last appointment.

I know I have to do x-rays every so often. The x-rays aren’t painful or bother me, but I know that doing x-rays can reveal things that are bigger problems. And I understand that’s the point, but it’s always tough knowing that’s going to happen and getting myself prepared for that. So when I went into my recent appointment and thought it was just a cleaning, it was a bit of a shock for me to find out that I was supposed to also do x-rays. I started shaking and feeling sick. And I feel pretty pathetic that I get that way but I can’t really control my panic attacks. Because of how I was reacting and how nervous they were that I would have an even worse panic attack, the plan changed for my appointment. They did detailed photos of each tooth instead of x-rays. That shows if there are any external issues with any of my teeth, which is mainly what my issues have been with cavities and chips in my crowns. I know that seeing the photos would make me panic even more, so I just kept my eyes closed and didn’t look at the photos when they were done. Again, I felt a bit silly and pathetic, but I knew I needed to do that to get through all the negative feelings I was having.

Fortunately, as expected everything was fine with my teeth and they were able to move on to the cleaning and get that done. I still was shaking throughout the appointment, but I also know different things I can do to distract myself a bit and that helps make the shaking not quite as bad. And since things are a bit better with the pandemic, they were able to use some of the tools they had to stop using because of the aerosol they create. But things like the ultrasonic tools help make my appointments easier to tolerate so I’m glad that those are back. And I wasn’t having additional panic attack issues because of the pandemic this time, so that was good too.

I will have to do my x-rays at my next appointment since I didn’t do them this time, but at least I will be more prepared for them at that point. I know it still won’t be easy for me and I’m sure I’ll have a panic attack going into that appointment, but it will be better than being surprised and not being prepared. At least I have 4 months until that next appointment and I don’t have to stress about things for a little while. And even though it seems extremely unlikely, maybe somehow my panic attacks won’t be as bad when I go in for that appointment.

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Default ThumbnailAnother Dentist Visit (or Panicking About Panicking) Default ThumbnailA Boring Visit At The Dentist (or Getting Ready For A Future Bad Appointment) Default ThumbnailLess Panic At The Dentist (or Am I Finally Over This?) Default ThumbnailI Really Hate Panic Attacks (or At Least This Went Better Than Expected) Default ThumbnailSurprises At The Dentist (or Guess I Have A Few More Appointments) Default ThumbnailMore Prepared Than Necessary (or Splitting Up Dentist Appointments)

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2 Years Into The Pandemic (or Still Seeing What Is The New Normal And What Has Returned To Normal)

Posted on March 15, 2022 | Comments Off on 2 Years Into The Pandemic (or Still Seeing What Is The New Normal And What Has Returned To Normal)

There are a few different dates that people consider when they think of the start of the pandemic. For me, I seem to always think of how March 13, 2020 was the last day that really felt normal. It was right before things shut down and before masks were required. I know that I was still worried about Covid and knew that it was starting to affect people in my area, but it still felt separate from my life until things started to change drastically.

And for the first few weeks of the pandemic, I was terrified. There were so many unknowns (there still are a lot of unknowns, but there’s more information about many things). I didn’t know what I really needed to worry about and what might have been an overreaction. Seeing people lined up outside of a grocery store and then finally getting inside and seeing how much was missing from the shelves was something that felt like it was out of a movie. I think I really was going between being numb and being panicked so much for the first few weeks. And it didn’t help that so much of my day-to-day routine was gone right away. I was lucky and didn’t lose my job right away, but it quickly went to having my hours cut by more than half and then down to 3 hours a week before I was out of work. I did do workouts at home so I could try to feel like I was in my routine, but it wasn’t the same as going to my workouts. And I didn’t see any of my friends because we didn’t know what we could do to keep each other safe.

Of course, at that time, we thought maybe this would be life for maybe a month or two. I don’t think anyone expected it to be the way it has turned out.

Last year, when we were marking 1 year since the start of the pandemic, things really were starting to feel hopeful. I had gotten my first vaccination and was about to get my second dose. Some of my friends were also getting their vaccinations and we were looking forward to seeing how quickly things might be returning back to what felt like normal. Most of us were expecting that we would be able to have a normal summer and I started to make plans.

But just like how we thought the pandemic would be over quickly, things a year in didn’t go the way we thought either. We had new variants that were more contagious and got people sick. Not everyone believed in the vaccinations and that caused people to get sick who could have prevented it if they did get vaccinated. And while some things were coming back, there was a lot that still wasn’t normal and people still were being very cautious. I was working on isolating myself less when I could be safe. I started to see friends again when we could be outdoors or in small groups of people who were all vaccinated. And I feel like a year ago, I thought that might be the beginning of the end.

Now that we are 2 years in, things are starting to normalize a bit more but I don’t know if that’s a good thing yet. Masks are not being required, but I still wear mine almost everywhere I go. Cases are down right now, but we can see trends happening in other places and that worries me. We are still in a time where some things are going back to the old way of normal and other things are still the new normal. And we don’t know how long the new normal will stay or if they will go back to the old normal one day.

I do want to stay hopeful and believe that it won’t be much longer before I can stop thinking about how I’m going to keep myself safe when I leave my home. I am taking chances with things that I wouldn’t have done a year ago, and I am trying to find the balance between staying safe and not living my life because of fear. It’s something that has been hard to balance since things started 2 years ago. But now I am able to put a bit more on living my life again and less on taking a lot of measures to stay safe.

I do believe that in a year, we will be recognizing the 3-year mark to the pandemic, but I hope that things will be safer in a year than they are now. Maybe whatever variant we have at that time will be not that contagious or will not get people that sick. But I think I’ve accepted that Covid is not going away and it will eventually be a regular part of life. We aren’t to a place where we can really think that way yet as too many people are still getting very sick and either having long-Covid with debilitating symptoms or dying, but I hope that we will be at that point sooner rather than later.

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Some Things Are Starting To Return To Normal (or I Still Have To Make Smart Choices For Myself)

Posted on March 8, 2022 | Comments Off on Some Things Are Starting To Return To Normal (or I Still Have To Make Smart Choices For Myself)

For almost 2 years now, I have worn a mask pretty much everywhere I have gone. There are a few exceptions such as eating outdoors (I still have not eaten inside a restaurant since the beginning of 2020) or going over to a friend’s house if we both are ok being unmasked. And while this may be a choice others find risky, I do go without a mask at my workouts since they have allowed us to do so. But I only do that because they do require proof of vaccination and I know everyone there is taking the situation as seriously as I do. I still bring a mask with me to my workouts so I can put it on if I feel like I need to wear it.

But other than those few rare occasions, I always have a mask on when I’m around others. I remember at the start of the pandemic when I didn’t have proper masks and I was trying to make them out of whatever I had at my house. Now, I have a collection of masks and I always have at least one with me. I have one that is always in my car and one that is always in my purse. And I have a bunch at my front door where I keep my purse when I’m home so I can always grab a different one since some are better for different activities or circumstances. And I quickly learned that masks do trigger my claustrophobia so I have had quite a few panic attacks while wearing them. But there is no doubt that wearing a mask has kept me safe and healthy for almost 2 years. While I do wonder if I had Covid at the very beginning of 2020 (I lost my sense of taste and smell for almost a week, but that was before that was a known symptom), I haven’t gotten sick since I started to wear masks. And I’m grateful for that and I have no regrets about how careful I have been.

But things have taken a turn for the better with the pandemic. While the number of cases every day isn’t the lowest it’s been, the number of people who are in the hospital is dropping significantly every day. And that’s a good measure about how things are going since we know there is a chance this may just become a normal cold that is rarely fatal. Because things look better, more and more changes to return back to the old normal are happening. One of those changes is not requiring masks indoors as long as you are fully vaccinated.

Of course, a lot of places are relying on others and believing that they are fully vaccinated without requiring proof. And I have a feeling that most people who choose not to be vaccinated would also choose to not wear a mask if they could help it. So I didn’t think too much about the mask mandate being changed since I knew I would keep a mask on while indoors unless I knew they were requiring proof of vaccination. And I didn’t think too much about this until I went to the grocery store this past weekend.

I only had to pick up a few things and I didn’t want to wait until I might do a grocery delivery, so I went to the store myself on a Sunday afternoon. And even though I knew that they might not require masks, I think I briefly forgot about that because it was a shock to see people inside without masks on. Especially since there was nobody who checked to make sure anyone unvaccinated was still wearing a mask. A majority of the people inside were still wearing masks, so I wasn’t the only one still making that choice. But there were plenty of people inside without masks and it honestly felt a bit weird. It shouldn’t be weird since a majority of my life people weren’t wearing masks inside, but for some reason it really just hit me. And I was feeling a lot of anxiety being inside there so I quickly did my shopping and went home.

I know that this is a good thing that we can even consider not wearing masks, but I’m not ready for that just yet with a lot of situations. I’m sure that in the future, I will be so grateful I don’t have to think about masks anymore and we will be back to whatever normal means at that time. But for now, it still feels like a bit of an in-between time where some people still have the same fears and concerns that I do and others are ready to be over the pandemic and back to the old normal. I haven’t had to confront this feeling too often in public because masks have been required for so long, but I do feel ok with the choices I’m still making for myself and making sure that any risks I take are acceptable to me.

And maybe in a week or two, I will feel differently and will be ok not wearing a mask indoors and around others that may or may not be vaccinated. One thing I have learned over and over again for the past 2 years is how I need to be able to adapt based on the information I have available to me and be flexible in my thinking. But for now, I’m just not ready to change that much.

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Finally Feeling Healed (or Recovery Took Longer Than Expected)

Posted on March 4, 2022 | Comments Off on Finally Feeling Healed (or Recovery Took Longer Than Expected)

When I had the minor procedure done on my foot, I was told that I would probably be walking normally again after a week or two, and then maybe it would be another week or two after that before I would feel completed healed. And the first part of that was accurate for me. A week after it was done, I was wearing normal shoes again and I didn’t need crutches or my cane. But I was still in pain as my foot healed. And I had to keep it bandaged for almost a month because my skin was feeling very sore and tender. The pain reminded me of a bad sunburn or if you burn your fingers on a hot pan. And I guess in a way, that’s pretty close to what it was. It was new skin that was healing and the tightness I felt was the skin coming back together.

But after I was off my crutches, I felt almost completely better. I didn’t mind having to keep a bandage on my foot since I was walking normally and could wear any shoes I wanted to. And as each day passed, the tenderness I felt was subsiding and I had fewer moments where there was a sharp zap of pain because of how I was stepping on my foot. Because I’m used to so much pain normally, this didn’t bother me too much. But I did want things to be done healing so I could finally be past this time.

And it really took until the beginning of this week before I felt like I was done with the tough healing process. Right now, you can still see the edges of where my foot was cut on my heel because the skin hasn’t fully healed over. But it’s now looking more like what your foot looks like when a blister is almost fully healed. I can put lotion on my foot again, which is normally a regular part of my daily self-care. And while I’m still waiting to do some things to my foot for things to fully heal (like different foot masks that I like to do from time to time), I feel pretty confident that I’m finally on the other side of having to worry about this wart on my foot and the treatments I’ve been doing for so long.

I know that there’s always a chance I will be the extremely rare case that will either need more freezing treatments or to have something cut from my heel again, but I’m trying to remain hopeful that I won’t be. I have another appointment with my dermatologist in about a week and a half, and I think he will be able to give me a better idea of if things are done or not.

Even though this healing process was longer than I was hoping it would be and I did have about a month where I was dealing with a lot of pain and discomfort, this will be worth it if I finally am past this and don’t have to think about it again. I still have plenty of other things in my life that cause me pain and discomfort, but to have one less thing is nice.

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Another Normal Therapy Check-In (or It’s Still Nice This Are Easy To Get Through)

Posted on February 18, 2022 | Comments Off on Another Normal Therapy Check-In (or It’s Still Nice This Are Easy To Get Through)

When I started going back to therapy several years ago, the main reason for the appointments was to get on medication for my eating disorder. But I also had some tough appointments in the early months of therapy. I understand why my therapist asked me the tough questions and we did work through a lot of things from my past that have affected my life quite a bit. The good thing about that was that I learned quite a bit about myself. The bad thing was discovering a lot of what has been affecting my life are things that I really can’t change. I can adjust my feelings about them, but I can’t change them.

So after those first few months of more intense therapy, most of my appointments were check-ins to make sure I was still doing ok and that the medications I was taking were working. Occasionally adjustments to my medications were made, but things have mostly been stable for the past few years. And I think that’s why my appointments are every 6 months now.

And since my last appointment was in August, I was due for my therapy check-in this month. Appointments are still being done virtually, and I see that staying that way. I was doing virtual appointments before the pandemic, but they were mixed in with in-person appointments. But for appointments like mine that don’t really involve much, I think virtual appointments are probably easier for both me and my therapist.

And as expected, this appointment went as easy as the rest have been recently. We discussed my medications and agreed I’m at a good level right now. I did mention some additional stress in my life, but that it was temporary stress so I don’t feel like I need to add a new medication for that. I have taken medication before for anxiety, but I know that what I’m feeling now is not like I experienced before. Plus, when I was on medication for anxiety that was regarding general anxiety. Right now, all the anxiety I’m experiencing is connected to very specific things and most of them are not going to be issues soon. So taking something now really doesn’t feel necessary to me.

And of course, I was asked about how was doing with all the anxiety and worry regarding the pandemic. And I had the same answer I had before. That if I was doing ok, then I think that would be a sign of a bigger issue. We talked about how I’m managing that anxiety and not letting things overwhelm me. I do check the numbers each day, but I’m focused more now on hospitalizations over cases since that seems to be more telling. And I think my therapist agreed that I was doing well considering the circumstances. I think she understands how much we all want to be past this and how the worry has been taking a toll. But also, I know that I have to still be careful and consider what are acceptable risks and what are not. And I think she agrees with me that looking at acceptable risks is probably a good way to decide what I’m ok to go and do.

Overall, I think it was a good appointment and nothing really is changing. And I won’t have another follow-up for 6 more months unless I feel the need to discuss something with my therapist sooner. But I think I’m doing ok with everything and that I’ll just have another routine and boring follow-up 6 months from now, which sounds great to me!

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Taking Time To Heal Was The Right Thing (or Giving Myself A Week Helped)

Posted on February 3, 2022 | Comments Off on Taking Time To Heal Was The Right Thing (or Giving Myself A Week Helped)

It was just about a week ago that I had the unexpected in-office procedure done on my foot. And it’s been an interesting healing process for me. Because I wasn’t prepared for this, I had to figure out how to manage healing and what I would need to get. And I had to find what I could get delivered to my house since I was struggling to walk at first.

When I was at that appointment, I asked the doctor how long before I was healed. He said that it would be about a week before I felt like I could walk again with some weight on my heel and it might be another week or two before I’m fully healed. And I needed to allow myself that time so that I wouldn’t form scar tissue or a scab, which could make things harder for me.

Most of last week was spent at home going nowhere. I wasn’t using the crutches in my house since I had a soft boot from the doctor that I could wear and I just walked on my toes. It wasn’t the best thing to do because I started to get shin splints, but it was much easier than using crutches. When I had the rare errand out of my house last week, I was using crutches because I needed the support.

Then over the weekend, I started to use the cane that I already had. Again, I only used it outside of my house since I could walk on my toes while inside. And I was still limiting my errands outside my house so I could relax and not accidentally do too much.

And now that it’s been a week, it seems like my doctor was right. Monday night was the first time I was testing putting weight on my heel again. It was not easy and I do still have some pain, but it was manageable. And on Tuesday and Wednesday, most of the time I was walking pretty close to normal. I still put more weight on my toes than I do on my heel, but it’s not too uneven. And I feel like each day I can put a little more weight on my heel and it’s a little less painful.

But I know I’m not done recovering just yet. When I change the bandage, I can see that it still needs to be covered and that I need to give things a bit more time. But I think seeing how much progress I’ve made in a week is a sign that giving up my time to focus on healing was the right thing. It was frustrating and I was impatient at times, but it’s clear my body needed me to do that so I could be feeling close to normal now. It would have been more frustrating if I was still a few steps back in my healing and stuck there for longer.

Hopefully my doctor was right and it’s only another week or two before I don’t have to worry about letting my heel get better and I can be back to everything normally. But at least a week in, I’m able to start adding a few things back and I am feeling much better.

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Not The Workout Week I Expected (or I’m Craving My Workouts)

Posted on January 31, 2022 | Comments Off on Not The Workout Week I Expected (or I’m Craving My Workouts)

From the time I started at Orangetheory, I was always doing at least 3 workouts a week. But more often than not, I have done 4 workouts a week. This has been my regular schedule and I rarely have things happen in my life that prevent me from achieving this. Even when I was working out at home, I was still getting in my workouts on my own. I have been sick in the past and needed a day off, but that’s pretty much the extent to my absences from my workouts.

Until this past week.

Because of the procedure done on my foot, the only workout I was able to make it to was on Monday. I was planning on going to all my workouts last week and I even asked the podiatrist how many days would I need to rest. I knew while he was cutting into my foot that I would have to take the next day off, but I really thought I’d be able to make it back at some point in the week. But when he told me it would be probably a week or two before I could fully put weight on my foot, I felt defeated.

I said when writing my goals for the year how my workout goal was going to be the easy one for me. But taking a week or two off would possibly prevent me from getting there. But I know if I don’t allow myself to heal, I could cause some issues that would last longer than taking the recovery time. So I had to accept that I would only make it to one workout last week and be ok with that.

But every morning I woke up last week and knew it was supposed to be a workout day, I was sad I was missing out. I wasn’t expecting to need this time off (like I was planning for my liver surgery that was canceled). I hadn’t mentally prepared for it. I wasn’t depressed, but I was in a funk when I was thinking about how I should be at my workouts at that time.

For this week, I’m honestly not sure what will be happening. I took today (Monday) off because I know I can’t really put my weight on my heel. But I have made progress. I am using the cane I got for my hip and not my crutches. And over the weekend, I slowly have been trying to put a little more weight on my heel instead of walking on my toes. And as I change the bandage, I can see that it’s starting to heal and close up. I wasn’t told an exact point where I could start putting weight on my heel or working out again. I was told I would know when my body is ready. And I know today I’m not ready yet. I’m still not in a normal shoe and I still am very hesitant to put my heel down. But I’m hoping that I will make it back at some point this week. I just don’t know if I’ll make it for 1 workout or maybe 2 workouts. I really doubt I will make it for 3 workouts.

I just have to wait and see what happens. I know I’m still upset about missing workouts and I feel like my body needs them. But I also know my foot isn’t ready to do what I need to do in a workout. So I’m going to keep working on recovering, testing how much I can do, and as soon as I can go back I will be back!

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Not Doing A Lot For Now (or Managing Without Preparation)

Posted on January 28, 2022 | Comments Off on Not Doing A Lot For Now (or Managing Without Preparation)

I haven’t had many surgical procedures in the past. But except for the one on my foot, they were things I planned for and had some preparation done. For my hip surgery, I prepared a lot with different things around my place to manage the day to day stuff after surgery. I had a chair in my shower since I couldn’t stand up unsupported. I had organized things in my room so I didn’t have to search for things I would need. I did similar things for when I had my tonsils out. When I had the surgery on my face, I was prepared with what I would need to take care of my skin and to keep the scar to a minimum. And for my liver surgery that didn’t happen, I was very prepared for recovering at home and the challenges that might bring.

But for my foot, I wasn’t expecting to have anything other than a normal doctor exam. And I know this was a minor procedure and I should recover soon, but I was still unprepared for it. I actually was planning on going grocery shopping after my appointment, which I clearly didn’t do. So when I got home after my appointment, I tried to get some things set up in my house so I could relax while I let my foot recover.

One of the good things about living in such a small space is that I don’t have to do a lot of walking around my house. As long as I’m only stepping down on my toes on my left side, I don’t have to use my crutches. So I haven’t been using them in my house. I’m glad I can do this because crutches are pretty uncomfortable and I wasn’t going to order things online to make them more comfortable.

But I have been figuring out things I haven’t been prepared for and have been finding ways around them. I had to order some medical supplies online to be delivered because I didn’t have what I would need when I changed the bandages. I am grateful for next day delivery because I got everything I needed and I’ve been able to change the bandages and make sure I’m healing well (so far, things look like they are the way they should be). Showering is a bit tough because I’m not supposed to get my foot wet. I wrapped my foot in plastic, put a hair tie around the top, and taped the top of the plastic to try to keep as much water out. And because I have to balance on my toes and my foot is in plastic, it’s a bit slippery. So I put a towel on the floor so there would be a bit more grip there. But it was tough and I know it will be tough for the next week or two.

There are a few things I have to do outside my house while I’m recovering, but I’m trying to limit them or combine what I can into one errand. But I will do what I have to and use my crutches. And I just have to remember that this is only for maybe two weeks.

This will be a blip in my life before I know it. And the most important thing for me to do right now is to take it easy, rest, and let my foot recover and heal so I can move past this.

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Not What I Expected From This Appointment (or I Have Some New Accessories For Now)

Posted on January 27, 2022 | Comments Off on Not What I Expected From This Appointment (or I Have Some New Accessories For Now)

After my last appointment with my dermatologist, I was told he wanted me to see a podiatrist. My dermatologist had some pretty specific questions about my foot and why the treatments weren’t working the way they should be. His main concern was if the skin in my heel was too thick for the freezing treatment to get into my skin enough to work. So when I set up my appointment with the podiatrist, I figured he would look at my foot, tell me if things were normal or not, and send me on my way.

Well, that’s not exactly how the appointment went.

Pretty much right away, he told me that there was nothing wrong with the skin on my feet. He did tell me that wearing flip flops and flexible shoes isn’t the best option for me, but I also know that for my hips it’s easier to wear flexible shoes. So I might always have thicker heels but that doesn’t really bother me. I use good lotion on my feet and I never thought this could be an issue until my dermatologist said something.

I also know another concern my dermatologist had was about why the last treatment was so painful for me. I think that might have been just random because by the time I went to see the podiatrist, the pain was almost gone and it’s what my foot normally felt like.

So within the first minutes of this appointment, the podiatrist told me there was nothing wrong. But he also said that because this had been taking a while he thought doing some treatment while I was there would be best. And he gave me options and explained the potential treatment plan. The first option was for him to do another freezing treatment. He said that I probably still had quite a few treatments to go before it was gone, but I would know what to expect with pain and recovery. Another option was a type of cream that was more intense and extreme, but I would have to do it multiple times and it is much more painful than the freezing. And the final option for a treatment while I was there was for him to surgically remove the wart from my foot. He said that it would be almost a guarantee for a permanent result. There is always a chance it could come back, but it would be very unlikely. But the downside to having it cut out would be a week or two of recovery.

I really thought the appointment would be an exam and nothing else, so the idea of doing an in-office surgical thing shocked me. But at the same time I knew this could be the easiest thing in the long run for me. So after asking a bunch of questions about what the recovery would be like, I decided to just go for it.

This was a bit different from when the thing on my face was removed by my dermatologist. I still got a shot to numb me, but instead of a little punch incision this was more of cutting around an area. The numbing shot wasn’t fun and I hated the feeling of the pressure while he was cutting into my foot, but at least I wasn’t in that much pain. And it was only a few minutes before he was bandaging up my foot.

Because of the location and size of the cut, I have to stay off of my heel for the next week or two. I currently have a boot for my foot and crutches to use. It was weird using the crutches because when I used them the last time, it was for my hip surgery and I learned how to use them for the opposite side. But at least this time I won’t be using them too long. And while I’m in my house I can just walk on my toes on my left foot and not use the crutches. So my plan isn’t to go that many places until I can put weight on my heel again.

This wasn’t how I thought this week would go and it is changing up what I’ll be doing for the next few weeks, but at least this might be all I need to do and I won’t have to do any more freezing treatments when I see my dermatologist. And since I don’t have a lot of plans outside my house, I didn’t have to change too much with my schedule. It is frustrating to not be able to do things I was hoping to do, but I’m trying to be kind to myself and make sure I focus on healing so this is in my past before I know it.

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Another Doctor Appointment Afternoon (or Not Seeing The Results Yet)

Posted on January 13, 2022 | Comments Off on Another Doctor Appointment Afternoon (or Not Seeing The Results Yet)

I’ve been going to my dermatologist regularly for a while now. Originally, it was for my autoimmune condition and seeing how to get things into remission. And while I was there I did bring up a few other concerns and questions I had. Most were able to be resolved quickly, but a few others have become things that are recurring issues that I work on each time I see my doctor. And when I saw my dermatologist earlier this week, working on the ongoing issues is exactly what I was there for.

We first went over my autoimmune condition. Things are still better than they were before we started working on it, but they aren’t as good as when I was on the other medication that I had to stop. But any improvement is a good thing for me and I am happy seeing that things aren’t as bad as they were when I was at the worst. I still hope that things will keep getting better, and that’s exactly what my doctor and I are working on.

This part of my appointment was easy. The only change we are making is increasing the medication that I’m currently taking to try to put me into remission. I was taking it twice a day before, and now I’m going to be taking it three times a day. This medication is easier on my body, so I’m not too worried about adding another dose. I do have to eat when I take it, so this will also force me to remember to eat lunch. So I guess that’s a good thing too.

And the other ongoing issue I’ve been working on with my dermatologist is a very stubborn wart I have on the bottom of my foot. This time, we know for sure that’s what it is (unlike the one I had on my face that turned out to be a benign tumor). And it can be tough to treat and have it disappear. But one of the reasons I see my dermatologist as often as I do is to get treatments closer together and not waiting months between each one. And right now, the only treatment we have been doing has been to freeze it.

Freezing a wart isn’t fun, but I seem to tolerate it better than a lot of people. I don’t get that because I seem to have a lower pain tolerance than others, but maybe I’m just used to this. Normally, I don’t feel pain while the freezing is happening, but my foot is very sore for several days after. But going into this appointment, I had mentioned how my foot was actually sore a lot longer after the last treatment. And then when my doctor started to freeze it, it was some of the worst pain I’ve felt. I was shocked at how bad it was hurting me. My doctor did take a few breaks so I could let some of the pain subside before continuing. But he had to do the maximum time to hopefully make this treatment work as well as it could.

These warts can take lots of treatments to fully go away. He thinks I might be about halfway done with the treatments it will take for me. But at the same time, he has some other concerns about my foot that he thinks might be preventing the freezing from working as well as it could. So he recommended a few products I could get over the counter that might help my foot in general and maybe make the treatments more effective in the future. But he also wants me to see a podiatrist to make sure there isn’t another issue with my foot causing me this much pain now and making the treatment process take so long.

This might be nothing or there might be something I need to do so that this wart will finally be gone. I’d rather get checked out by a specialist and find out it’s nothing than waste time when there’s no way the current plan will work. So my dermatologist put in a referral for me so I can schedule that appointment. And my next appointment with my dermatologist is a bit further away than normal to give me time to get in to see the podiatrist and work on a plan with them.

It is frustrating that this process has taken as long as it has, but I also know that if I wasn’t in the middle of it I would just be doing this all later. So I just have to keep seeing my doctor and going through this and hopefully it will be in my past soon.

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