New Beginnings in Idle Days of Springtide

DSC_3663 (2)I watched the winter rains dwindle beneath the balmy rays of bright sunshine. The garden on my deck burst to life – newly planted sunflowers reached towards the blue, the lavender called to the hummingbirds and the heady scent of parsley demanded to adorn the wholesome recipes of warm spring days. In the spring everything changes – it is a season of renewal and rebirth, and for me, a new routine with RA.

The winter had been a turbulent one – not in the weather but in me. It became the season of RA. I had begun rehearsals for another show, and jumped into some new writing projects, both of which kept me busy for days on end. I was managing but managing was no longer enough. I had a life to keep up with, not just with my work, but with family and friends. Living it with pain and increased fatigue was not acceptable – I deserved to feel better. It seemed as good a time as any for my Rheumatologist to add a low dose of methotrexate to my medication regime and join the ranks of triple therapy.

And so begun my weekly injections. Little did I know that like a red sky in the morning, a spring storm had started brewing on the horizon, and the seeds of a flare had already begun germinating in the ripe soil of my joints – I had just begun to notice a slight reduction in my morning stiffness when in the midst of my busy life, it finally blossomed, puffing up my joints like the flushed rhododendrons bursting on the bush. It spread rapidly, blazing like the lightning fires consuming our parched forests, and lasted seven days. It was the most severe flare I had known. I lay in bed at night wondering if I might spontaneously combust. My rising CRP needed to be doused and I needed to get make it through another three weeks of performance. Only a few weeks after beginning methotrexate, my rheumatologist increased the dose hoping it would ease the rising inflammation.

Living with a certain amount of pain all the time makes it hard to distinguish when something has changed. I have mellowed in my life with RA – that’s not to say I accept it, I have simply grown used to how it works in my body. I can see the change in a new season but can’t always see a new beginning in my disease. I have grown complacent with the baseline of my daily pain, and sometimes it takes a dramatic presentation for me to recognize when it’s time to fight back.

As the days went on, my flare began to subside, and was eventually carried away with the remnants of winter on the backs of the wispy pollen permeating the air. The show is drawing to its close, and I am looking forward to a new resurgence in the lazy days of springtide. Whether it is triple therapy or the return of the balmy spring sunshine, I can detect another change in the air, another new beginning – and where there is a beginning there must be an end, and like every story in a life with RA, I’m hoping for a happy one.

 

 

No Comments

  1. aspiringwriter22 on May 8, 2016 at 12:58 pm

    I’m hoping it’s a good beginning for you.

    • J.G. Chayko on May 8, 2016 at 9:33 pm

      Thank you. I hope so too. Here’s hoping spring will bring you a burst of inspiration. 🙂

  2. phat50chick on May 8, 2016 at 6:51 pm

    Sad winter and your eloquent words do not mask the pain of your flare sounds like it was horrible . I’m hoping the metho will do its job and you will find some relief that was the med that kicked my RA’s ass into remission.

    • J.G. Chayko on May 8, 2016 at 9:32 pm

      Thank you. I am hopeful there will be an improvement. The morning stiffness has decreased so that makes me think I’m on the right track. 😉 Hoping you are continuing to be well. Cheers. X

  3. Carla Kienast on May 9, 2016 at 6:59 am

    Hope the new regimen works for you and that spring means your RA is taking a much-needed vacation.

    • J.G. Chayko on May 9, 2016 at 10:05 am

      Thank you Carla. I am looking forward to a break both from RA and from the stage. Can’t wait to linger underneath warm rays on my patio, catch some inspiration and catch some dips in the pool. Wishing you well as always X.

  4. Irma on May 9, 2016 at 10:02 am

    What you say is so true. When you live in pain, it’s hard to distinguish a variance in the level of pain, or even if its source has changed. Life becomes a blur of foggy actions that help us get through days soon forgotten, except for the pain they bring. I hope the MTX helps tamp down the inflammation. The best offense against RD is to do the things that bring you happiness and contentment, in spite of it.

    • J.G. Chayko on May 9, 2016 at 10:11 am

      Being on stage takes my focus from the discomfort most of the time. I am looking forward to a break before the next project. It’s probably time I get back to some swimming and a regular exercise schedule which can be hard to maintain in the busy days of rehearsals and performance. I have noticed a decrease in morning stiffness since starting the MTX. Hoping you can still slip into you dancing shoes every now and then and banish your RD to the music 🙂 X.

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About me

J.G. Chayko is a writer, actress, and international arthritis advocate who’s been involved in theatre for more than 30 years and has published poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction.