Things I can do on methotrexate...

Last year I started taking methotrexate.  The first 4 months were rough.  The first 2 months were really rough.  On the plus side after about 6 months I started noticing some changes, and gradually, bit by bit things have started getting better.

1 I have more energy, I no longer feel like I have to lie down at 4pm because I physically can’t keep going.

2 I can think better – thinking is easier, faster less like dragging myself through fog.

3 I have more movement in my joints, I can…

• turn over in bed, automatically and without thinking about it
• move my fingers, type and play the flute (not brilliantly but a damn site better than I was)
• shampoo my hair and wring the water out of it
• wash my hands without pain
• stand for long enough to cook tea and wash the dishes!
• lift a kettle full of boiling water
• lift something in and out of the oven, without a meticulous plan
• pick stuff off the floor
• get down to the floor and back up again
• stand for long enough to clean my teeth
• walk on uneven ground or ice and correct my balance
• run a few steps (if I need to! useful for catching falling children…)
• get out of bed in the morning and stand up straight

4 Doing my job no longer feels like a herculean effort demanding every last ounce of my strength.

So the down sides.

1 I felt exhausted, wiped out, and breathless for months, although that has passed

2 Nausea, I take it weekly, I still feel sick for 2-3 days

3 I don’t sleep well the night I take it

4 I feel wiped out 2-3 days after taking it

5 The regular blood tests make me feel like a “sick person”

6 My blood counts vary, I’m worried I’ll have to stop taking it.

7 Remembering to refill the prescription is a pain (and the “high risk” sticker never makes me feel good).

8 Every time I get any sort of infection I worry I won’t be able to fight it off.

9 Every time my kids/family/friends get sick I worry I’ll get what they’ve got .

10 What (when?) will it stop working for me?