My white blood count has continued to be low; from 3.1 to 3.8. I asked my rheumatologist to look back in my records to see what my count was before starting Carbamazepine. It was 11. Immediately after starting Carbamazepine it went down to 4.0 and stayed in this range until March, 2006 when it dropped to 3.5. He was concerned that we needed to weigh the risks of taking the Carbamazepine against the benefits and said he would call my neurologist and discuss it with him. My neurologist seemed to be comfortable with leaving me on the Carbamazepine and said if it drops too low or I develop infections he will look at a medication change.
In March and April, 2007 I visited both my PCP and Rheumatologist. As opposed to the first couple years with my thyroid problem, EF and seizures, there is nothing new to report. I feel good and only have a little pain in my elbows. My ankles and knees still have a feeling of tightness but I can bend them fine. Besides walking and stretching, I am trying to build muscles in my arms and legs with light weights. My weight has leveled out at about 25 pounds less than before EF so I finally bought a wardrobe of clothes that fits. (Pants have elastic, though, just in case.)
I am fortunate to have made a good recovery from EF. I know this is not the case with everyone who has it. I believe my good recovery has been due to the quick diagnosis and excellent care I received from my Rheumatologist. I know he has not treated numerous other patients with EF, so he did not have experience to draw on. I am very thankful for his good care and have told him so. He sees an unbelievable amount of patients, but he has always taken the time to talk things over with me and to remind me to give him a call if anything new pops up.
I also believe the stretching and walking I've done has made a significant difference in my recovery. If I hadn't continued to stretch my knees, ankles and arms I think they would have been stiffer. Medical websites say 75% of the people who have EF are left with permanent contractures. Thankfully, I'm in the 25% who didn't.
If anyone with EF finds this website, I hope it will be helpful to read what my life with EF has been like and I encourage you to contact me if you would like to talk about your story.
In March and April, 2007 I visited both my PCP and Rheumatologist. As opposed to the first couple years with my thyroid problem, EF and seizures, there is nothing new to report. I feel good and only have a little pain in my elbows. My ankles and knees still have a feeling of tightness but I can bend them fine. Besides walking and stretching, I am trying to build muscles in my arms and legs with light weights. My weight has leveled out at about 25 pounds less than before EF so I finally bought a wardrobe of clothes that fits. (Pants have elastic, though, just in case.)
I am fortunate to have made a good recovery from EF. I know this is not the case with everyone who has it. I believe my good recovery has been due to the quick diagnosis and excellent care I received from my Rheumatologist. I know he has not treated numerous other patients with EF, so he did not have experience to draw on. I am very thankful for his good care and have told him so. He sees an unbelievable amount of patients, but he has always taken the time to talk things over with me and to remind me to give him a call if anything new pops up.
I also believe the stretching and walking I've done has made a significant difference in my recovery. If I hadn't continued to stretch my knees, ankles and arms I think they would have been stiffer. Medical websites say 75% of the people who have EF are left with permanent contractures. Thankfully, I'm in the 25% who didn't.
If anyone with EF finds this website, I hope it will be helpful to read what my life with EF has been like and I encourage you to contact me if you would like to talk about your story.
posted by efasciitis | 6:01 AM
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