Pushy little things

We all need a little push now and then.

I'm not sure what happened on Monday; must not have been anything too exciting.  Boring is always just fine with me.  Ben had preschool from 9 to 1 then speech therapy from 1:30 to 2.  I started experiencing something that evening I have never felt before...panic attacks.

Tuesday I went to work from 2pm to 10 pm,  still feeling anxious, but it subsided after I was totally submerged in verifying prescriptions.

My mom arrived Wednesday afternoon and has been staying with us.  The boys are so excited to have her here.  Their Halloween costumes came in the mail the same day.  It was like Christmas at the Guthrie's!

Jeremy had suggested that I meet with a counselor to help deal with not only the feelings of grief that come over me in waves but also the flashbacks of that tragic evening and the anxiety that I was feeling.  I had my first mental health meeting Wednesday evening.  Even though I was totally out of my comfort zone, it went well- my counselor pretty much told me what I was dealing with was normal.  The only head shrinking that occurred was when she asked about my birth order.  Apparently first born are more likely to want to make everything better for those around them.  I go back next week for a follow up.

After dropping Ben off at preschool Thursday, Owen and I took Mom to the Legends in West Kansas City for a little retail therapy.  The weather was perfect and we had a wonderful time.  After lunch we picked up the preschooler for a fun afternoon playing outside.  Jeremy and I took advantage of having Grandma around and went into the city for dinner at La Bodega with our friends Joe and Andy.

Friday Ben took my Mom to Grandparents day at preschool.  He was very proud to have his Grandma there with him and she loved seeing his classroom and all of his playmates. During nap time, I snuck off to meet with my rheumatologist to follow up on my treatment options.

Since all my my symptoms are subjective (joint pain, stiffness and fatigue), and there has not been any real objective data for him to go on, he is changing the game plan.  The only oddity on my labs was that I tested positive for HLA-B27 antigen with leads Dr. K to think that I might not be dealing with Rheumatoid Arthritis but instead Psoriatic Arthritis.  He has added sulfasalazine and prednisone to my regimen with hopes that I have a more positive response to the therapy.  I'm keeping my finger's crossed (not really - it kind of hurts) that I start feeling better.