These Awkward and Arthritic Adventures

Actual photo of my actual horrible bangs.

During the twelfth year of an awkward existence, there was a lot that I discovered about myself: that my athletic ability is less than ideal to play volleyball; that my terrible blunt homeschool bangs were the worst thing to ever happen; and that medically I'm a mess– well, if we refer back to the bangs, then altogether I'd been a mess. 
The initial diagnosis that had brought me into the doctor wasn't actually the arthritic fun time that is rheumatoid arthritis–  it was actually the fact that on a daily basis, I took great pleasure (ha!) out of puking my guts out, and the inability to keep anything down (sorry, various hotels, stores, and restaurants for upchucking on your floor– especially you, Cracker Barrel because you're the bomb). However, besides the acid reflux it inevitably turned out to be, my gastrointestinal doctor noted that we'd had a family history of autoimmune disorders. It was after a stomach scope and a blood panel, it was discovered that I'd had the hypothyroid disease as well, Hashimoto's –which makes me a fatty and moody, and forced me to see an endocrinologist (with hair like a cross between a hedgehog and a 90's boybander). Luckily, it's since been in remission for quite a while. 

Actual picture of Dr. Weiser 

However, autoimmune diseases don't like to party alone, and usually come in groups of two or three– just like teenage girls, and they're just as annoying. Which is how our regular family practitioner (who had just  gotten out of medical school, and was deathly afraid of my mother, as anyone should be) noticed my swollen knees and my awkward, painful hobble. It was cause for concern, further blood tests, and a worry that it was lupus (then I would've really been Dr. House); which is how my rheumatoid arthritis–dun dun dun–diagnosis came to be. This started a whirlwind adventure of doctors, hospitals, and hurt. The first rheumatologist that we'd seen was local and a major league hater, which made the three-hour trek out to Birmingham, Alabama to visit the pediatric rheumatologist worth it. The man that became my constant rheumatologist for the past five or six years, is a dorky, hilarious, great person who bears a striking resemblance (both in appearance and accent, but probably not in evilness–maybe) to Gru from Despicable Me. Sadly, just like pizza and Netflix marathons, all good things always come to an end– since I'd turned eighteen, they decided I'd been too amazing to handle and decided to kick me to the curb into 'adult' care. 

Homegirl.

That adventure began this past Thursday, and only required a trek of forty-five minutes into Auburn, Alabama and just like everything expectedly is in College Football Town, USA, the new rheumatologist is inside the sports medicine clinic and therefore is decorated like football fields. It's enjoyably laughable that I'd been sitting in a waiting room at sports medicine facility considering, as before mentioned, my lack of coordination and athletic ability made me the prime candidate for the sidelines bench at volleyball games, and now I'm just crippled. It was odd being apart of a waiting room that completely filled with everyone being past middle age (including an elderly man listening to a blaring western on his phone) considering the Children's Hospital is predictably full of screaming toddlers, and Dora The Explorer muted on the television. The lack of stickers, aquarium wall murals, and Highlights magazines in the waiting room, however, brought a deep sadness to my heart; but, the new rheumatologist lived up to his praise from my pediatric doctor– he was just as ridiculous as well as helpful about my medicines, school accommodations, and noted that the 'shade where you are in pain' part of the introduction paperwork was completely a black shaded figure because homegirl is in pain everywhere. Our experience is new, and about as exciting as you'd expect spending endless hours in a waiting room to be (like DisneyWorld, obviously). That being said, it allows me to be able try new dosages and medicines that I'd been banned from in the kiddie cripple world–  which is sadly exciting to me, it's quite obvious I need to get a life and not sound so much like a druggie. On the plus side, they're uppin' my dosage on my Orencia, which will occur at the new infusion facility on Thursday. Let's see how this goes. 
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a Law & Order: SVU to catch up on. 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Hugs + Kisses,

Julia.

-------------------------------------------

What's comin' will come an' we'll face it when it does     

—  Hagrid (Harry Potter)