Ooops, it is actually N8TRLUVR (my bad)
AussieMom
Tagging is easy and so handy! Simply key in @N8trluvr and see what happens! Magic! As soon as I post this, N8trluvr will get an email message saying that somebody’s talking about her. 
And speaking of magic, did you know that if you click on a person’s avatar (pretty much wherever it appears) their profile will pop up*? Like now I just clicked on that cute little puppy face on yours, and I saw that you live in OK, not “downunder” like I had assumed! Oh, I get it: that’s an Australian Shepherd: remarkable dogs!
All the best to all of you!
Seenie from ModSupport
*PS the exception to the profile popup thing is ModSupport. Modsupport is a team of three or four people that uses one log in: Sharon from NY, TJ from MT, Seenie from Canada, near Ottawa, and Merl from … well, Merl really IS “downunder”! Of course we share a log in so that any of us can access everything that’s done by team members.
LOL, Seenie,
When I entered the user name, I didn’t think about the different ways to interpret it! Yes, I live in a city just west of Oklahoma City.
Thank you for the awesome info. I feel like I’m getting to know everyone better each day & you are all very patient with this newbie!
You’re so welcome! We don’t do this work for the thank yous. We do it because we love it. And when someone expresses appreciation, it totally makes our day.
Really, the way to get the most out of being on a community like this is to ask questions, and tell a bit about yourself and try to connect. I know, it’s kind of hard when everyone is an unknown. But nobody stays a stranger for long if you step out of your comfort zone and share a bit.
Now I need to know. What’s your Aussie’s name?
Thank YOU for making our day
Seenie
Her name is Bella, she is a toy Aussie, and she has become very much my “therapy” animal, while I continue to work at home. She is 18 months old and super spoiled! My avatar pic is Bella when she was still very small - I love that pic!
Something sad - When she was 4 months old, she was mauled by my step-daughter’s dog, who we also love, so it was a difficult situation, to say the least. Bella has lost sight in her left eye - If you were to see a current pic, you would see one, very beautiful, blue, right eye and a pretty messed up left eye. When she was bitten, the left eye was flattened & the fluid drained out of the eye, causing her to lose sight. She does very well with one good eye - She plays “Round it up!” (AKA fetch), and she’s amazing! The herding instinct is a part of every Aussie - even the little ones! She is behind us, pushing us around, constantly, with her little nose. When I’m at the computer, typing, she will stand on her hind legs and push my hands off of the keyboard, telling me it is time for a break! I think God gave her the black spot over her “bad” eye - It isn’t immediately noticeable…But, we love her just the way she is! 
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Aw… she sounds so sweet! I understand your pain about problems with adding another animal to the mix - especially a baby and an older animal. We have had issues with that too. I have frequent cat breaks to love on my cats.
Thank you. I just went yesterday to my GP and got more bloodwork done. When I get that back I will probably try to go to a rheumatologist but my GP said some won’t see you if your bloodwork doesn’t show anything so I will have to call around I guess.
Im sorry…what is JMHO? 
Wait until Sharon from ModSupport sees these pictures! LOL Talk about cute kitties!
OK…bloodwork. This is a matter of some, shall we say, “misunderstanding”. I’m not a doc, but I do know that some GPs work on the assumption that if your CRP and your ESR is in the normal range, you don’t need to see a rheumatologist. While there may be some truth in this, there are some very serious rheumatological diseases you can have while your blood work appears to be normal.
What I have (Psoriatic Arthritis) is one of those diseases. Fifty percent of us appear to have normal blood work, even when our disease is severe. I’m guessing there are a few more, but I’m not paid to know that. 
For twenty years my GP had me written off as a whingeing menopausal whiner with normal blood work, until the sudden discovery of bad joint damage sent me to a rheumatologist. (And yes, I had complained and complained about the pain in those joints, and terrible fatigue, for years. But my bloodwork always looked great.) It took the rheumatologist a few minutes, and then it was a head-slap moment: I was a textbook case of PsA. Comment from GP, “I don’t know how we missed that.” Well, “we” missed that because my bloodwork looked normal and “we” missed a rheumatology lecture somewhere along the way. (No, I didn’t say that … LOL!)
JMHO … Just my humble opinion! I think I’d be pushing past my GP to have a bit of quality time with a rheumatologist.
Meanwhile, I’d be snuggling those adorable kitties.
Seenie
Sweet Bella! Sad about the accident. We have a dog who had an accident as well (long story). She has some really severe phobias. But life and doggie love goes on!
S
@gonzalezcook,
Your babies are beautiful! I can tell you are quite the animal lover! Something sweet: My little granddaughter (4-yrs-old) is crazy about animals - ALL animals - She is currently “raising” 2 spiders. There names are “Jumpy” and “Not Jumpy.” LOL!
Best of luck with your bloodwork. I agree with Seenie, that your blood work can appear normal, and you may still be suffering from a very real & painful condition. If a doctor refuses to see you b/c of normal bloodwork, I would find a different doctor.
Seenie,
I hate that your doctors let you suffer for so long without diagnosing your condition. It makes me angry to think about it! We put our trust in them, and, too often, this is what happens. I hope you have been able to find some relief from your pain, along the way.
Yeah, AussieMom. I was pretty flipped out when that all came down. One of the first things I did (OF COURSE!) was Google, and livingwithpsoriaticarthritis.org popped up. I joined immediately! There I met some wonderful people who first calmed me down, and then set me on the path to learning about my disease, and becoming an advocate for myself. There came a point when I wasn’t getting better, and my rheumatologist was totally laid back about my disease being “pretty mild”. It was my Ben’s Buddies who lit a fire under me and gave me the push to find another doc. I found a world class clinic (by luck) and there, a top specialist was appalled at the shape I was in, with “severe disease”. He couldn’t get me on really aggressive therapy fast enough. I haven’t looked back: today I’m in much better shape than I was twenty years ago.
The worst joint damage was in my feet: I’m left with very limited walking ability. But it’s not all bad: I’ve also gained an incredible amount from that shocker of a nasty diagnosis. If I hadn’t had a reason to join Ben’s Friends, I’d never have met the wonderful people I meet every day on our communities. I would have never developed the understanding of what it means to have a rare condition. And I wouldn’t be in a position to help others, something that gives me great satisfaction every single day.
So it’s not all bad. But yes, I do have trust issues with certain doctors, and (as you can see) I don’t hesitate to suggest to others that they perhaps need to have someone else re-consider their situation.
Jumpy and Not Jumpy! How cute is that?
Seenie
Seenie, you are such an inspiration! BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE can be just as important of a mantra as BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF**, depending on what the day brings. I learned that the hard way, as well…
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If I’ve learned one thing, it’s “Be your own advocate”. Yup. And cut yourself slack when you need to. I’m not as good at that one.
You tagged! Right on
Seenie
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Seenie, you do make me smile! 
A hard lesson I learned:
Somewhere in between the hand and neck surgeries, I experienced terrible pain, high in my stomach. It got so bad that I was curled up, in the fetal position, on my couch for days. My husband took me to the emergency room in the middle of the night, dropped me off, and went to park the car. I walked in, complaining of terrible stomach pain, & they all looked at me suspiciously (I realized later it is b/c some people come in, looking for a “fix” and lying about the pain). When the doctor saw me, b/c of where the pain was, he thought it was pancreatitis - The blood test indicated it was not. He knew I had an ultrasound appointment scheduled for the next day, so he did not run one. Instead, he shot me up with morphine and sent me home. I knew that this was not a real solution to my problem and that the terrible pain would come back - and it did. When I finally had the ultrasound, the lady was not happy that the doctor had not performed one at the hospital, and she told me to go home and expect a call shortly from a doctor. That afternoon, the surgeon immediately admitted me to the hospital, and my gallbladder was removed the next day. It had been hemorrhaging, and close to bursting. I still have the huge stones he removed. That experience taught me to be my own advocate. I should have refused to leave, during my emergency visit to the hospital, until they ran the necessary tests I needed.
This wonderful site is reminding me to take better care of myself, and to reach out to others. I think you are all amazing!
I know exactly what you are saying. In the middle of the night, you are lying there thinking “Nope, wrong answer.” But our life training tells us that you don’t argue. And in principle, that’s right: they are the doctor. The shift in attitude that I’ve had is “Ask the doctor to explain, until it makes sense to you.” That’s a bit different from arguing.
If a diagnosis doesn’t make sense and feel correct to you (and I don’t mean you don’t like it, or you don’t like the doctor) then the conversation with the doctor isn’t finished.
I remember that gallbladder pain! And I’m happy to say that it’s never been back since the surgery. LOL
Thank you. Sorry so long to get back with you. A daughter of mine raised spiders in her window (not letting us get rid of them) but then when they had lots of babies, she decided that might not be a good idea.
Of course my blood work came back as normal. I did get a prescription for a muscle relaxer and an anti inflammatory to replace the Advil and Tylenol that I was taking before. So, far I haven’t noticed too much of a difference, but hopefully I will.
LOL - my daughter had the same thing happen with finches - Started with two, and ended up with a cage full!!!
Isn’t it crazy that you can feel so terrible, yet the blood work says you are fine? I hope that your meds start to kick in soon, gonzalezcook.
It still makes me happy to look at your fur baby pics. I don’t know what I would do without my sweet Bella 
Oh my @gonzalezcook ! I don’t know what I would do if I saw spiders and a bunch of spider babies. They make me shudder lol. I’m with @AussieMom and hope that your new medication will help you out. I usually only alternative Tylenol w/Aspirin when I’m very sick with a fever. I don’t like to be on it as regime as it’s not good for your liver but if your doctor is okay with it then by all means do what your doctor suggests.
Davey
Moderator