tired

There are so many different things I could post in here, sometimes it gets kind of overwhelming.

It's not really a recipe blog, or a diet blog, or a rheumatoid arthritis blog. It's not strictly an autism blog, or a colitis blog.

It's just... an SCD blog, I guess. Our journey.

With that, I have an update on my condition.

I'm currently taking doxycycline to combat my rheumatoid arthritis. Antibiotic therapy is not widely used, but the research behind it is interesting to be sure.

I've been on the antibiotic now for almost three months. My doctor went over my lab results with me, which were drawn after one month on the antibiotic.

At the time, I was in a lot of pain and discomfort. But all of my disease activity markers... are trending downward. Also, I'm able to tolerate more advanced foods, like raw fruits and veggies in small amounts. Yay!

But, if all of these markers are looking good, why do I still feel bad? My wrist is still all swelled up. So are my hands.

The hypothesis is, I'm experiencing a Herxheimer reaction.

In simpler terms, I'm going through a massive round of die-off of bad bacteria -- which pretty much everyone on SCD can identify with.

So! My doctor thinks I should stay the course, because the medication is actually working.

And contrary to popular belief, you CAN be on medication and do SCD at the same time. Now, many medications have ingredients that you probably should steer clear of, but you can either choose to take them (which will delay or slow healing) or you can get them compounded at a compounding pharmacy.

So. I am doing OK, even if I am in a lot of pain right now.

I have another recipe to post for you when I have a bit more energy, I promise.

And man, I just can't stop making pickles!! They taste so awesome!