Warning! New Medication...Lesson Learned

Right before leaving on vacation my cardiologist wanted me to start a new medication. I did not want to do that. I have issues with taking new medications anyway but to start while on my vacation I was really against. The doctor was adamant and persistent. He believed my cholesterol was too high and that raising my statin dose was not a good idea because a side-effect of that is joint pain.

Did you get that? I have RA. Joint pain is my life. He convinced me, against my better judgement, to start a new medication at a low dose immediately. He is such a nice guy and really convincing. He believed it would not be any problem at all.

Now, I have to tell you that I have a problem with swelling in my ankles, feet, legs... since my surgeries especially. My rheumatologist says it is due to the RA, the surgeries, and the medication. It has become just a part of my life. Something I live with now and I have to put my feet up for periods of time several times a day. Okay, new way of life.

I started the new medication. While riding in the truck during the day I kept my feet up as much as possible, then at the campsite reclining for 20-30 minutes at a time wrapping my ankles with ice packs.

However... Halfway through our vacation

my feet looked like footballs, FULLY INFLATED FOOTBALLS,

and the discomfort had reached the level of unbearable. It was painful. I couldn't get any shoes on my feet, not my Keds unlaced or my sandals. I couldn't get my huge puffy feet into them. I had brought one old pair of stretched out sandals that I could barely get on, all the way stretched out to the last hole on the band.  Richard became very worried and ready to take me to the hospital. Then I started to have bladder and urinary tract issues. That's when I decided to stop taking the medication. 

Immediately the bladder and urinary issues stopped. A couple of days later the swelling was greatly reduced. When we got home I decided to give my body a detox and I didn't take any medications for a couple of days. After a week the swelling was almost gone. A letter came in the mail from Medicare that the new medication, Ezetimibe, is not on the list of prescriptions covered. Well, that's interesting. Is the Universe at work here?

I got back on my supplements and the medications I know I can tolerate and I did my research on cholesterol-lowering foods. It's been 1 month and the swelling is completely gone. My feet and ankles are actually back to my pre-surgery normalcy. 

The thing is, the cardiologist is being preventative. He has told me that with my history of RA and the medications I've taken over the years, the trouble I've had with my heart in the past, family history, he is treating me "AS IF" I have cardiovascular disease. And my cholesterol is only borderline high. I have had the same cholesterol level for the past 20 years. It has not gone up. But with my age and the RA at the stage it is now he is thinking of preventative measures. I understand and appreciate that. But I have to remember that I know my body!

So... Lesson Learned!

I will not be taking another medication for my cholesterol and I will never again start a new medication when I'm leaving on vacation. 

I hope this helps someone else to trust in their own intuition and not be pressured into taking anything they don't feel they should take and definitely not when going on vacation. 

If your ankles or feet start swelling abnormally, stop the medication. 

Put your feet up and relax... 

Petrified. Grand. Cruisin. Awesomeness!

  Did you know there is a Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona? We didn't have time to drive through on this trip so it is on the list for a future trip. 

This log is at the KOA Campground in Holbrook, AZ so we were able to touch it and take pictures of it. 

 For more information here is the link to the National Park website https://www.nps.gov/pefo/learn/nature/petrified-wood.htm

It was a pretty cool way to start the day... on the way to the Grand Canyon. 

Continuing on Highway 40... we can see mountains up ahead...

 "I was standing on the corner in...

 Winslow Arizona... (sing it with me)

 It's such a fine sight to see...

 It's a girl my lord in a flatbed Ford slowing down to take a look at me...

Come on baby, don't say maybe... I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me... 

We may lose and we may win though we will never be here again,
so open up I'm climbin in so take it easy..."

That is a casino on the right up ahead.

We are headed to the KOA Campground in Williams, Arizona to unhook the 5th-wheel before driving up to the Grand Canyon.

We are on the lookout again for elk!

This is where the road got really bad. The drive is pretty but the road is terrible. 

We didn't know what kind of weather to expect in May. It looks pretty cold up in the mountains. Fortunately, we were prepared for that. We unhooked the "palace" and drove up to The Grand Canyon. We parked at the Visitors Center and it was very cold. We got hot beverages and a snack while we checked out the map and decided where to go. There are walking trails and shuttle busses but we had the dogs and the walking trails were too far for me so we decided to take the 25-mile drive up to the Tower.  As we were coming out of the parking lot Richard thought he saw an Elk's tooshie... so we circled back around to the parking lot to see if it was an elk and suddenly there was this little one right in the parking area.

I took this picture through the window because I didn't want to spook it but it wasn't the least bit concerned with us. Other cars pulled up and stopped and took pictures also and it just ignored us all.

I rolled down the window and took more pictures. 

We got back to the stop sign and there was the tooshie Richard had seen...

Yep... it is another elk!
Of all the places where we look for elk, all across the country, we almost missed them here right in the parking area of the Visitors Center! Hmmmm.... I think they've got us humans fooled.
It was so cloudy we didn't know if we would be able to see much of the Canyon.
Then we suddenly saw this...

We pulled over at every stop to get a look at the view.

 Even though it was cloudy the sun was able to shine through partly, casting shadows and creating dramatic scenes.

 I caught a vulture in the viewfinder and followed it through the canyon...

This rock to the left in the forefront is called Turtle Rock, it looks like a turtle face.

Where the sun hit the canyon between the clouds the colors were beautiful.

Sometimes Awbri needs to just sit and think...

I know you've probably seen many photos of the Grand Canyon, much brighter and prettier ones...

 But it is so amazing. One of the Wonders of the World even on a cloudy day.

The colors that show up when the sun shines are impressive.

Tiers of rock that look like ruffles on a dress.

Miles and miles out and down, of layers and layers, created over eons by water and wind...

What an incredible natural wonder

Look at the pink in these...

All bundled up... Bud in his bag...

There is the Tower.

You can climb the stairs inside to the top, if you are able to. I imagine it is quite an awesome view from there.

It is actually a bit of a long walk to get to the Tower from the parking lot but there is a café and benches to sit and rest. Inside the Tower is a store.

  

I love this shot.

This is what he was taking a picture of...

As we were leaving I looked back and I just had to take this picture...

We took the scenic loop back to Williams.

 This sign seems out of place... there isn't a house or a building of any kind that we can see for miles.

And this sign says School Bus Stop Ahead.... Really?

What do these clouds look like? There's something about this photo...

 The clouds are settling in around the mountains. Is that an eye in the center above the truck?

 We are heading back into Flagstaff again. We did a full circle.

 Wow... the clouds look like they are crawling down the mountain.

 And then the sunset...

It looked like a fire blazing...

 And then it did this...

 And then it was over.
I had seen a restaurant on Bring Fido in Williams on Old Route 66 that I hoped we could find.
We drove into Williams and found it...
Cruiser's 66 Cafe

 There was no one sitting outside because it was so cold and they were packed inside. But they kindly turned on a heater for us so we could sit outside with our dogs.

They told us they were very busy and our service would be slow but we didn't mind at all.
Then, they were so incredibly fast and attentive. It was the best service ever!

 The place is awesome!

We all had a great meal.
The place is so cool inside too!
The bathroom stalls are car doors and truck tailgates.

In fact, the whole block on the strip is a piece of nostalgic Old Route 66 and it is awesome!
This made me so happy!

We didn't get any photos of the street unfortunately but we did get a couple of souvenir mugs.

We highly recommend visiting Williams, Arizona and dining at Cruiser's 66 Café.

Tomorrow we are going to Las Vegas, Nevada

Bye Bye!