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...
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