WEEK ONE OF MTX TREATMENT

I'm basically giving my immune system ritalin and hoping it
will start paying attention in class.

I thought maybe I'd start posting weekly updates with how I'm feeling. The medication I'm on (methotrexate, herein referred to as "MTX") usually takes a few weeks to start being effective and about six weeks before it's in full swing, so I think recording my status on a week to week basis might be a helpful exercise to look back on later.

The main side effect of MTX is digestive distress. Upset stomach, cramping, that sort of deal. From what I read it was mainly in the first 24-48 hours of taking the medication. In some people it is bad enough that they switch to an injectable form of the drug to avoid this side effect. In some people they just have a slightly upset tummy once a week. And in about a third of people they don't really experience anything. So I was feeling pretty cocky when after two days of taking my first dose I didn't have any stomach issues at all. Maybe a slight rumble the night I took it but nothing super noticeable at all.

While I might have avoided tummy issues, you have to remember that MTX is an immunosuppressant and what do you know, I come down with a minor cold a few days after taking it. Nothing major, but annoying. And then yesterday, as I still had this cold, I felt like complete shit. Just no energy or anything. Yesterday, after feeling like complete garbage, I was a little discouraged. However, today I am feeling much better and I can tell my cold is starting to clear. Just in time for another weekly dose. Hah.

I think my immune system has always been "supercharged." The last time I remember getting sick enough to miss school or work was 8th grade when I had whooping cough. Otherwise, I've gone 7.5 years of my professional life without a sick day. Sure, I've gotten colds and stuff, but I've worked through those. Food poisoning a couple times, really bad diarrhea from Mexico... but overall, I remain pretty healthy. I've always credited that to a good immune system. But, my immune system is hyperactive and bored and starting to attack my own body now.

I'm hoping taking MTX will knock it down to an immune system of a normal person. So maybe I get sick a little more often, but in exchange my psoriatic arthritis (PsA) more or less goes into remission. That would be a fair trade off that I could accept. I will not accept being one of those people who is constantly sick, especially during the winter. So hopefully once my body adjusts to the new normal with MTX I won't be a constant sniffling mess. I don't think I will be, but after getting hit by a truck yesterday I'm putting it on notice.

As for my PsA, I don't know if this is a placebo effect at this point or what, but it feels like it is getting slightly better. I swear I am able to sit up from chairs without hoisting myself with my upper body like before. I can bend at the knees and pick stuff up easier. I don't feel as creaky and stiff in the morning or after sitting for a period of time. It's still definitely there, but I want to say this is the best I've felt in regards to the PsA since initially seeking treatment. I know the drug isn't really supposed to kick in for a few weeks, so maybe this is just me being optimistic. I'll keep an eye on it.

Wish me luck tomorrow. Hopefully I don't curl into a ball from G.I. distress and then follow that up with the flu.