Coumadin, prednisone & methotexate;)

Well it's been some time since I've written...What's new? I've been on prednisone since Oct. 2,2007, (I've gained 27 lbs), good news is that the swelling has gone down... I can type, write, caress my Husband without so much pain, hold my grandchildren, substitute teach/ part time,sing for my church, walk....life is good right now. I have been to my Rheumatologist who was very informative & kind. She has now started me on methotrexate about a month ago now & I will be slowly coming off of the prednisone. Kindof nervous about what my body is going to react to all these changes again. Having the Protein C&S defiency in my blood makes my treatments a little more difficult. I am on Coumadin (blood thinner), so every time they change a drug in my system it throws off my blood thinning factor. too thick or too thin, throwing blood clots or hemmorage,,,neither of those are good;)   I've been on weekly draws trying to get into correct range. My last draw I finally made the two weeks in range so I got a week off from getting poked...yeahhhh! My veins get alot of scar tissue which can be painful. (The alternative to not having them would be much worst. My husband, children, grandchildren, family & friends would miss me;)... All in All I'm still working on getting a support & information group together in my community up here. Work in progress. I need to stay focused on the big picture & try not to get upset as I do my research. It is very scary to look into where I will be eventually with these diseases. I really am grateful for this site. People who come on & give their testimonies on how they are getting through life is truly an inspiration for me. My feelings are that God puts things in our lives for a reason, to teach us something, to help someone else, whatever His plan is, I am thankful that he has connected me to the people on this site so that we may share & relate to each other with hopes of comfort & knowledge. Take Care & God Bless