Marilyn ~ I'm a newbie... Really REALLY Long, please forgive me

[Guest guest]

Hi Marilyn...I'm sorry things are so difficult right now. So many of us

can relate to your issues...financial, emotional, physical. I'm Tess,

and I live just NW of Portland, Oregon. My late husband's folks used to

live in Coos Bay (father-in-law was a tugboatman, and mother-in-law was

the boat's cook)), so spent many lovely days there years ago.

I'm single (once widowed, once divorced), will be 53 in July, am on

SSD/SSI and am fortunate to have Medicare and Oregon Health Plan. I was

dx'd with sero-negative lupus in 80, then mixed connective tissue

disese, chronic fatigue, then fibromyalgia, and finally it was decided I

had rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis in 96 (along with fibromyalgia

and osteoarthritis.) I am 10 weeks post-op from a duodenal switch

bariatric surgery and doing well. I have been on plaquenil, arava, mtx,

enbrel, remicade, kineret, and most recently humira, which is helping (1

inj. per week). I'm also on Paxil for chronic severe depression.

I try to live day by day, doing what I can to improve my health and

making peace with what I cannot change. I have 4 grown children and 2

grandchildren and they keep me going at times when I'm just too tired.

Folks here are so kind, supportive, informative & understanding. This

is a difficult journey, but it's easier when you're not the " Lone

Ranger. " I'm glad you found us.

Hugs...

Tess