Broken arm

I had my first "treatment" in the summer of 1998. Lucky me—I fell and broke my right arm (just above the wrist) within a couple of weeks of the treatment. And, I'm serious about it having been lucky. I didn't think it was a good thing at the time, but retrospect shows me that it was vital to my getting so much use of my left hand back so quickly. I was forced into using that atrophied left hand, almost exclusively, for weeks! So, I regained strength and control in it at break-neck speed. I'd never have been able to do the things which I was doing with my left hand without the treatment, and I'd never have attempted all that I did if I hadn't broken my right arm. He works in strange ways, huh?

The abilities in that left hand/arm never got "perfect", but I'm able to do just about everything with it, now. Testings at the clinic where I receive the treatments show vast improvement right away when I began the IV Methotrexate, with a leveling off which has remained pretty constant for 10 years. My fine motor skills lag behind my right hand, but few people ever notice—even those watching for it. I drive "5 on the floor", (left foot working clutch, left hand controlling wheel while shifting) and have for years—a feat unimaginable to me in the late '90s.

I was able to go a full year after treatment before the left hand started to deteriorate a bit, again. My neuro had changed the treatment protocol, so we decided that I'd do best with half-dose treatments each 6 months. I've pretty much stuck with that regimen ever since. One time I went 8 months after a treatment—my right hand curled up and I could not open it for a few weeks. I won't attempt stretching the time between treatments, again!

Today's picture I stole from a jigsaw puzzle page. I just had to get in on the iris sharing.  Hugs!