Living with PAN-the lighter side

I am having very painful joints and some issues with walking and my brain doesn't always want to work the way it should (more than usual!). I've done two steroid boosts and plaquenil and it doesn't seem to be doing the trick, but I will find out the next course of action on the 4th of Dec. (I was told to prepare to go on the cytoxin again, we'll see.)

Anyhow, I thought I would share a couple of the lighter moments I've had recently.

I am 33 and close with my grandma who is in her 80's, we often attend church together and when we do I usually give her a hand when we walk to the altar to attend communion. There are two steps to walk up and she will use a rail and hold onto my hand for balance. Lately I have not been walking so well, but didn't think we'd have any trouble.

We walk up the steps together and I realize we are a tad wobbly. After receiving communion-where I had knelt down and had some trouble getting back up-we went to go back down and I whispered to her to let me get down the steps first and then I would help her. So I go down, then help her and then we started laughing and she said it was like the blind leading the blind. LOL So true.

The second would've been embarrassing except the lady involved was very nice and had a good sense of humor. I was being checked in for my regular blood draws and the woman at the desk was asking all the regular questions of if my info is still the same, etc. Then she asked what my symptoms were.

I completely drew a blank and could not think of even one of my symptoms.

(WHAT?!?! LOLI live with this everyday.) I tried to buy myself time,"Well, there are so many..." and "I have polyarteritis nodosa" (I could think of THAT but not the symptoms?!)

Still nothing. Not a word, nothing. This has happened before but never with something so obvious and with so many choices.

Then she supplied, "joint pain" YES! That's one.

I then explained that I have some memory and recall issues and this seemed to be one of those times. She said that it must make conversations interesting but that I could probably have fun with that too.