Dear Meloxicam (A break up letter)

Pain level: 5

Dislocations so far today: none so far

Subluxations so far today: Right shoulder a couple of times, right scapula once

Meds: meloxicam--2 tablets.

Major complaint: Stenosis pain, stiffness/pain/swelling in my fingers,

hand, and wrist (R>L)

Dear Meloxicam,

We tried to make this work. Things were great in the beginning. You

made a huge difference with my inflammation. I had mobility back in

my hands and you even helped me recover from my dislocations quicker

than before. But I guess the spark is gone.

The swelling started coming back. My right hand mostly, and it was

most pronounced in the morning. I had my appointment with my

Rheumatologist to talk about it. (He introduced us after all.) His

advice was the double your dose. Maybe I wasn’t seeing enough of you.

15 mg—the highest we could go. I had hoped it would be like our first

date all over again, but it wasn’t. Nothing really changed. Sure, my

back felt better that first morning, but everything else was the same.

From what he tells me, it’s not really your fault. It’s not you—it’s

me. Apparently it’s normal in situations like this for drugs like you

to just stop working. Sometimes things are great for months or years

and suddenly they aren’t anymore. The body just gets bored.

Sometimes the honeymoon is over within weeks, like with you and me.

And again, maybe you’re still doing your best, but the amount of

inflammation is just too much for you.

I started on Wednesday and this morning when I woke up, the swelling

was worse. The stiffness in my right hand is worse too. The skin on

my joints turns white when I try to bend my fingers. And it’s spread.

My entire right hand and my wrist are now swollen, sore, and itchy.

I made the phone call to Dr. E. I’m pretty sure he will advise that

it’s time for you and me to see other people.

Hand stiffness using middle finger has measure

Time: 1:43 PM

Can touch forearm? No. Ow!

Angle of extension of the center joint of finger: 40º

Angle of extension of the last joint of finger: 105º

R

Can touch forearm? Around 3 inches off. OW!

Angle of extension of the center joint of finger: 30º

Angle of extension of the last joint of finger: 100º

I’m not a fan of those numbers.