Downhill

Halved my steroid dose midweek, as prescribed. I think I could feel the reduction the first couple of days. Last night and especially when we woke up this morning, I felt very stiff in my lower back and sides.

We got up at 10, I had a bun of three-day old muesli bread and popped my steroid pill. Then we went swimming at Rockwell. I used my fins for the first time and was happy I could finally propel myself with my legs. Then we had lunch at Pancake House then visited Pa for an hour or two at Makati Med.

We got up after Dr. & Mrs. Benitez arrived, and she said it was good to see me without a cane. (She's seen me using one a couple of months ago.) We left the room and saw Tita Nit and Tita Chery approaching. Tita Nit asked about Pa, then asked about me. I whispered I was on drugs so I felt fine. But as soon as we started walking again, I realized I was walking quite well and told Kat. She agreed. I felt very good.

After a nap, we watched a concert at Salcedo Park. We went separately. So, when I walked down the several steps in our basement parking, I had no one to show that I was touching the wall for support very lightly. When we got back, I tried it again and then dragged her out of the apartment into the fire escape to show her.

What happened? Was it because we slept till 10? Was it because the flippers flexed my ankles? Was it because the methotrexate was really kicking in?

With the good comes the silly though. After I showed Kat not once but twice that I could walk down steps, we found out we had locked ourselves in the fire escape. We had to walk down until we saw someone at a window on the ninth floor and asked her to let us in.

I have a new pain, at the very back of my ankle. But I'm not worried about it. It seems like the pain from using a muscle that hasnt been used much in a while, which I think I got from walking down steps and walking faster today.

Here's hoping.