Ailment analysis - pre and post cancer

Okay,y I admit I have been feeling pretty crappy off and on for the past few weeks. I don't know what it is. If I thought it was diagnosable, I might actually call my doctor. But as it is just a blahness feeling with nothing really specific, I am not doing anything.

But it does allow me to think about the comparison between a healthy-ish person, a cancer-ish person, and an achy-painy-ish person (with RA and fibromyalgia) and what are the differences in my reactions.

Symptom	Healthy-ish	Cancer-ish	Achy-Painy-ish
Sneezing/Sniffling/Coughing	Wait and see if it goes away and check out the cold medicine aisle.	Wait and see if it goes away.	It better not turn into pneumonia.
Owies	Wait and see if it goes away, then call doctor, maybe, eventually.	Is there a lump? Maybe its a tumor!!	Is there a lump? Probably just an RA nodule. Ignore it.
Lumps and Bumps	Ignore it	Is it where  a tumor might possibly be?	Definitely just an RA nodule. Ignore it.
Headache	Take an aspirin	Is it a brain tumor? MRI stat.	Just another achy-pain.
Blahness	Take some vitamins and nap more.	Is my blood work okay? If so, ignore it.	Blood work checked last week and again next week, I can't be that sick.
Dizziness	Must be dehydrated, drink more water.	Is it a brain tumor? MRI stat!	Just part of my new lifestyle.
Dripping blood	Band aid, butterfly or ER?	Band aid or butterfly?	Band aid or butterfly?

It takes me a lot to call the doctor these days. The more ailments I have the less likely I am to call the doctor.

I have been feeling blah but right now I am getting my blood work checked every two weeks because I added a new prescription for my RA and I see my rheumatologist in two weeks. I also know if I really want to, I can get into my primary care's office on the same day.

I don't wake up each day expecting to feel well. It can be a rare occurrence that I feel great. So these days, I'll just ignore most things.

Don't confuse me!

I have a looming appointment with my rheumatologist this week (which I finally put on my calendar this morning) to talk about how I am feeling. We might even change my medication, I don't know.

Then there is an article on '5 Signs Your RA Treatment Isn't Working'. (Why do we need to have articles that are 5 signs... or 10 reasons.... or 15 best...?) Now I am confused. The five signs:

1. Your Disease Activity Score Rises
2. You Don't Feel Well
3. You Develop Antibodies
4. Your Polyglutamate Levels Are High
5. Your Blood Shows Signs of Inflammation

I don't feel well and my blood shows signs of inflammation. But I have no idea what the other three mean, what they are and if I have them. Now I am confused. I thought I was fairly well educated on my RA but I guess I am not.


Now I know what my questions will be for my doctor on Thursday.