da tomāto

Since my left hand became weak at the same time my polymyositis flared over a decade ago, it has never improved, even a little. I kept telling my PTs (physical therapists) about it but they just said the same thing -- do the open/close exercise, squeeze a stress ball. I did and still do but nada, nil, zip. My left hand would occasionally feel numb. The numbness would go up to my elbow and sometimes my face, and I'd be terrified thinking that I was having a stroke. I even wondered if I was developing inclusion-body myositis (ibm is another kind of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy that initially weakens the fingers and, as of now, progresses because it does not respond to treatment). My left fingers often hyper-extend to compensate for the weakness. When we attended the annual myositis patient conference by TMA in September 2016, we noticed that my left hand looked the same as the ibm patient attendees -- fingers hyper-extended. Can I also have ibm? I asked Dr. Steve Ytterberg  

Gumbo at the Hilton Riverside (NOLA) Gumbo, quiche, chicken kiev, asparagus salad and vegetable lasagna were some of the dishes we had at the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans while we attended the annual Myositis patient conference. The conference included some breakfasts and lunches. I looked forward to breakfast. The coffee was delicious and I like to have cold orange juice first thing. For the lunches, they served desserts - apple pie and tiramisu. Some attendees requested the gluten-free menu and were served fish and fresh fruit. There were cut fruit sold at the 2nd floor lobby cafe but they were gone before I had time to buy one. I missed eating fresh fruit on this trip but was glad there were some raspberries in our yogurt in one of the breakfasts.

Went to New Orleans in Louisiana. Had our first meal of a catfish po-boy and crab cake sliders at Drago's inside the Hilton Riverside Hotel. They were not yummy, sad to say.

Cafe du Monde beignets ( Riverwalk Outlet Center, NOLA) You have to try the beignets in New Orleans, they say. DONE! And they are delicious! So good that the next day, we came back so that someone can buy more.