Flaring up some joints...

Note: I refer to my condition as arthritis because it refers to inflammation of joints. The doctors have diagnosed it as various ailments over the years based on genetic testing, blood tests, and other indicators. Millions of people have mystery ailments like mine who never get a proper diagnosis. I don't expect or even hope for a correct diagnosis in my life. I have moved on from the "I need a diagnosis" phase to the "I could care what it is, lets move on with our lives" phase.

I was installing new coax cable and book shelves in the basement. I felt it coming and I knew if I pushed myself, I'd be off my feet for a while. My body is now in a state of systemic arthritic flare up. Pain scale of about three out of 10, but if I push on, I'll be couch ridden for 48 hours straight or do permanent damage. I used to not care, but I have to live with this body for the rest of my life. It doesn't really ever hurt all that much, just my joints get hot, swollen, and immobile.

I don't mind being arthritic, I can't remember what it was like before I had it, outside of the fact that I was skinny, fast, and could throw a lot harder. The really frustrating thing is that my wife keeps calling and my cell battery is toast, so I have to get up and answer the phone. Walking is a bitch right now, but I have interviewed at a couple of places so I need to see who is calling. Note to self: install more outlets closer to the couch.

It used to be a lot worse. I couldn't walk across a lawn during my earliest flare ups. When I was trying to go to law school, I once lost the ability to walk halfway between work and school when my hip jammed. Hiking the Appalachian Trail, both my hips went out five mile from camp right next to sign that said "No Camping: Beware of Bears". It actually made camping a lot more adventurous and memorable.

Now I have a sense of when to pull back and let things cool down for a day or two. I can literally feel every joint in my body swell a little right now. Again, not the worst pain in the world, just frustrating that I would like to be building a bar in my basement, and instead, I can either read or write.

I don't take pain medication anymore. When it all started out, I was dosed with about a dozen chemicals, and I had to take blood tests a few times a week for about a year. I also had to inject myself daily with toxic chemicals that caused sores on my body. I don't even go to doctors that suggest prescriptions anymore. I don't even take aspirin or Tylenol anymore.

I don't talk about it very much anymore because it tended to define me when it first happened. The first question out of anyone's mouth used to be "How's the arthritis doing?" That lasted for about five years. I wasn't me anymore, I was the kid that got arthritis. I became famous not for what I had done, but for what had happened to me and that is never a good thing. Some relatives treated me like I was a victim of a crime. I don't deal in pity at all. I will laugh at you if you break your ankle, and I expect you to laugh at me because of my arthritis.

It's a strange life. Three days ago, Heather and I were playing basketball and I swear I touched the rim on a regulation hoop. Today, I'm sitting on the couch, nothing to read, nothing on TV, talking to myself on my blog. Tomorrow or the next day, I will be as good as new, playing ball. And hopefully I can finish the basement.

Life is good.