Back Again

Hello playmates. It's been a year since I last posted cuz I pulled a big sickie beginning of January - total auto-immune system collapse. Bloomin' nightmare. Virtually bed-ridden for five months. Every joint swollen and very painful. Eventually diagnosed as inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis and put on meds that have brought it under a degree of control.

Got back on my 2010 Bonnie at the end of the summer, but really struggle with the two Sprints (can't even climb on board the 1050 now and 10 days ago dropped the top heavy 955i braking on a diesel spill mixed with what seemed to be black ice, gaaaargh). So the Sprints are going to go. Thinking of a low-rider Tiger 800 to use for volunteer blood running. And I just decided to splash out one of those new Triumph classics as pictured cuz I reckon I deserve it and am picking it up Saturday ,,, but that's a story for another post.

Rich

 

Hi Ade, I'm on that methotraxate, which apparently is serious stuff if you OD it, plus back on small daily dose of steroids. I weaned off the steroids but the inflammation crept back up, so looks like I'm going to have to combine the two. Thanks for the info and I'll ask my pharmacist about alternatives to the meth when I go for my next re-up.

 

Hi Ade, thanks for the positive outlook mate

Yeah, I'm on all that junk too, though mine is still early-onset, so hopefully it won't get as bad as your mom suffered. I had anemia too, so was really under the weather till it all got properly diagnosed. I was sent to a geriatric/cancer specialist after many other options were exhausted (I'd dropped something like 40kg/6st, so cancer was considered a distinct possibility despite me insisting it's cuz I ain't friggin' eating junk or drinking ale any more for ffs!) ... he took one look and said, bollox cancer, that's rheumatoid arthritis, here, try popping a few steroids. I took 20mg at 7pm that night, followed by the first almost-painless proper night's sleep in five months, and next morning could walk again, albeit still not great - but in weeks I was able to get back on the bike for short runs every three or four days, which so lifted my spirits. Anyway, there ya go he said, has got to be rheumatics, except your bloods keep coming back negative. He insisted I see a rheumatologist, who said a) it's unusual, but the indicators can sometimes be masked in the bloods, and b) why weren't you referred to me at the start, I could have told them that and would have had you all sorted before your joints became quite so wrecked. Ah, well.

On the positive side, the local charity shops have benefited from loads of really good clothes, new suits and stuff, that were now tent-like, plus fuel consumption has dramatically improved from not having to haul so much excess weight around. So it ain't all bad.