stumbling along

I wrote my last post when I was in so much pain I felt a kind of despair. I wrote it not to ask for sympathy or help but to recognize it "officially".

I am not in that pain now, and it has been several weeks since I was. It took a while to get through it and I am not terribly patient about such things. I muddled along, doing what I felt okay doing, which wasn't much, and remembering that a while back an arthritis doc told me in times like this to just let it rest. It appears that something needed to heal or my body needed to adjust.

I am much better now. My laziness keeps me from making greater progress but I am maintaining some things I gained nevertheless. A friend and I went to a long opera the other day and she said it was all she could do to resist getting up during the performance because her legs were bothering her so much. I recognize that symptom, and I recognize that I rarely get it any more. I think the main reason is that I no longer eat cheese (except for the occasional slip) or other dairy products. I have no proof that this was the problem, no absolute proof, but the improvements I have seen followed my diet change so I am going to assume for now that the dairy products were at least part of the problem. Certainly that type fat isn't helpful.

I have gone on several flights in the past months and have noticed that my body handles them better.

In addition to this change the primary pain that was really getting me is gone. I am sure it is not gone for good because it is the type that has a habit of returning. But I am taking this opportunity to test out a new DVD - exercises for arthritis. So far so good. I am looking to get back to some weight training soon, too.