I’m ThisClose to Becoming a Dirty Hippie
The Auto Show wore me out. I mostly forget that I have RA these days. I have this baseline amount of pain that’s really quite tolerable. It keeps me from doing stupid things like handstands but it’s not enough to remind me that holding this camera for six hours will hurt my wrists.
When I say “hurt” I don’t mean ache. I mean the kind of searing pain that makes you want to cry like a 3 year old. When I overuse my hands they go cold and then they go numb and the only sensation that pokes through the numbness is the burning pain that also serves to totally depress me.
When I was first diagnosed with RA that was the pain I was living with day and night. So even though it infuriates me that my body has betrayed me like this and the pain is back it also reminds me of how incredibly lucky I am to have a (mostly) well controlled disease. Yes, I’d like to be in a remission but the reality is that I may never get there. I’d like to arrest the disease and make sure it stays confined to my hands and feet.
In any event I’ve found that the most magnificent, albeit time consuming, way to control both the pain and inflammation is acupuncture. I don’t even believe in acupuncture. I’m pretty sure I show up for an hour, a crazy lady with perfect skin puts a couple dozen needles in me, I listen to Howard Stern (you know to get my qi flowing) and fall deeply asleep for an hour while the acupuncturist and her assistant sit around giggling about the stupid people with needles in their faces.
But even with that it helps. I’m typing today and I haven’t taken a narcotic in almost a year, since the time I discovered acupuncture for flares.
I’ve also started juicing.
If you smell a whiff of patchouli on me or hear me mention “recycled clothing” for the love of all things holy please do an intervention.