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I've retired since writing that column, having done so at the end of 2006 in no small respect because of that
disease and its after effects. Fatigue, dropping tools, pain - all contributing factors to my decision to retire. The
biggest problem I've had is with fallout from Rheumatoid Arthritis. To try and summarize this in brief will be difficult,
but let me give it a try.
I never know from one day to the next how I'm going to feel. The weather has nothing to do with it. I can only
remember a couple of days recently where I've made it through the day without problems. Some days I can feel
half ways decent. Other days, like yesterday and today, I've felt totally exhausted. Afternoon naps help very little.
No energy, pains in various places, swelling especially in the hands, feet and ankles. Some days I wake up feeling
OK, but after three or four hours I'm ready for an afternoon nap. The pain element can also be confusing. I went
to the hospital the other day thinking I might be having a heart attack because of pain in my chest and in my left
arm. Turns out, I might have a heart rhythm issue [still unconfirmed], but at the same time I have to wonder if this
is at all related to Rheumatoid Arthritis. It's weird stuff all by itself, but being exacerbated by Lyme's has only made
a bad situation worse. I hurt in the damdest places and in the damdest ways. It comes and it goes, sometimes it's
a sudden sharp pain, sometimes it comes on gradually then goes, sometimes it hangs on for hours, sometimes
only a few seconds, sometimes it hits two or three places, sometimes only one. Fatigue sets in as the pain wears
on me, so then I don't feel like doing anything. It's very frustrating.
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