The Arthritis Maze

dreamdaisy

I am sure you are all familiar with the concept of a maze: lots of shrubbery, dense, small paths and dead ends, you start from the outside and work your way towards the centre with a fair few twists, turns and dead ends along the way. This is what passed for entertainment in the days before Xbox and iPads etc. All I can say is thankd gawd for electricity.

I think the arthritis maze is somewhat different. You start at the centre and try to find your way to the outside. We are each in our individual mazes, of varying degrees of difficulty: some have broader paths, the shrubbery isn't too high, the suns shines occasionally, for others the paths are narrower, darker, the shrubbery is well-above head height and as for sunshine - what the deuce is that? I knew my maze, I knew it well, damn it I've been in it for fourteen complete years (nine of those conciously) just started my fifteenth, it's an old friend, bushy, lush and familiar. I was gamely pedalling my unicycle and juggling my drugs for all I was worth, struggling to get to the outside. Things have changed.

I went and had my Xrays done yesterday lunchtime. They were taken at about 1.45 and at 2.45 I found myself back in my second (and spiritual) home of rheumatology. I saw the nurse that I had seen that morning - Ooooo, she said, you had your Xrays done? Yup, says Daisy, I bin a good girl. Let's go and look at them, says the nurse. OK says Daisy. Poor, unsuspecting sap.

Me and my unicycle have been swept up in a tornado worthy of the Wizard of Oz and dumped in the middle of a new, double maze. I am starting the whole damn thing again. Luckily the centre of this new maze is very small, very densely packed with greenery and so I no longer have to pedal, just juggle. The Xrays revealed (and I quote) 'classic and significant OA damage to both knees, the right is worse than the left.' I am being referred to the surgeon who did all three synovectomies (he's known as Mad Mark, he's smashing) so I can listen to what he has to say. Hopefully he will reveal the first opening in the shrubbery, the cue for a path to try to see if I can regain the outside world. Perhaps now it's time to ditch the unicycle and try riding two horses at once, the PA and OA steeds. That'll be fun in a maze!

Quite a few things now make sense so on the one hand I am relieved. On the other I am somewhat astonished, bewildered, confused, distracted, edgy, frustrated, gobsmacked, hostile, indignant, jumpy, knackered, livid, morose, niggled, puzzled, queasy, rattled, sad, testy, unhappy and worried. Not a lot going on then.

Look after yourselves please. I won't be about much thanks to Easter etc - I will try to get to the docs sooner rather than later, I think some happy chemicals might be an idea but I will give myself time to adjust to this bolt from the blue. I swallow enough dross as it is - oh, it's Wednesday, time to go and do the meth stabbing. The fun never ends in DD's bathroom.

I hope you all have a very good Easter, revel in the bank holidays and enjoy the wedding.

tjt6768

I'm always here, hedge cutters at hand mi dear.. Just keep those pesky equine beasties well away from likkle old me, I'm no longer able to run away from them cowering... Now I just cower...

You know without me saying that you have my best wishes..

Be well my friend

frogmorton

Good Morning to you

Up early l see.....

A new maze.....well don't you be worrying....there are a fair few wonderful people already in that maze DD

Just call out to them and they will hold your hand

The Mad surgeon may well be able to help 'punch a hole' and if he takes too long l am pretty nifty with a hedge trimmer myself

odd smiley, but l know you will 'get it'

Love

Toni xx

Dottydoodah

I like reading your posts Daisy.

Hope you have a great Easter and things get sorted for you in the near future

Hugs Nicki xx

keith1971

Sorry to hear you've been thrown a whole new pile of doo doo to deal with DD.

Keep strong, keep fighting, there's always a way out of the maze, it may be increasingly difficult but I think that's the point of them.

x x

fayrose

Aww heck, what a bumma and right before the hols. You'll fight your way through, you always do and with incredible humour. Bless you DD xx

julie47

ahhh dear dd I am sorry, not what you really wanted to hear.

Dont worry about the maze, with both toni and tony with hedge cutters and me on my scooter , they will trim and I will give you a lift out ,just hold on tight.

Take care my friend
love juliepf x

daylily

Hello DD,
I'm trying to think of something to say like the others but, as you know, I'm not good with words.

Thinking of you always DD, your help and support has been invaluable.
Please rest and take time to digest the fact that you have yet another ball to juggle.
You are an amazing person who helps everyone.
Take very very good care of yourself and I hope you find some solutions soon
xxxx

gickygawky

HI DD,

A maze within a maze - how unfair to throw that your way.
I am sorry to hear the results of your xrays - now that it is known what is going on in there hopefully this will lead towards a lighter load for you to bear in the long run.
I hope you get to enjoy your Easter, whatever you may be doing, and that the sun shines just a little brighter through the hedge.

Arna x

jillyb1

Wow , DD , so sorry to hear of your new bunch of nettles in your maze . I found similar on my last rheumy visit ; said to ghastly specialist , " lots of pain in knees and hips " , said specialist prodded knee and said , " looks ok !" "well hurts too much further checks please . " He examined newly taken x rays and said , " that's why it hurts , no cartilege in knee joints or hips , you need all 4 replaced !" Hard to be smug and say told you so ! Guess we all suffer the maze being filled with weeds and slime now and then ; hope your particular mess gets sorted soon so you can return to your usual kind down to earth self . We will all be thinking of you and sending out positive vibes . Jillyb

speedalong

Hi intrepid-maze-inhabitant,

SO!!! They might be able to chop old arther out of your knees!!!! There certainly is a glimmer gap in the hedge!!!!

Hope your appointment with Mad max comes through really quickly.

Speedy

Poppyg1rl

Oh DD,
Not fair, really really not fair. You knew something wasn't right knee wise.
Ah well, perhaps the mad surgeon can help eh? If he could so much the better I'm thinking of you and sending much love and hug buckets your way Xxx

jayneys

O DD you have such awonderfull way with words ,but i think being good at gardening might be helpfull,or maybe the man that brings the chocks at night with lots off rope,you know the one in the advirts.Asyou know and you can see im not good with words ,but wish you all the best in your new fight with this sneeky arthritis. Jayne xxx

dachshund

Hi DD.
i'm sorry you have enough pain as it is without more.
i hope the docs wont be long working out what to do about your
knee's.
have a lovely easter and take care.
joan xx

suzygirl

Thinking of you, hope you manage a tolerable and enjoyable break!! x

julie47

Morning dd

Just to say, thinking of you and take care.

Enjoy the easter break.

Love juliepf x

tillytop

Hey DD

As I have said before you paint a wonderful picture! On the one hand I am really sorry to hear the latest but on the other, I feel you have been given a glimmer of hope that things could improve for you.

Thinking of you.

Lots love Tilly xxx

dreamdaisy

That's the frightening thing, Tilly. My past experience of glimmers of hope have been less than satisfactory, to say the least.

The unicycle has been abandoned, I am now on a zebra. This is why.

Yesterday I pictured my two sorts of arthritis as two horses. The PA was a wild, jet black stallion, rearing and prancing, un-predictable, un-controllable. The OA was a snow white Suffolk punch, big, cumbersome, plodding from here to eternity, slow and patient. This morning I decided that trying to ride two wildly different horses at once was not a good idea, so I have combined them into a zebra, called Bah. (gold star to the one who can work out where that name came from).

I am still bewildered, still floating round the house like a fat ghost. I cannot settle to anything, I cannot concentrate, I am all at sea, riding a zebra called Bah. DD

daylily

Oh my DD, you paint a brilliantly sad picture.
Sooooo sorry you're suffering even more.

Wish I could say/do something to help.
Thinking of you and sending my very best wishes.
xxx

tillytop

Oh DD, you poor bewildered floaty ghost :sad:

Still wracking (racking?) my poor addled brain to try to earn that gold star but no joy as yet. Maybe a cuppa will help...

... ok, sitting here with me cuppa and the best I can come up with is that the zebra is actually Cris's sheep dressed up as a zebra. No? Didn't think so. Officially stumped. :roll:

Thinking of you.

Lots love Tilly xxx

tillytop

oooh - sudden flash of inspiration (must be the caffeine).

Bah as in "bah humbug"? Black and white humbug, black and white zebra?

Do I get the gold star?

Tilly xxx

dreamdaisy

Clever girl! And all without a clue too! I am dead impressed.

If Bah's stripes were a written bar code and I were to translate it I would be thrown off the forum. DD

tillytop

Tillyxxx