January 22, 2016
This has been an emotionally difficult month for me, having been “demoted” from Webmaster to Website Technician. Barley has been sick and peeing a lot on the bed—on my side!—making it impossible for me to sleep there. So I have grabbed blankets and made my “bed” in my recliner in the family room. Over a period of several nights, I seemed to have increasing stiffness, soreness, and then severe pain in my left hand.
I complained to Dr. Chan, sending her a photo of my hand attached to my email. She ordered an x-ray of my hand which cost me a $65 co-pay. It was then, and only then, that she conceded that I have osteo arthritis. I have been telling her for at least 10 years that various joints in my body feel inflamed and asking her if it sounds like arthritis. She just more or less shrugged off the idea and had nothing more to offer than to ice it and take ibuprofen.
