Today is Tuesday, here is an update, but I can't think of a title.

I was told that I haven't made a post in a while. Yes, I'm not sure what to write about these days. The comments that made me consider closing my blog had brought tears to my eyes. I cried a lot, and it's been hard to want to write since then. The things I post on here are things I spend lots of time considering, so I do take things personally. I am thoughtful, some commenters are not.

I've also been at a loss of what to write about because mostly I'm just writing about my symptoms. I'm so thankful to be over physical therapy, but I still feel worn out and sleepy a lot. It seems like after therapy I started getting cold after cold and with feeling sick and tired a lot I don't really see much to write about. I've spent a lot of time reading. I finally finished the first Harry Potter book, and am now in the second book. I loved it! I love reading, especially this time of year where the cold just makes me want to stay covered up and with my nose in a good book.

I'm working on my Thanksgiving list. I should post it soon, probably on Thanksgiving. That'll be another post from me soon too.

My family visited last week. It was OK. Dad was sick for the most part, it seemed like he slept a lot. Everyone did lots of chores for me, which was appreciated, but also overwhelming. I'm still waiting for a photo CD from my mom from their time here. I'll probably post some pictures once I get it. While they were here my arthritis wasn't horrible, which was good. I was afraid because I was mostly stuck in bed even up to a day before they came. I was finally over the colds I had, only to catch the cold they had about halfway through there visit. This cold has been the worst of the 4 I've had in the last 2 months. But it seems to be moving fairly quickly. I came down with it Wednesday, and already am feeling a lot different... not quite better yet, but MAYBE in a week or so I'll feel well enough to get back on my injections! I pray so, I feel so much inflammation in my body. The worst being my ability (or lack there of) to move my back. And pain that surprises me when I do try to move.

My mobility has been an issue, even with the help that physical therapy was. I've really found that my mobility is tied so much to my inflamation. When it's worst I can't move hardly at all, when it's better I can move around fairly free, though that's been rare lately.

While they were here we visited a museum and I used a wheelchair there. It was actually rather freeing to have a chair available, I'm glad the museum had that available. It reminded me of the words of an on-line friend of mine. She has A.S. and she told me the best thing she ever did for herself was to buy herself a walker so she could keep moving on her bad days. I'm grateful for my cane, but sometimes I need support on both sides of my body. About half of the rest of the time I was using my cane. There where a couple of times I didn't use my cane and this confused my sister. She didn't quite understand that I don't need it all of the time. And that I try not to use it when I don't need it. I think this is one of the hardest things for people to understand about my arthritis, just because I'm doing good one day doesn't mean I'm better, and just because I'm stuck in bed another doesn't mean I'll always be stuck. It also doesn't mean that I've given up, or given into my disease. Just because I need my cane sometimes, and would truly benefit from a walker doesn't mean I want it, it's just tools for better living. It's not something about attitude, but realizing what I need to do to have the best life possible.

I'm really saddened sometimes by the lack of understanding some people have. I try to be very open about what I deal with, and sometimes it's hard for people to understand that this is not something I'm doing to myself, or allowing to happen to me. There is no cure for it, just some things that help. Believe me, if there was a cure-all for this all of my on-line A.S. friends and I would be talking about it and shouting it from the roof-tops. No one wants a cure for this more than the person dealing with it. False hopes, and advice that (falsely says) there's a cure out there are very discouraging. God alone can deal with this. Medications and exercise CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH! Even if I'm someday blessed with total remission, I would still live with the reality that it could pop up again. Even if I someday get my hip replaced to fix my O.A. that still won't change the R.A. or A.S. it's complicated, and my life is even more complicated since I live with multiple things.

The first day my family was here (actually on our way home from the airport) we went to the mall and they bought us a stationary recumbent bike. It's great. I think it's even nicer than the one I was using in physical therapy. Siggy has already started scratching on it, which makes me mad. He's a good cat for the most part, but everything looks like scratching posts to him. Very frustrating. I've put a towel over the seat to help prevent his scratching, so far so good... I'm just wondering how long that will last.

The weather has been cold, and I'm surprised we haven't had snow yet. Any time we do get moisture it seems to head up from the south, so it's fairly warm.

My dear friend Juliet called me yesterday because I missed church last Sunday and she was wondering how I was doing. I sounded like a grumpy frog on the phone. Stupid cold. I've been half asleep most of the time, and my voice sounds funny. But getting her call was a ray of sunshine. It's so encouraging knowing I have such loving and caring friends. It truly blessed me.