waiting for Godot...
...it looks pretty much certain that I'm going to have to retire because of rheumatoid arthritis - which is an odd state of affairs to have thrust upon me - and I'm having a fair bit of difficulty getting used to the idea. It will be the first time in my life that I have not had a proper job - I have either worked or studied since I don't know when - I have, compared to many people, been incredibly fortunate in that.
I would prefer to earn a wage, but I'd need an unimaginably flexible employer - you'd have to be damned tolerant to offer paid employment to a 57 year old with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, who stands a 30% chance of being ill on each work day.
So I'm thrown back on non-earned income - insurance policies and benefits - and ad-hoc odds and sods of paid work. and none of that income is at all reliable - I am currently waiting to hear about two insurance claims and two welfare benefits. Assuming my claims are successful they will, for a while at least, keep me going - and I suppose no news is good news....
8 comments:
This is obviously a significant step, and a sad one. I hope your claims are successful, and that you manage to find sufficient odds and sods.
It's a big change Bloghawk. I do hope the financial side is sorted, giving some peace of mind. If it's any consolation, I know many 'retired' people who say they never knew how they managed to fit work in!
You have my sympathies. I know your situation well. I'm currently trying to get my employer to pay my pension early, what little there is.
Good luck with the claims. I hope you have a positive outcome.
I wish you well. It cannot be easy living in 'Limbo Land.'
Hope you have enough positive distractions in your life to keep you occupied.
Creating your terrific blogs must certainly be therapeutic for you.
Keep on truckin' dude. "No News is Good News" (That was a title of a song by the legendary Bluegrass band Goose Creek Symphony :-) )
Kind regards adanac67.
you are being remarkably patient and philosophical. I will hang on in there with you.
Have you had your blood levels of vitamin D tested? It sounds like you may well be deficient, in which case you might want to consider taking 4000+ IU of vitamin D3 daily. Also, have you tried minocycline? It can be very helpful in some cases.
Thanks for all your support - it's good to know you are there. For the record I'm still waiting - is no news good news?
And that last comment - is it just me or is it a bit random - does vitamin D or an antibiotic help make waiting more tolerable - it doesn't even seem to be spam???
txxx
My wife has RA. After a lot of research on the issue, I believe years of vitamin D deficiency may have played a role. Try Googling "rheumatoid arthritis vitamin D". Supplementing with 4000 IU vit. D3 has certainly helped her mood if nothing else.
An excellent general presentation on vitamin D by Dr. Reinhold Vieth is at tinyurl.com/f93vl - it doesn't address RA, but it's a superb introduction to current results on vitamin D in general.
Minocycline, OTOH, probably doesn't address the root cause of RA, but it has provided my wife with some much-needed temporary relief from the pain. The functional pathway is unclear, but seems to be separate from the antibiotic effect per se. Doxycycline is also used sometimes, but minocycline is usually more effective.
Vitamin D3 supplements are probably a good idea for most people anyway to reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. (Cf. Dr. Vieth's presentation.)
Minocycline isn't something I would want to take long term if I could avoid it, but is quite safe short-term.
If you haven't tried either of these approaches, why not research them on your own and consider giving them a try?
Best wishes and don't give up!
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