I normally really hate the period immediately after Christmas. Spring always seems very far away and the weather is usually foul. Well, this year is an exception. I was lucky enough to have two weeks off over Christmas and I returned to work today feeling refreshed and ready for most things. However, the weather was indeed vile. We had 80 mile an hour winds along the south coast of England this morning coupled with heavy rain. On my journey to work I was forced to cling onto railings and bus stops in an attempt to remain on my feet on several occasions. It was exhilirating and scary at the same time. One of the joys of living by the sea!
On the arthritis front things have been mixed over Christmas. I have had good days and quite a few bad ones. My back has been very painful. The pain is with me constantly at the moment in varying degrees. It frequently wakes me in the middle of the night. This is different to a normal flare up. They usually respond to anti-inflamatories quite quickly. My back doesn't seem to be responding well to the Naproxen at the moment, which is a bit worrying. If it continues I will have to make an appoinment with my GP. One thing that is stopping me is that I will probably get referred back to my Rheumatologist. That will mean more tests, probably including an MRI scan. I dread scans as they completely terrify me. I suffer from claustrophobia and just the thought of being in that narrow metal tube makes me break out in a cold sweat. I made a complete idiot of myself during my last one by having a panic attack. If I have to have another scan then I will ask my GP to prescibe something to clam me down.
For the next few days I will try some other natural anti-inflamatories such as ginger. I will let you know how things prgress.
