I have been debating with myself.. should I or shouldn't I put my health info in my blog? At the risk of sounding like my grandma's bridge club, lol... Here goes.
Since last summer I have been dealing with bouts of severe abdominal pain after meals. I have been to several doctors, had numerous tests, and the culprit is my gall bladder. However, I don't have gallstones, so they are hesitant to take it out. I also am dealing with severe gastritis (irritation of the stomach lining) and acid reflux. I have one more test on my gall bladder in late July, and then I will know if they are going to remove it or not.
I was going along okay with all that, and staying active, trying to eat better, etc.
Then, in March, I started having joint pain for no apparent reason and have been feeling like I've been run over by a truck these past few months. I also had this really itchy rash on my elbow, so they tested for several other conditions that can have gastric/rash/joint pain symptoms... like Crohn's disease, celiac disease, colitis, etc. So far, I don't have any of those, and it still looks like my gall bladder is the culprit of my stomach woes...
Long story short (I hope!).. Turns out the rash on my elbow is Psoriasis, and my first bout with it was about 12 years ago. Back then, the doctor just told me to put hydrocortisone on it, and after several months it finally went away. Now, it's back, and along with it, the joint pain. After several more rounds with the doctors, and tons of blood work, (last time they took 10 vials.. eek!), They are leaning towards a diagnosis of Psoriatic Arthritis. It is an autoimmune disease similar to Rheumatoid Arthritis.
It not only affects the joints, but also ligaments, tendons, and fascia.

Anyway, I'm not blogging this to complain, but wanted to give a little background and also let all my dear Sparkfriends know where I've been all this time!

I am taking this one step at a time, trying to keep my spirits up, and trying to exercise a little each day. I am having joint and tendon pain that keeps me up at night, and I even have inflammation in my eyes.. So, being on the computer, watching TV, driving, and reading are all painful to do for very long.
I feel like I went from a healthy, 41 year old adventurer who could stand to lose a few pounds, to double that age, could stand to lose a few more pounds, with a condition that I have associated in my mind with being elderly.

I have been meditating, and trying to do some gentle yoga stretches, and walking . I still go to the park, but don't go through the ravines anymore, and only go around once, so I am only walking for 30 minutes or so. I'm trying to build on it slowly, and know that this too shall pass. Everything changes... everything.. the good and the bad.
My spirits are up for the most part, even though my body is down, I try to stay positive. Even though I haven't been online, I still think of my gratitude and awakening team. Every morning before I get out of bed, I list to myself all that I am grateful for, just like I would post it if I were online :-)

Thanks dear spark friends, for all your support and well wishes. I will try to check in more often.
I wish joy and sunshine to you all, and hope you are having a happy summer!