Become a "Pro-Cyclite bastard." ;)

Honestly, it's low impact, mildly technical, and a blast when you climb a hill and descend down the other side. SmileWavy

If you spend time in the outdoors, you may want to consider a Lyme disease titer. Good luck!!

That sounds like the AA prayer. The holidays will be tough for you Bob, and her birthday, and your anniversary. She is really still with you, when it is quiet, and you think you are alone with your thoughts, she is right there in your heart. Sorry, that is a bit melodramatic, but there it is.

Len, you need to take care of the body and mind. Physical activity and diet will help for both. You probably are not sleeping well, not getting enough REM sleep. Too much caffeine, crappy food and high stress will really mess with you. A human can stand a lot of stress, but you have to recharge the batteries and put the right gas in the tank.

There are those who think Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are BS, made up diagnoses, but I am firmly convinced they are genuine and manifestations of sleep disorders. This is something I do not say lightly

Stress is a royal "b**ch" and can manifest itself "physically" in many different ways. Don't really have an answer though. Bob, I doubt there is a person on this board that doesn't respect you immensely. I notice when you're not posting as much, and silently hope that all is well with you. If "we" can help you in any way (particularly through this upcoming holiday season), don't hesitate to post or even PM someone you feel comfortable "sharing" with. We don't always see "eye to eye" on many issues here on PPOT, but there are some damn fine folks here imo. I wish you the best...

Just like a Porsche needs to be run hard to shake out the cobwebs, get everything working normally. You need some exercise and Marvel Mystery oil....SmileWavy

What Tobra said.

We may all correctly assume your symptoms are originated from stress and it probably is an important factor, but please don´t overlook the possibility of a somatic component triggered in a second phase. No matter what initially caused the start of the joint symptoms, the ongoing disturbance in the tissue could generate an inflammation of a more somatic character.

In other words, seeing someone for an examination may be worth it. If not else, because simple antiinflammatory agents may not only lessen your pain but also heal up the process quicker.

Note, I am not advocating doctors and pills, I believe the mind-body connection is very strong and that stress is modern man´s worst enemy, but my above reasoning should perhaps not be left out completely.

Start doing Tai Chi or something, listen to Mozart as you fall asleep, quit reading in bed, lots of stuff that can help with sleep habits. Switch to green tea instead of coffee, don't eat anything out of a can or jar for a week(I mean all fresh stuff, easy to do in the USA), drink nothing but juice or water for a whole weekend, there are a lot of little things you can do that taken together will have a significant impact on how you feel.