Well Bell, I know the feeling, last summer when I got back from Portland, I was on top of the world, and then after a great trip to Denver, I was having sharp pains in my gut. Well, a trip to the doctor and I find out that I have a bad case of Diverticulitis, told that I was lucky that I didn't wait any longer or I would have been in the ER or dead. Well, lots of different meds, somewhat under control, over the next few months, the side effects of the meds that finally worked, of course at this point, the side effects were passing out:eek: and such, so the Doc "Suggested" that I don't drive while on them:(

Well, my knees had been giving out more & more frequently, so I go to a specialist, as I destroyed my knees though years of BMX & skate park riding, but figured that I could them fixed & race One More Season. So after, MRIs, nerve test, a back specialist, found out that my right knee was just hanging on, that I have multiple tears & other issues in my lower back.. In the meanwhile, I had some hard growths on my left hand, had a couple biopsies on it, stitched up, but now I couldn't ride my bikes, but at least I could still go for walks. Well, when I had the stitches removed, I ended up with a staph infection in my leg, the same one slated for going under the knife.:
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Well, by the time I went to the Doc, since I thought it was a spider bite, I was told that if I had waited any longer, I could have lost the leg, once again, more meds, different ones until they found one that would work on me, and I had to deal with it 3 times last year, my Doc told me that the nasty strain that I picked up at the other doctor may flair up at any small scratch.
So, I'm on meds for my gut, then more for the staph, so, not only could I not ride my BMX bike, but now couldn't ride my bikes or skateboard.
One day I wake up, and my finger doesn't feel or look right, same hand that has the other issues. Couldn't move the tip, feel it or even straiten it out.
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Back to the Doc, he ask how I broke my finger, told him I woke up with it like this, X-rays showed that it wasn't broken, so now they are thinking a tore a ligament.
Back to the MRI, over 2 hours for my finger in that damn tube, result Arthritis:(, nothing they can do:(
That was just the 1st few months. Now, besides not driving, my short term memorie is affected by the meds, which scews up a lot of other things, the knee surgery went well, but still have to do the other one & address my back, as I want to avoid having that cut if any way possible. As a high stroke risk, I stopped drinking, changed my diet, and ended with gout, more pain, more meds & even though I still ride & walk, I GAINED 20 lbs:eek: and my cars just sit:( I'm planning on a better 2010.. I'm seeing a Arthritis specialist, last week, a bunch of blood work, this week, a bunch of x-rays to see how bad the arthritis is in the rest of my body, my crystal count for the gout got higher, and it can flare up at any time, as with the Diverticulitis, so just when I though I would be off enough meds to start safely driving, I ended up on more. So how am I dealing with it, I signed up for kickball.....
To make things worse, the barn that I have a good bit of my stuff stored at the farm, had a bunch of rotted wood & the entire front has to be replaced..