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June 2004

Tuesday, June 08, 2004

This morning as I awoke to a sunrise over the three rivers of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I realized one thing: I was no longer in Kansas. Or New York. Today marks the last city of the season (until the fall that is) of our Joe Namath Arthritis Huddle Tour. It’s amazing to think back to some of the cities we’ve visited in the last few weeks, like Austin or Denver or Hartford or Knoxville (and all the others that aren’t coming to mind right now). One thing is constant: the hotel rooms all look the same. But more importantly we’re out visiting the heartland of America or the Deep South or the big cities meeting doctors, patients and family members affected by arthritis. So what could be better than this?

If I had a red tie and a white shirt, I could have been running for President all this time.

The reality is that the difference is in the people we meet and the reasons we meet them. We’re not on the road raising money or giving stump speeches (although the speeches are remarkably similar). Instead we’re here visiting Pittsburgh and the small towns and villages outside of the city talking about pain management, exercise, arthritis treatments and ways to feel better.

I’m tired of waking up in pain when all I did the previous night was sleep, or try to. I’m tired of not being able to sit still in a movie theater or on an airplane because my back hurts too much. I’m tired of going without ketchup because I can’t open the bottle and feel dumb asking for help. That’s why we’re out here doing what we’re doing: because I’m not alone. And I have a nation of friends and a lifetime of memories to prove it.

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Something is definitely up. And if it’s the wrong time of day, I can’t turn my neck to see it. I have an appointment to see a physiatrist next week to figure out why I have such a pain in my neck (insert reference to friend or family member here). It started about 3 weeks ago when I couldn’t look left for three days, had all my CT scans and was bounced around the Hospital for Special Surgery for a day and a half. When the pain went away, so did I, but lately it’s hinting at a comeback, and I’m scared.

This pain is coming back in a big way. I’m not talking a revival tour like Cher or the Temptations. I’m talking out of nowhere I can turn my head and all of a sudden feel pain from my ear to my shoulder. I’m highly suspicious. Not suspicion like about Al Quada, but about where this pain is coming from, why I’m feeling it, and how to make it go away forever.

I have no time in my life for this. And if I did, I'd be at the Cher concert.