Introduction & Early Stages

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March 2008

Friday, March 07, 2008

This past weekend I was out in the Southwest in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. The “really adult” place to live – with sunny skies and lots of outdoor activities – and little else to do. I couldn’t resist the urge to play some golf over the weekend; an urge I have been fighting not to regret since. This week I was rewarded with the back spasms and awkward tan lines that came as a result of my decision to play.

There I was, a single “walk-on” (basically a guy showing up to the golf course with no clubs and no reservation) paired up with three people to complete the four-some. Due partly to the fact that it was Phoenix, and also due to the fact that it was Phoenix, (if you catch my drift) I was paired with three (very nice) elderly people. We’re talking retired since the year I was born. Which wasn’t all that bad, considering I was rusty and they were, well, crusty. So we all played at the same pace: slowly. Except midway through the round I started aching, and badly. Back spasms. Neck soreness. Shoulder aches and knee pain walking to and from the golf cart. Essentially I went from being the youngest to feeling the oldest, in a matter of 90 minutes.

At this point I wondered what to do. I couldn’t quit the round – considering how much it cost and how embarrassing that would be – and I had slowed to a near halt. This brought new meaning to the phrase “grin and bear it”; and I trekked onward, with extra golf balls to eliminate the need to fetch the foul ones, and a different stride which readjusted expectations – for myself and the others in the four-some.

The adventures of Spondyloarthropathy never end. They’re there to keep things interesting, to try to derail and to make everything a little harder then it should be. If only I’d qualify for senior discounts, I’d feel a bit better about all of this. Next round I think I’ll ask for one. And at the movie theater too, for that matter.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Every now and then I take a minute to think about how I feel compared to a few weeks ago, a few months ago, or a few years ago. It’s really difficult to do because it’s never easy to remember in perspective. What might have hurt a lot back in the day is today barely a memory of discomfort. Or what didn’t hurt then might appear, in hindsight, to have been a catastrophic nightmare.

I had one of those zone-out moments over the weekend. It was after I had unloaded three cases of seltzer I had bought from Costco. OK two cases of seltzer and one amazingly well priced case of beer. Either way it thoroughly put me out of commission for the rest of the weekend.

My sister Amy was in town and we shopped ‘til we dropped. Except for me that was after 15 minutes. I laid in bed staring at the wall afterwards trying to remember the last time I had such a back ache that my stomach hurt from it; a bunch of memories flooded to mind. The ski slope that conquered a 12 year old Seth. The time I helped a friend move and opted out of using the hand-cart. The 6.5-hour flight (thank you, headwind) to Los Angeles once. All vivid memories of a life with arthritis that finds the most unpleasant way to remind me of its presence.

The good news is that I have upwards of 70 years left of this!