Not Cured

Regrettably, my optimism that my RA had gone into remission was not reality. I had a scheduled (three monthly) blood test in early September and rang my rheumatologist a few days later to hear the results. Not good. Markers had gone up to alarming levels and he advised that I get straight back on the meds.

"But I don't feel too bad," I protested. "Surely I'm getting better, surely it will it improve from here, I'm a bit sore in the ribs and back, but surely I won't collapse into pain and misery."

"Wait for it," he said. "It comes back, it takes time, but it will, the markers show it is."

So I took his advice and here I am a month later feeling good and working well. I had been in denial, deluding myself with wishful thinking. It's OK. The meds got me on top of this thing and as much as I would like to be free of them and the possible side effects, the fact is I need them.

In the meantime much has kept me busy. I have been pruning and renovating at the farm which gives the side benefit of collecting next year's firewood. I have been picking foliage and flowers in an extremely good spring due no doubt to the good rainfall of the last 12 months. The remainder of spring looks entirely promising and I thank God I'm fit and well and up to the task.

We have been so lucky to have had the rain. It was a long cold miserable winter and September wasn't much better but we had over 100mm of rain in each of July, August and September and for that I'm thankful. So many other districts are well down.

I've endured the Richmond juggernaut and am so glad the footy season is over. One not be remembered with any fondness. But I have endured so many undesirable results over the last 5 decades that it is now easy to switch off and ignore it. There is so much more of consequence to focus on. It was a delight to see the kids out on the oval at cricket practice the other day.

There's much more I could write but time prevents at the moment. Hopefully I can lift my game and write more of the last months events next week.