Ouch, ouch, ouch...

I find myself getting very lazy over the past few weeks. I’ve been off work since late last October and it’s going to be very hard to hit the trail again shortly. I know I shouldn’t complain because I’m still collecting full pay (plus vacation pay!) while lounging around the house but the fact that the powers that be still keep sending me that cheque makes me feel a little guilty. I’m not the kind of guy who will easily take a handout and that’s what it feels like to me. I know, I know, they can still contact me at any time and I will be on that plane for them tomorrow but after a couple weeks this waiting sort of wears you down. The day I retire I will do so without feeling guilty but for now I’m just plain lazy.

This ties in the feelings about my gout, or pseudogout as it’s now been diagnosed. Someone asked me today if I could go on disability but that would be going a bit too far at this point. It may come to it someday but as long as I can still function adequately in some position or other then that’s what I’ll keep on doing. I regretfully admit that it’s a lot harder to unload the trucks and aircraft than is was 30 years ago and with my thumbs slowing locking up it’s getting harder and harder to count money but I can still do the job better than a lot of the young whippersnappers out there. My point is that I think too many people use any excuse they can to NOT work and it’s not fair to the rest of the population that these fakes are sitting back laughing on our tax dollars. If they can’t work then fine, I have no problem with that but as long as they can function somewhere, somehow they have a responsibility to not mooch off the rest of us. When the day comes when I legitimately can’t work myself then I’ll just have to accept it, but it won’t be easy.

Pseudogout by the way has all the same symptoms of actual gout but has a different cause. This one is a progressive build-up of calcium in the joints while regular gout is a build-up of uric acid crystals. Apparently there is no cure for the pseudo version so I’ll just have to get used to the occasional flare-ups, days of limping and nights of no sleep… (groan). If you read the web sites they will tell you that gout has been compared to the pain of childbirth or even a bullet wound and I guess that means I could stand being shot a few times over. I’m sure the women out there would debate the childbirth comment though. I just know it hurts, OK?

The good news is that I’ve discovered a new miracle drug, Indomethacin, which has taken me back 10 years as it reduces most of the inflammation in my joints. Gloria says there is a huge difference in the way I’m moving around the house but all I know is that I’m sleeping better, shoveling faster, have greater flexibility and generally feel like I’m back in my 40’s again, if not my 30’s. Normally I have to be on my death bed before I’ll see a doctor as I’m sure they have better things to do than pamper an old guy like me. Their time should be taken up setting bones or removing all kinds of nasty things from nice people who deserve better rather than humor old farts like me and I always feel guilty about taking them away from the hurts that really matter in the world.

Anyway, here’s to Indomethacin and if I’m lucky this prescription will last me a couple months and then I’ll have to feel guilty all over again about taking up someone’s time to pat my red, swollen, throbbing toe and say there, there, take a pill and you’ll feel all better soon. 