Thanks Dahlek:

Read you loud and clear. And these past two days, I coudn't even get to the whirlpool (when I really needed it), because I can't even straighten up. It's raiing cats and dogs outside and because I have degenerative joint disease, for the past two days, I look like a little old lady. Can't even open my fingers. And forget about what my knees are doing. Today, they are singing.

I never in all my life will understand that if it was 100 degrees outside, I could straighten up just fine, but make it 50 degrees with 100 degree humidity, and I'm stopped in my tracks. Arthritis, in my case, is most bizarre.

And because of my scoliosis, I never know when I'm going to be him with a WHAM, a big thing of pain, right between my shoulder blades. Enough to knock the breath out of me.

I wish I could take a nice bath but I could never get in and out of a bath tub. God, do I miss those nice hot baths.

I'm afraid to even take a really hot shower because it will make my toes start to burn.

But hey, you guys have it a lot worse, I know this. I just take my methyl b-12 and wait for the summer to once again rear it's lovely head in my neck of the woods. Until it does, I will just straighten up as best I can and walk when I can walk and rest where I can rest. It's unbelievable how one day, I can go for a long walk and the next, I can't open my hands.

I'm sure there's a pill for this, but god only knows what side effects it would have. I do know one thing. My body does not like cool weather, rain, humidity, etc. My body loves 100 degree weather. I met an 80 year lady yesterday while I was getting my fruits and veggies. She said "I would rather have it rain and be like this than if it were in the 90's." I said "you've got to be kidding, you like it now??" She said "Oh, yes, I can't stand the heat". And she walked with a cane and had arthritis.

I've had this arthritis since I was 40. Imagine getting arthritis at 40. No one told me why I got it. I never asked. I figured I weighed 300 lbs, that's why I got arthritis.

I will never understand arthritis.