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You have all the signs of an alcoholic!

I've been drinking since I was 15/16, beer with my dad. One here and there. Then in high school a few after work with my friends. Switched to Jack and Coke as the beer was too filling. Got older and married, always seemed to get sick when I drank and ate food before bed. Next day sick as hell. Always seemed like the food. But I was drinking, so the joke was, IT WAS THE FOOD. My feet ballooned in size a few times, DR. said that's a sign of alcoholism. So my wife coerced me into a camp and AA. I quit for 6 months.

Came home from work and straight to bed. Tired as hell. Can't do anything before I get a nap. Things weren't any better, probably worse.

We had a rental unit, I had to sell it, couldn't keep up with my old life style, needed to sleep after work. No time for
rental unit or collecting rent all the time. Forced myself to clean and paint as the renters just moved out. First I was
breaking the square tiles off the floor and then painted with special garage floor paint. Well it felt like I broke both wrists, DR. said I broke all the cartilage in my wrists, how dumb of me! So the next week I was painting. After a while, I called my wife over, look at this, I can only paint the bottom half of the walls! My shoulders would not take the paint roller any higher. Hum, G-forces at work. So I painted the bottom, and my wife painted the top. We are equal partners - even after she made me quit drinking! Things are getting worse - not better, no nirvana at the end of my sober rainbow.

I had been to the DR. quite a few times for different issues, each time I told him I have Lyme disease - I live in the woods - and if not that I have Fibromyalgia. He gives me a strange look and says keep taking your anti-depression meds. How's your sobriety, fine. I'm sober, but in more pain then ever before.

Then I went to my orthopedic surgeon, told him about breaking my wrists now I broke my shoulders! He laughed, cancelled my appointment and refunded my 30 dollar co-pay. I won the lottery! All my pain subsided.

He informed me that what I was describing was Rheumatoid Arthritis, and I needed to see a RA specialist right away. Fortunately I did, and she moved my wrists my knees and could hear the creaking in them. She said, I had it pretty bad. She got me started on weekly shots right away. Not going to tell you about being allergic to Methotrexate and how it gave me Pneumonia twice that winter until they realized Methotrexate wasn't good for me.

I searched Google on the internet, could alcoholism give me RA? Ha, it said RA gives you alcoholism, anything to stop the constant pain and agitation of the constant annoyance of RA bugging away at eating all your joints and providing pins and needles for no apparent reason. I remember scratching my arm, but there was nothing there, and it itched like hell. What kind of bugs do I have living inside me. Mom always said, stop touching yourself, everyone will think you have bugs. Well with RA you have bugs, they're eating you up one Joint at a time, no pot doesn't help - good try!

So I take my Actemra now, have a Jack and Coke every so often. Developed diabetes from all the drugs I take, it doesn't run in my family and my mom was hundreds of pounds over-weight and she didn't have it. I tend to sleep the weekends away. I'm still tired all the time. Drugs! Blame it on the drugs!

Oh, gotta let you know, I was the happiest guy in the world when they told me I had RA! I wanted to run up and down the streets screaming and telling everyone! My curse was cured. No Lyme disease, no fibromyalgia, no alcoholic (maybe), I got RA and I'm as happy as Hell!. I finally know what's wrong with me. Nothing was worse then not knowing.....all that ails you!

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