Hey everyone!! I hope you are all well and safe. Those of you still in quarantine or isolated I send you all my love!
Let’s just say this year has been STRESSFUL and we all know what that means. FLARES. I’m officially out of remission AGAIN and seeing medical advice about my psoriasis flare with mild arthritis. My medical boot is back on my right foot with inflammation in the same spot! 2020 has been lovely, hasn’t it?
How are you all? Tell me your stories.
Hasn’t it? Really super so far.
Good to see you as always. Not so good to hear that you’ve had a stressful, flarey year and are out of remission.
You know I live in the UK and of course we’re really on top of the Covid milarkey here 
Kind of okay though, personally. Lots of sea swimming. PsA issues sort of eclipsed by confusing general decrepitude, still travelling hopefully!
@Sybil
Yes, it’s been a year to remember!
It’s been a busy two years really. I started this home based part time job/gig that turned into a full time/super stressful job. It was in sales and at the end I was very pressured to keep up numbers/customers etc. That with homeschooling my son became too much and I took a step back. I still work a small bit but nothing like before. I think that plus 2020 really threw my body back into trouble. I wasn’t taking care of myself and the constant stress lead to multiple flares.
Things are better now. I have been “off work” for a month and slowly I am feeling better. I have my son’s schooling all planned out and we start back on Monday. I am feeling good about this coming school year. He’s 10 now so we have some meatier subjects to tackle but I am confident.
My dermatologist is taking the lead on this flare since it is mostly my hands and feet that are not clearing up. The arthritis is mild, and by mild I mean a “normal” person would be in pain, but for me it’s tolerable. So I am hoping new medication, whatever it may be, will take care of both skin and joints. I am worried about starting something amid this virus but I don’t want to wait any longer.
Other than that things have been good! Lots of gardening, reading, baking, and enjoying time at home. We had to cancel ALL of our vacations and I am very sad about that but we are in the process of buying an RV/Camper so we can do road trips that keep us isolated. So at least we can visit state forests and hike, which I love. We were planning a trip to Hawaii next year but I am afraid that will have to wait. We also wanted to plan a trip to the UK, but again, will have to wait.
Heard a good one. When I have my birthday next year I am not going to count this year because I didn’t use it!
Well, they extended our work from home until September…and I was going to retire this week! Guess I will keep working until I have to go back.
My stress level went through the roof yesterday, Wife has been having some chest pains and they told her they are going to do a cath next week to see what is going on. Not good because her dad had three bypasses. Now my body is starting to hurt all over. Gotta love this disease.
Sorry to hear about your difficult situation. It must be frustrating when the need is there to be everything you need to be for someone else AND needing to be healthy to do so. These things seem to come in waves don’t they? I hope that you can find moments of peace and much rest through it all. When getting swamped and feeling like it’s all overwhelming, any rock to cling to is life saving. I hope you find that Rock!
Haha!! Thats a nice one. Redo!
Oh wow, can’t you retire anyway or will you hangon until you have to go back? Stress is so hard and in your situation it’s hard to say, calm down. I would be a mess to! I’m hoping for good results for you wife.
Thank you Amos, those are very kind words.
I think my responsibility to be there for my son as his mother but as his teacher keeps me going. If not I would do nothing. I have to have some goals, even small ones, to keep me going.
Here s hoping your wife is feeling better and you too, regards
Thinking of you @tamac, how are you holding up? Stress is such a no win thing that tends to make us anxious. Kind of like getting on a treadmill and can’t get off. Perhaps your work at home is a bit of a distraction from worrying about your wife while staying close to her. I’m hoping you can be wisely aware of the possible future events without overthinking all those “what ifs” that tend to build on each other and stir up more stress…and all the crap that stress does to us. I’ve gone down the road of speculation too often and well know the mind trap that it is. Savour each calm moment to regroup your thoughts and plans. I hope and pray that you stay healthy of mind, body and spirit as it sounds like you and your wife really need each other! Please let us know how you are doing.
I will find out in the morning. Wife is having the heart cath in the AM. If she has to have a stent, she has to stay over night. They do not want me in the hospital either way. Very worried becasue of her dad’s history of heart blockages.
Stress has taken over, despite trying to not let it. I had already been in a lot of body pain for nearly a week. Now, it is worse. I hope things go well for her and all she needs is a stent or two and things can return to as normal as they can be.
They keep moving me returning to work out a month at a time. It is now at least after labor day. They are talking about people only wokring in the office a few days a week once we return. I guess people are getting their work done and they want to downsize on rented property. I have decided to retire and file for disability once we return to work. Though, I may give working a few days in the office a week a try.
The company my wife works for told them it would be after the first of the year at the earliest before they go back. They are really thinking of their employees and waiting on a a vaccine.
Right now, I am getting a bad case of “short timers diseaese” though.
It would be nice to be able to do some things around the house and not worry if it will make me hurt so much I can’t go to work the next day. Things have been piling up for a few years.
I’ll keep everyone posted. Thanks for thinking of me.