Arthritis is taking over my body, seemingly joint by joint, with my left foot in particular so painful it’s becoming a struggle to walk, even as the spring makes the prospect of doing so ever more appealing.
Arthritis runs in my family and I often teased my mother over her crooked fingers which had been warped badly by the affliction.
I’m laughing from the other side of my face now as my digits are pained and twisted.
It’s creating something of a dilemma because it has severely hampered my cycling, which had been instrumental in maintaining a semblance of good health.\
I started struggling to change gears a couple of years ago, then braking became steadily more difficult, rendering the mountainous climbs that built up muscle srength and endurance while warding off weight gain even while allowing me to eat whatever I liked whenever I liked. I got ever fatter and exercising became increasingly harder with the ill effects of painful joints exercerbated.
I could handle the hand pain, but my left foot has been a different matter. For the time being I am trying to talk myself into bearing the pain, but I’m not really good at that.
Fortunately, I have finally come to realize that the worst thing I could do is stay off the bike. So I am striving to ride as much and as often as possible, knowing that cycling may not improve the situation, but not cycling is a recipe for something even worse. Oh, how aging is such a delight!
