Ow. Again.

OK, this NSAID-free living is highlighting everything that would have been aching all along, had I not been medicating. And the answer isn't pretty. It's not just my two knees that hurt, primarily on stairs but at other times, too. My RIGHT HAND is so sore I can't move it without pain. Good grief. I had no idea the NSAID was working on significant sore spots besides the left knee.

But I do have good medical news. I passed that, er, take-home test the doctor gave me with flying colors. So unless there are additional, non-take-home tests for the large intestine that I'm not aware of, we can rule that region out as a source of the trouble.

I really do think that what we're going to find is that my longterm use of OTC NSAIDs caused this situation. But we'll be one step closer to some answers as of tomorrow, once I've seen the specialist.

In other news, Karla had some good news for us. She's soon to head to LA to take part in Jeopardy. The shows will air in April. She's not allowed to blog or post about her experience on the internet. On the other hand, if her trip to California turns into an extended stay, I think we'll get the hint that things are going well. So here's hoping she spends the winter in warm weather. :-)

Send some prayers John R's way. Unfortunately, not only did his mom pass away after a protracted bout of illness, but he's in the hospital himself at the moment and will have to miss the funeral. I feel so sad for how things panned out. I would have willingly driven him and Joe to Allentown and paid my respects, except the funeral turned out to be on the same day as my specialist's appointment. And then John got admitted to the hospital himself, which rendered his getting to the funeral impossible even if someone else had been available to drive. What a shame. :-(

I'd like to end this post on an upbeat note, so let me just mention that pizza topped with spinach and broccoli rabe is a great source of iron. Yay for healthy food that's also comfort food. :-) Now all I need is someone to discover that chocolate is a source of iron. I need an excuse to go out and get peanut or almond M&Ms.