From: "Richard_B. Anderson"
Subject: Misery
Date: January 16, 2020 at 11:24:43 AM MST

Dr Mike—

A decade ago, or thereabouts, Dr Bob Svagr cautioned me not to expect freedom from pain on this side of the Veil, and that’s been a pretty good descriptor of my life since. But with help from you and your colleagues, and sweet patience from Valerie and other loved ones, I’ve pretty well tolerated what I’ve had to. Until last evening.

In accordance with long-cherished custom, we hit the sack at about 8pm, having choked down my routine bedtime handful of pills … Pain levels throughout the day and into the evening were pretty much what I’’ve been accustomed to, until 9pm or so, when (as she’ll confirm) I complained of sharp tenderness in my right knee. Felt like hitherto-infrequent episodes of joint swelling, but nothing was evident to the eye.  By 11, when I needed to get up to pee, the tenderness had spread to the heel of my right hand and wrist, to the point that I had to grit my teeth and grunt aloud to push up from bed to a standing position. Each of the dozen or so slow steps to the john covered a painful 4 to 6 inches, with significant loss of balance. Another obnoxious grunt punctuated the act of sitting down, then a longish delay before I could get up the courage to stand up again and face the return trip.

Not much sleep in the interstices separating three or so more trips to the john, wondering whether I should undertake my second-ever-for-myself visit to the ER. And if so, how to manage the transition to the car. Now, 12 hours from onset of severe symptoms, they’ve spread out over most of my body, still worst on right extremities. 

Valerie proposes a diagnosis of fibromyalgia: her brother had it, with great and protracted misery. The Web cites characteristic facial pain, but I’’ve been spared that, so far. Can you contribute anything better from your professional viewpoint? And, quoth he prayerfully, any prospects for relief?

Blessings, --&E