Rheumatoid Arthritis may be the worst thing to happen to me.

I know that sounds really stupid, especially with my medical history, but right now all I can feel is the nagging pain I feel is my hands and feet. It has been keeping me from sleeping well and I have a hard time driving for any extended period of time.

I have had medical issues my entire life. As a child, I wore braces on my legs, I've had the mumps, chicken pox and asthma. As an adult, I had a slipped disk (and 2 surgeries - 20 years later), Epstein-Barr, peptic ulcers,, 2 knee surgeries and, of course, a massive heart attack and subsequent stroke, then heart transplant.

Yet, I still keep on trucking. If G-d is trying to tell me something, I haven't figured it out yet.

All I know is that all of the other maladies were corrected, or at least rehabilitated. But because of a kidney ailment that has developed because of my anti-rejection drugs, I can not take anything to help with the RA. Tylenol is candy to me and ibuprophen is toxic to me. I still take Vicodin as needed, but that only masks the pain and makes me "flighty". Of course many of you already think I AM flighty.

So, I do what I've always done. I whine, moan and complain.

Hey, I gotta be me.

BTW, I read one of the best opinion articles I had ever seen. It's a piece by Victor Davis Hanson in the Wall Street Journal's Opinion Journal. The article is an articulate commentary as to the route cause of 9/11 and the War on Terrorism. (Read it-- here)