I've never been happier to be sick in my life!

Why, you ask, am I happy to be sick? Because I have (had?) a condition called Reiter's Syndrome. I got it after I had Salmonella poisoning. It causes severe arthritis in one or more joints, similar to rheumatoid arthritis. I didn't get many of the symptoms associated with it, but I got moderate conjunctivitis, and really severe arthritis. There was a time when I couldn't walk without help because of it. Both of my ankles, knees, hips, and my lower back were the worst, but my wrists and hands were also affected. My knuckles were huge, and they are still bigger than they used to be.

After the initial part cleared up, all I had left was slight pain in my lower back, which was not at all bad compared to what it used to be. I figured out after getting more active again that that was just caused by not using it, and my back problems cleared up after I started building muscle back. The problems came when I was sick though, as even a slight cold would bring back the severe arthritis in my left hip and right knee. For about a week or two after I was sick I would be limping because they were still stiff and sore. After a while the symptoms started lasting less and less time. But then I had a really bad infection in my head, and not much was taking care of it. Eventually it made the arthritis so bad it was like I had just gotten sick again. Once I had that corrected, it took a long time and a lot of healing for the arthritis to go away, and my hands were pretty weak grasping. But I've worked on that and it got better.

Well, I got sick the day after Spring Break started. Vomiting, coughing up phlegm, headaches, nausea. But, I've been smiling the whole time. Because I HAVE NO JOINT PAIN AT ALL! I shouldn't be too excited over this, because it doesn't necessarily mean that I won't ever have it again. But, it's hope. It's hope that every time I sniffle I won't be bedridden for a week, or even a day. It's hope that if I have to go to the doctor for the flu I can walk in instead of hobbling in like an 80 year old man or have to be taken in in a wheelchair. It's hope that people won't ask what happened to my leg every time a virus comes through. It's hope. I love hope.