First, I want to thank everyone for their support. I'm always wary at sharing my problems, but my health issues the last few weeks hit a climax that I just couldn't take anymore and it was nice to be able to get it out.

I got my lupus test results back and the ANA titer was negative for connective tissue disease. So right now I have an assessment of "myalgia and myositis", and I add "of undetermined origin". The big, known stuff appears to be ruled out, but we still don't know why I went through 2 weeks of painful hell. Some sort of infection? Not sure.

Will it be chronic? Only time will tell, but now that I have an established medical practitioner to see, you bet I will be seeing him as often as I need to. (I don't have health insurance, but I'd be paying up to a deductible plus premiums even if I did, so I consider myself above water for the time being)

I'm feeling much better this week, though my foot and shoulder could take a flying leap off separate piers (they're bothering me, in case you didn't get that).

Before I say adieu, I want to say to everyone who has a chronic pain/connective tissue disorder (lupus or otherwise) - I don't know how you do it. I was ready to collapse after 2 weeks, and some of you have battled through the ups and downs for years, if not decades, and are still supportive and empathetic to anyone who could possibly be putting on your shoes. I truly appreciate the well wishes and words of understanding as I figure out what's going on with my own physiology.

I'll never take being able to get out of bed in the morning for granted again.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming...