If you know me, you are keenly aware of my love for my back yard.
In March of 2023 my efforts to create a Zen-like backyard living space reached it’s zenith when I built a pergola over the back porch. Designed to replicate thee back patio of my wife’s childhood, it protects us from the rain and amplifies each drop on the fiberglass, corrugated roofing. The gutter and rain chain combined with the beautifully made Adirondack chairs (Thank you, Joe!), and the potted plants, make it a space that is the envy of all.
This suburban oasis also demarcates my last project before Dysautonomia became a more dominant force in my life. It was this project that tossed a more healthy body into dysfunction. And every day I enjoy it, I’m reminded of what I could do, and what I can’t do.
Climbing up and down a ladder, spending hours on my knees driving screws and securing coverings activated a flair of osteoarthritis (AO) in my left knee, making it extremely painful to walk or climb stairs.
What I didn’t know at the time, and what new research is starting to show, is that AO and Dysautonomia are connected!. I had no idea at the time, but this was the start of my debilitating condition that would continue to today.
The connection still does not seem obvious to me, but knowing this and experiencing flairs that impact my knees as well as the ringing in my ears, the dizziness and the fatigue, serves as a reminder to care for myself and all my systems.
What’s your story? Do you suffer from arthritis? Do you have chronic pain? Do you know when a storm front is coming because your fingers, toes, ankles or knees act as barometric gauges?
I’d love to hear your own story!
