Update

Still in hospital - good news & not so fantastic but i need to just deal with it news.

Good news

Just today they have managed to hit on the secret formula that can consistently manage my pain - so instead of having to take the maximum doses of Panadeine Forte, seriously high doses of Endone (morphine equivalent tablet) and the occasional injection of Morphine - I'm just back to Panadeine Forte and the occasional Endone. They've managed this with a mix of cortisone (Prednisone), anti-inflammatories (Naproxen) and an unusual drug called Sulfasalazine.

Bad news

The medicos don't particularly like the cocktail because of the associated risks they each have are exacerbated by mixing them, but as all of their previous experiments have agonisingly (for me) failed. My symptoms have left them nowhere else to go. Also, the symptoms are presenting in new areas and old areas that have abated have flared again - indicating that I have a version of this thing that is going to be a longer-term proposition to deal with and they are keeping me in hospital till probably next Wednesday or until it stops turning up in new places and reigniting in areas that have previously died down.

They are also subtly managing my expectations now (which I appreciate) from the optimism they first showed (and I shared) to start to get my head around the fact that this might go on for some time, both now and as an outpatient into the future.

The rest

For anyone interested - you have to have the HLA-B27 that roughly 8% of the general population have and a precipitating bacterial infection - in my case Gastro - if you want a good horror story - google Reactive Arthritis. Also whilst I thought I'd never heard of it before - I've been reminded that it is the thing that Daniel Johns from Silverchair got in 2002. Must confess I was skeptical at the time but now have sent him silent apology vibes.

Mum's funeral is on Monday but they are going to give me day release to go.

Here is hoping the symptoms now come under control.

All good :)