The arthritis tease

Whisper it like I almost don’t believe,
But today, when I woke, I was virtually pain-free!

Gone was the burning joints, numbered four or five.
For a second, I rose and thought I had died!

I push and I poke, jog up and down.
I wait months for relief so why try to make it hurt now?

A surge in energy, oh, it’s been such a long while,
Since I got out of bed and descended stairs with a smile.

Then the fear hits, but how long will it last?
Has the flare subsided? Has the suffering passed?

Sometimes a false hope hurts more than the disease.
Is this remission or an arthritis tease?

Time spent worrying is more time that it takes.
So I declutter my mind to make the most of this break.

I walk through the fields and whizz through my chores.
How long before my painkillers? ‘It doesn’t matter no more!’

After a day of achievement, I retire off to bed.
For the first time in months, asleep as the pillow hits my head.

I sleep like a log, I can’t believe my luck.
I go to get up, what’s that pain in my feet? … ‘Oh, f…!’

About the Author

Joel Nelson

Arthritis blogger, freelance writer and advocate who has had psoriatic-associated Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis from childhood.

Raising awareness and sharing his experiences to help others, Joel specialises in parenting, pain and the mental health impact of living with chronic illness and writes for several leading charities and organisations including Scope, Versus Arthritis and Health Union.

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