I’m entirely confident that at some point I’ll have a conversation with a doctor which will include the words “if only you’d come to us with this sooner”.

The chances of me not getting throat/liver/lung cancer are probably slim. Not had a fag in two years but by god I smoked when I did. That's a lot of pack years. And all that delicious wine.

Let me list the ailments suffered by my failing body:
- Constant pain in my left knee, leaving me hobbling about.
- Intermittent pain in my right hip, makes me lurch around like a pirate on rough seas when combined with the knee.
- Stomach pains, nausea and daily bouts of diahorrea. It's fun visiting the loo every half an hour!
- Headaches!
- Sudden wheat intolerance!
- Depression and anxiety caused in part by all of the above!

Finding out a few months ago that my maternal grandmother died of bowel cancer at about my age has really added an element of excitement to my life.

So I've been getting a battery of tests done and the results so far have been that my liver enzyme levels are double what they should be, leading my Doc to ask if I have a problem with alcohol. I don't, however, have coeliac disease - which is a good thing I reckon.

I do, however, suddenly have arthritis in my knee according to the x-ray I got done to eliminate the possibility of cancerous bone metastases. So that's good news I guess?

The latest theory is that I have haemochromatosis - a genetic hereditary condition that means my body absorbs excess iron and deposits it around the place where it's not supposed to be. If untreated, it can lead to organ failure, cirrhosis of the liver, jaundice and other complication such as... mostly irreversible arthritis!

So more blood tests are being done on Friday with a view to confirming the diagnosis and commencing treatment which takes the form of phlebotomy - removing a pint of my blood every week for 2-3 years and then every few months for the rest of my life.

Ain't life grand?

Wow Grem, that’s quite the list of ailments. Don’t quite know what else to say but y’know, clearly I wish you good luck with it all.

Sounds shit grem, hugs! (Although not too tightly, don’t want to squeeze another shite out) Hope there’s a way to get it sorted.

That sounds rough Grem. Virtual hugs coming your way.

That's a rough list Grem.
My Grandpa had that excess iron thing. For him it meant he just had to watch what he ate a bit, no Guinness, broccoli, limited red meat etc. As well as the blood letting, although I think that became less frequent over time with diet changes.
I haven't been checked yet but my mum didn't inherit it so they said I should be fine.

Gremill wrote:

So more blood tests are being done on Friday with a view to confirming the diagnosis and commencing treatment which takes the form of phlebotomy - removing a pint of my blood every week for 2-3 years and then every few months for the rest of my life. Ain't life grand?

Yikes. I thought phlebotomy was one of those old-timey quack treatments, like using leeches. I guess not!

I guess from your point of view it’s no worse than donating blood every few months. Although, every week at the start sounds a bit more mental.

Might be lupus or sarcoidosis.

Best of luck, Grem. Arthritis is a bastard, but it can be manageable - I've had it since my late teens and you've just got to beware of either damage or being too sedentary causing gradual restrictions in movement. I'm on good medication, and even with both my knees buggered I started doing indoor climbing last year that's really helped me fitness wise.

Etanercept injections - prescribed via my anti-tnf clinic. Took me a while to get on it. Symptoms started at 16 and it took over a decade to get a proper diagnosis. Then another 5 or so years on different things.

It's never lupus.  Why does everyone also say it's lupus?

It's never lupus Cint.

Grem, here's hoping your quality of life gets as good as that new OLED telly.

All round strapping hugs chaps.

Littlest had that (suspected) this week. Perked up in about 4-5 days.