After years of virtual remission and a controllable smattering of minor symptoms i succombed to the reactive arthritis that i thought was gone forever. From left field i suddenly had a severe knee inflammation and reached for the prednisol as it always worked for me. It took more than a few mg once or twice to stop it so i was a bit rattled and KNEW it would be back in forteen days - which it was.
This was my condition and i have met no-one else who experienced it as i did, but the literature is about.
I consulted the calender and my 3rd or 4th episode would be NYE when i had planned to cycle around the city with friends so i had my pills ready and sure enough at the first tingle in my knee i had control with 12.5 mg morning and evening of the 31st.

The recurrence is (i believe) due to two things. Drinking more alcohol than advisable (1-2 stubbies late afternnon and 2-3 glasses of wine at nite) AND i ran out of access to live sauerkraut.
I slightly reduced the former, resolved the latter and on 14th January i had no inflammation so i had only suffered three or four episodes. Historically these cyclic inflammations would last 5-6 months. Naturally i also ditched marginal food and went NSD to make it all easier...
Some meals were just fish or just steak. Always with the fat.
John would probably say i had damage in my transverse colon...
Best result is i now have less neck stiffness, better eyesight/focus and feel great. I am always physically very active working as a gardener, physically loading unloading trucks (for fitness more than money) and cycling long distances regularly.

So it all just confirms the knowledge we acquired and hold - that the gut is ground plane for our disease and WE CAN CONTROL IT. So i'm back to the amount of alcohol i know i can handle - one or two glasses/stubbies only.
Go well

Ted


One cannot believe all one reads on the Internet...
Abraham Lincoln