This is not good.

I have to say I am becoming alarmed at how bad my RA has gotten over the past year or so. These bad flare-ups (I'm in the middle of yet another one) have become increasingly severe and more frequent.

The current flare-up seems concentrated in my feet, knees, hips, and hands. For the past week or so, I have had tremendous pain and difficulty when standing up after being seated for any length of time and when walking. My feet are very swollen and I'm having difficulty wearing shoes. My fingers are all swollen and I can no longer straighten the middle finger on my right hand. It is in a permanently bowed position, and I suspect I'll need to see my hand surgeon to have it fixed. Of course, with the new job starting this week, I can't be making any doctor's appointments or scheduling any surgeries for awhile. I don't want to start asking for time off right after starting a new job.

At least this time my shoulders aren't involved. That's always the worst because the simple, ordinary daily activities like taking a shower and getting dressed in the morning and driving to work become so unbelievably painful and difficult when my shoulders are flared up. And at least, even with my hands all flared-up and swollen, I'm not having much difficulty typing. I guess I should count my blessings.