So, it has been slightly longer than I had anticipated when I told you all that I would write a new blog, but there have been good reasons as to why it has taken me six weeks to do so. And, in fact, there are good reasons why it has taken me five months to write a proper post in the first place. I can’t think of a nice way to explain all of these reasons, and various other events that have happened, so it’s just going to be a very unglamorous list.
1. I had a degree to finish – which I now have! Hooray!
2. I have done two lots of work experience – at the Press Association and the Guardian. I know, get me!
3. I got a job, as a proper journalist. I won’t say where, as I often talk about how much alcohol I drink and I’m not sure it’s appropriate in such a public forum. But I am now a professional subeditor, which is very exciting.
4. I’m going to see Kylie Minogue in like four weeks. I know this isn’t a past event, I’m just excited about it.
5. I had a birthday. Yes, I am now 24. Well, actually, it’s taken me so long to actually blog I’m nearly 24 and a half.
6. I started a new medicine. Well, sort of. I restarted a medicine I stopped when I was 16 again after sulfasalazine trashed my liver and associated party lifestyle.
7. I have self-injected for the first time. In fact I have now self-injected ten times. And bar an awkward three weeks off – which you will almost certainly hear about later – it’s been going very well indeed.
8. I moved house, into a damp infested basement. The damp issue was accidental – I didn’t choose the property for its wet walls and plug sockets.
9. I left the damp house and lived with my stuff in four separate properties around Sheffield for four weeks, while staying various evenings at my boyfriend Mike’s/my mate Rob’s/my parents’ homes.
10. I moved into a lovely new flat that has a balcony and everything. We’ve been in for almost two months and there are no problems to speak of. Hooray!
11. I’ve had a few family situations, which I’m not going to go into. But yeah, they’ve definitely affected my blogging abilities.
12. My parents have bought me a car! I feel like such a brat but it’s beautiful and means I don’t have to risk my delicate immune system on the 8.18 to Barnsley anymore.
13. I went to Edinburgh for a weekend with Mike and his family which was nice.
14. I had my arthritis birthday. I am now 21!
I think that’s all, but there’s a possibility that I have forgotten something. It has been a very long time, to be fair. I will start blogging regularly now, because now I’ve got my life sorted out it seems like I have a lot of spare time on my hands.
Oh, and the name for the blog today comes from the fact that I have spent the weekend writing about arthritis for various different things, and just can’t get enough apparently.
OH! And I really didn’t get chance to blog last week, which was very, very irresponsible of me as it was National Arthritis Week. It’s everyone’s favourite week of the year, right? Should totally be a national holiday. I usually see this as a time to ask for some money, so I guess it’s better late than never.
So… by donating money to Arthritis Research UK you can support further research into treatments and the cause of arthritis. There are 15,000 people in the UK with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) – that’s what I have – and the cause for it isn’t known. If the cause can be found, treatments can improve and maybe one day it might not be a problem.
By donating money to Arthritis Care, you can support further provisions for people with arthritis, such as forums and promoting the wellbeing of patients and local groups for people with the condition to get together for support.
By donating money to the Centre for Adolescent Rheumatology, you can support further research into why JIA changes in teenagers and causes more damage and pain. You can also support work on building teams of adolescent rheumatologists – people who can specialise in dealing with teenagers and their different needs, so they don’t get lost between paediatrics and adult clinics anymore.
You of course don’t have to donate to anything, but the links are here should you choose to:
Centre for Adolescent Rheumatology
Thanks lads xx
Arthritis, actually 
My problem with donating is this: when I found out I had arthritis I found arthritis Care’s website and then called and found them incredibly helpful. So I donated. I have since been bombarded with tat from them trying to wring more money out of me. They have spent more on that than my original donation – and that is despite me calling to explain my objections. I will never donate again and cannot recommend anyone donate to them.
Not really in keeping with the spirit of the piece, but thanks for your comment, Chris!