definitely. The good news is that it has been about a year and a half since my last period, and I have not had a single hot flash, or moment of rage or depression. The bad news is that almost immediately, I started to have a stiff back. Then my knuckles started hurting, and some old injuries came back to haunt me that were from mountain bike crashes when I was in my mid 40's.
MSM with glucosamine makes me functional. Without it, I can't bend over or straighten up, and feel like I'm 90. Every time I run out of it, I think I"m fine, but after a week or two without it, I get stiffer and stiffer until I can barely move.
It's frightening, and yes, it's arthritis. I haven't gotten a diagnosis because I don't have insurance, and don't need a pre-existing condition on my records, but it couldn't be anything else. My mom and uncle both have those classic bent fingers and toes from RA.
I've been cutting way back on sugar, alcohol, and caffeine to try to hold it off, as those all have inflammatory properties.
All of this makes my sudden onset of belly fat more bearable.
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