I read some of your stories and you make me feel grateful for my own little problems.

I am 63 and a lifelong athlete who broke sprained and splatted both ankles several times each in vain pursuit of points, rebounds, and ego. Three years ago I still played racquetball but the traumatic arthritis that has been growing for 30 years finally reached a point where my ankles have since rapidly crumbled and it takes me 150 mg of tramadol to walk my dog.

The ankle arthritis is now full bloom and every step hurts like heck and now my kneees are starting to go. My ankles too far gone for any surgery so I cope with tramadol which used to work great but now six a day, plus 2 Tylenol and one ibeprofen aleviates enough pain to walk half a mile or so every day or to play several games of old man ping pong every other day using lots of ice.

Anyway, hello and thanks for reminding me of how good I have it even though inside I feel like a whiner and am depressed with the pain now and the certainty that it will be a little worse each day until I eventually wail and scream and gnash my teeth from my wheel chair.... if you know what I mean.