Do I Love Running?

Today I had a doctor's appointment with my rheumatologist. I used to dread going to see her because it seemed like she always wanted to focus on my flare-ups and I had already lived through them. I didn't want to rehash them. Now that flare-ups are few and far between (knock on wood) or very mild, I see now that she just uses that as a gauge to see how I am doing.

She first asked if I was flaring because of the weather. Arizona is generally really dry and hot. During this time of the year, it is humid and hot. Normally that causes issues, but I kind of cocked my head and thought, "Hmm, actually, no I am not." She was really happy to hear that I was doing well.

She then asked about the new dry mouth medicine. Busted! I fessed up that I hadn't used it. I promised her I'd use it before next appointment.

I asked her if knee issues were common among her other runners with Sjogren's. She said that normally knee issues are due to wear and tear vs. Sjogren's related. Then she said, "There are better exercise options like swimming that won't put that wear and tear on your knees, but I am not going to ask you to stop doing what you love."

I was dumbfounded. Just yesterday I told someone how much I hated running. I confessed that I only do it because most contact sports are out of the question for me and my arm. It didn't realize until it was about to be taken away from me that I really do love it.

Hopefully the knee x-ray will show no signs of damage and I can continue to run. Because I now know that I love it.