3.

Errr where was I now..........oh yes rescuing Norman Wisdom who had locked himself out of his car (a white Rover) when he did a show at the theatre royal Nottingham......oh happy days, yes, I remember saying to him,hey Norm, what a lovely day for pouring custard down your mother in laws knickers(Panties for the westerners) you'll go far he said but failing to diguise a cynical sneer, yes I said................anyway........

AS for me certainly between the ages of 21 to 35 was a living hell. Pain was ever present, fusion was well under way, following the classic course; starting at the coccyx and steadily creeping up the spine. I rarely went to the doctor or the hospital because medications were unhelpful. I was over the years prescribed variously, Phenylbutazone, co-codamol, Distal Gesic (c0=Proxamol) Indomethacin, Mobic, Arthrotec, Diclofenac,Voltarol (voltaren-Sorry John),Brufen. Ibroprofen, and god knows how much more. None worked, but then how would I know if they did? Perhaps they did, perhaps the pain could have been even worse without them?. It seemed unlikely because it felt as bad as it could be. One of my wives had to fetch me from work one day, the boss had summoned her to appear, and to collect the grim staff member whose screaming was driving away his clientele. I cried all the way home, all afternoon, all night, not because I am weak, or to use a Nottingham word, (Mardy)but because I hurt so much for so long and cound not envisage an end to it, ever. And yes I did, thought about it, how, when, would I be able to do it? Anything to escape this
b a s t a r d of an illness.......sorry...........Anyway I didn't, like all ASer's, somehow and from somewhere you find the will to go for another day, and another and another.

That night i walked the estate for hours, anything to try to walk it off, or try to forget about it and actually about 4 in the morning it began to ease.

My son was born soon after this, my wife left me shortly after that! You can't keep bringing all these women home she said.......awww I said, it's not fair, why not.........and she too, cynically sneered an was gone.I next saw Chris (My son) 20 years later, and like his father, super good looking intellectual, and fears of AS though not yet confirmed, he has some slight indications, so we pray that he will escape it.

Work was difficult. Depressed about losing the police job, no other work seemed appealing. In all my lif I have only ever wanted 2 things

1. To be a policeman, and I wasn't

2. Not to have AS, and I had.

What to do, how to make purposefulness from this mess.

I only had one other minor skill, music, and it was music that saved me........


tune in next week for episode 4 of this thrilling trilogy! When Alan meets Angelmom, Angelmom is bowled over and thratens to leave Bill..........dum, de dum dum.arghhhhhhhhhhhhh.


Last edited by mig; 06/11/09 10:37 PM.