One year on... or is it one week on?

It seems odd to look back and see that I began this blog almost a year ago and how life has changed in that time. Someone once told me that being able to accept change is a sign of intelligence. If that is so, I should take to writing encyclopedias not blogs.
I can't look back on this last year without explaining what has happened in this last week, as I think this week is going to have a bigger significance than my move to Wales has done yet.

Last Wednesday evening, I started to feel tired... nothing new there! But I struggled to do my Welsh homework and felt like a dehydrated lettuce leaf. I started to shiver, with a coat on, a blanket on, sitting in front of computer, with central heating on.

Next day, I went to my Welsh class, but I felt odd, I knew I was going hot and cold... couldn't face food, coffee... nothing. Everyone gave me those sidelong sympathetic glances and I knew I must have looked like shit.
I gave up that night and slept, focusing on a screen was uncomfortable. I spoke to a few friends on the phone, while lying in bed, that was OK. I think I sounded as 'normal' as ever, but sitting up.. standing... eating... no way!
The next few days sort of got confused. I had an extremely high temperature, shivers and on the good times I sweated. When I was cold, I shuddered to the point of wanting to throw up. I could hardly stand. The cold spells were the worst. I was now living on Ribena blackcurrant juice and milk. (not in the same glass) and Paracetamol.
What a way to celebrate a bank holiday weekend in UK!.. still, I bet some sat in traffic jams instead...
I managed a visit to the old folks at some stage, I lumbered my brother with all that for most of the time. I remember I actually got to a local shop on the Saturday and almost cried when I found they had no Ribena.
I lost track of day or night, I was sleeping about 20hrs of each day. Mike kept in touch by phone, so did Del, my brother.
On Sunday (or was it Monday?)I awoke with a new symptom. My legs were covered in spots, but I had sweated buckets that night and had to wash all my bedclothes. So I wasn't sure what was going on... I tried phoning an emergency Dr phoneline. They phoned me back and said it was a 'viral infection' and that spots could manifest themselves as the infection was passing. That fitted, as that last sweat had been so huge... I was feeling better, to the point I had to get outside and breath air... so I went for a coastal drive and went to Holyhead.
I awoke on Tuesday at 5am. I struggled to walk downstairs my legs felt all stiff, yet knees like jelly too, I could see they were swollen.
I sat by puter for a few hours. The travelroom and Mike sort of keeping my head together, while I waited for the Doctor's surgery to open after its long weekend off. I actually ate some food, felt better, temperature did feel stable again.
I got an appointment and went to Dr...

It took a while for the Dr to diagnose something, and I am still awaiting test results. But I had a virus... which may have caused vasculitis
I was starting to feel better, and could even read chatrooms again now.

"Vasculitis: Plural: vasculitides. A general term for a group of diseases that feature inflammation of the blood vessels. Each of these diseases is defined by characteristic distributions of blood vessel involvement, patterns of organ involvement, and laboratory test abnormalities. The causes of these vasculitis diseases are usually not known, but immune system abnormality is a common feature."

This is what is still being tested...

But the real cruncher to me was... "oh.. that is arthritis in your knees"
Me!!.. arthritic?
I am now on arthritic tablets for life, knees that struggle to get upstairs, looking like I will struggle to wear skirts without looking like I played football for Man U for 40yrs. I have been so smug and proud of not looking my age and now I have a father of 87 who can almost walk better than me. I have only had arthritus for 2 days now, I thought these things happened gradually, over years... no, it was some crappy virus!!
So, a major rethink to my life now..
I will be replying "OK" to the "how are you?" question, I can't see how to say all this in any other way.

I began this blog facing a new start in Wales, and feeling it was an exile. I began to really enjoy it here. I know I am into a downer just now, but it does make me wonder what is ahead now. I could never have seen all this last year...

Anyway, this blog is one year old in a few days. I need to celebrate. Any ideas?
I know a few of you are still regular visitors and you have no idea how good it is to look at my statistics and actually work out who has popped by. I have tried to keep diaries, but never stuck at it. Never anything public. But I think I am a blogger for life now.
If you guys are still reading me after a year, I feel I have to keep going...
Thanks
XXX