This is what getting older feels like?

Last year, as I chronicled in my old blog, I went through some travails trying to get the northern Virginia medical community to treat a thing with my arm. It did not go well, beyond a couple of perfunctory prescriptions. At the time, I lamented the poor care I perceived I was getting, and longed for my old family doctor, who I'd been going to for decades.

Well, that problem reoccurred this year (I really hope this isn't an annual occurrence), and after much goading from my mom and Jenn (we're up in PA for the holidays), they persuaded me that going to see the doctor wouldn't be such a bad idea. (I was significantly ill-behaved the last few days, as the lack of sleep and somewhat extraordinary levels of pain I was in prevented any level of clear thought on my part.) So we went, they examined it, gave me a prescription, and then I learned that the quack from last year should have done all the things I asked her to at the time.

But whatever. It's over again... but just for the record: I started noticing the pain morning of the 24th, and by the morning of the 29th it was unbearable.

I learned that this is a condition that is little understood. It stems from an infection of unknown nature, and while some places will recommend surgery to correct it, it may not completely solve the issue. It's just something that, until some research money crops up for random carbuncles (if that's even the way you spell that), I'll have to deal with from time to time. Yay.