Helpful club

Dear sir:
I am writing this letter to share the details concerning how I was helped a number of years ago by the Arthritis Bluebird Support Club in Fort Frances.
One day, I had been struck suddenly with a condition which caused great pain in all the muscles in my body. I fell to the floor and had great difficult getting up.
The pain was severe in my arms, especially if I attempted to raise them. Also, I could not sit longer than five minutes due to grievous pain in my buttocks.
A local doctor decided I had rheumatoid arthritis and began treating me for this condition. The medication, “arthrotec,” which he prescribed, helped some but not much.
I began to attend the Arthritis Bluebird Club in Fort Frances, and found people there who expressed concern for me and my condition. It was obvious they wanted to help me.
I noticed several people with advanced rheumatoid arthritis, with fingers bent to the side—characteristic of that condition. But the thing that struck me was that these people sat through the whole meeting, whereas I had to get up every five minutes to relieve the pressure to my buttocks.
Could it be that I did not have rheumatoid arthritis, after all? That was the question I asked myself. I expressed this to one of the members, who then asked me if I wanted to borrow a book entitled, “What Kind of Arthritis Do You Have?”
That seemed to be what I needed and so I borrowed it.
The first thing the book contained was a method by which one could key out his or her symptoms. When I did this, mine keyed out to “polymyalgia”—a word that literally means “pain in many muscles.”
After that revelation, I was able to receive the medical help I needed. Now I am completely free from polymyalgia and no longer require medication of any kind.
Perhaps you have an arthritic condition that is troubling you. Perhaps you also could be helped through the Bluebird Club. You may be able to discover the help you need just by chatting with others in the club.
The club meets at 2 p.m. on the last Wednesday of every month at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Fort Frances (404 Scott St.)
(Signed),
Donald Clink
Emo, Ont.