I Am (I’m Me)
After the recent cancellation of an anticipated Twisted
Sister ( legendary metal band) tour, Krüde wanted to weigh in on what
degenerative arthritis does to your body. Dee Snider (lead vocalist) has
it. And so do I. I’m really bummed that TS won’t be touring in 2026. But
knowing how my body feels on an average day (shitty). I can’t blame Dee for
cancelling a huge tour. Pain ain’t fun. And rock n’ roll (when performed
correctly) is physically taxing. Crotch level entertainment is not for the weak
or injured.
Ever since I’ve been writing this blog, I have been living
with gout (spinal, ouch) and rheumatoid arthritis. I was diagnosed in 2009 at
age 39 with both. I’m 55 now. And not feeling any better. Despite all of my
learned remedies to keep the pain in check. It takes a lot of physical
compromise mixed with a phalanx of meds to get on my feet every day. This was
not how I saw myself becoming in my later years. But I deal with being perennially
sore like an adult: I pretend to feel good in front of others. Sad, but true.
I recall back in 2013,
I had a home renovation client who lived on the upper West Side of Manhattan.
This man was wealthy through the import/export business. He used to fly out of
NYC every week to many different countries. One day we were talking in his
apartment about the current reno that was going on. I dropped my phone by
mistake then leaned down towards the floor to pick it up. What I didn’t notice
was how slow I managed to reach for the phone. Like a snail. The client saw me
be very careful when bending down. And asked if I was alright. I said
yes. He said “NO”. This caught me off guard. He then said “ You’re too young to
have back problems”. Then I came clean about my wretched, gout laden spine. Then
he looked at me and asked if I had ever tried acupuncture? I said no. He
then asked me if I wanted to see a specialist in Costa Rica that he knew
that treated people like me with bad backs. I said that I don’t have time or
money to do something like that. He then offered to pay for the entire trip and doctor fees! I was flabbergasted. It
isn’t common to feel that other people can be so generous and caring. Though I
did turn him down. I had to keep my professional wits about me. But the ordeal
taught me to not show pain or discomfort when in public. And never do anything
that will cause immediate pain. Eggshells CAN be walked on. Trust me
I’ve talked about pain in these pages previously. I know we
are all getting older. People like myself that played sports while growing up
through high school can attest to feeling the ill effects of something related to
sports. No regrets on my part. I was a talented athlete. Just not good enough
to go pro. Que sera sera….. My old man had serious connections to the NY
Yankees as well. I could’ve been a Dale Berra or Billy Ripken. Heavens
forbid….
Fuck it. Life goes on whether you feel good or not. No
excuses. Just keep living….. Mahalo
No love lost,
KK