Encountering Signs of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Modern Princess and the Pea
We were talking about featherbeds the other day and I recalled the fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. My imagination wandered…
A woman was traveling across the country to visit her son for a holiday. It was a long drive, so she planned to stop for the night. She made reservations at a nice hotel where she had stayed in the past.
It was dinnertime when she approached the front desk. The crowded lobby was dominated by a talk show on a loud wall television. She fumbled for her credit card, getting herself organized while she waited in line.
Queen bed, check. Non-smoking, yes. Coffee pot, of course. Ironing board – are they crazy? Room 212, Here’s your door key.
Off she shuffled around the corner, pulling her bag into the elevator, then across the hall. The door was heavy.
Sore from the car ride, the woman hoped to go to bed early. She clicked on the TV, changed her clothes, and gathered the extra pillows from the closet. A good night’s rest will make tomorrow’s drive much easier.
Signs of Rheumatoid Arthritis – like things that go bump in the night
An hour passed. The movie ended. The woman cried out in pain. She sat up and called the front desk, “Hello. I’ve stayed here before. What is wrong with this mattress? It feels like it has nails inside of it!”
“Really? We’ll send someone up right away,” the night clerk utter robotically. The housekeeping woman checked the mattress thoroughly as she spread out fresh sheets and blankets. Everything looked good.
The weary traveler got back on the bed. A half-hour later, she was on the phone again. “I am sure there must be something wrong with this mattress. I feel like I’m being bruised just lying here.” When the clerk told the night manager about the call, they had an idea. Let’s put a feather bed from the executive suite onto her mattress. That will certainly make her happy.
Twenty minutes later, the woman got in bed once more. It did feel softer so maybe now she could get some sleep. An hour passed.
The night manager rolled his eyes when his phone rang again. They devised a plan to deal with her once and for all. “We’ll tell her that we found the sharp object inside the mattress and removed it once and for all. Then we’ll put another feather bed over top of the first one. She’s probably just a nut – thinks this is the Princess and the Pea or something.”
The woman did not make any more phone calls until she was in her car. Waiting in line to buy breakfast from a drive up window, she called her son. “I finally slept, but I’m sore from head to toe. I feel like I was run over by a freight train. I wonder what the problem is with that bed.”
Postblog: Many people suffer signs of Rheumatoid Arthritis for years without knowing why they have so much pain. Soreness and stiffness upon waking is just one little sign of RA that can emerge before RA is diagnosed. Stay tuned next time for a more serious treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis sleep issues.
More posts you might like:
- Goldilocks post: A Fairy Tale for Rheumatoid Arthritis Warriors
- A true-to-life list: What Is the First symptom of Rheumatoid Arthritis?
- An official RA diagnosis: American College of Rheumatology Redefines Rheumatoid Arthritis
- RA is complicated enough: 3 Reasons to Stop Saying “Complications of Rheumatoid Arthritis”
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LOL… Kelly, I absolutely relate to this! I have purchased a 6″ memory foam topper for my bed, and a memory foam knee pillow, and still my bed feels comparable to sleeping on concrete. I so look forward to your post on sleep issues, I feel like I drag myself through a fog of sleep deprivation daily!
I think you are on the right track. I’ve done something similar to my bed.
i totally love it when a serious issue like RA is spoken about with such ease, along with a dash of humor…. once i went shoe shopping with my dad and stepped out of the store crying out loud because i had developed swelling in my feet while trying the shoes on and still couldnt find a single pair which wouldnt feel as if i was walking barefeet on stones!! the shop guy’s expressions clearly said “what a spolit brat…thinks she is too damn special for even the most expensive pair of shoes in the store”
Shweta, I’ve had the same experience at a shoe store. I was in complete agony. My feet were swollen huge & I felt like I was standing on rocks inside my skin. My dr. had sent me there for “healthy running shoes” & everything I tried hurt too much. The guy at the store thought I was nuts.
LOL! Love the art, too!
Thank you, Caysea. My daughter & I had been working at this for a while. I’m so excited to work w/her on some little projects. I miss her so much (college).
great post, could totally relate and my husband and his father call me the princess and the pea LOL! i cant wait to show this to them!! cannot wait to hear about sleep issues, I am so tired of being tired and tossing and turning…
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Speaking of sleep and feathers, this is just too funny – click here. Thanks for sending it, Pam.