== 2026-08-14 Friday == Let's re-start the Weeknote phlogging(?) === Weeknote #3 === Another physical struggle this week, with the RA continuing to spiral downward and symptoms continuing to intrude more and more on day to day life. == Work == Did a complicated fault resolution on Tuesday - a TV Transmitter Exciter replacement. This type of thing should be straightforward nowadays with everthing being digital and software driven/defined. Gone (sadly) are the days of manually aligning multiple inter-active analogue settings to tune and adjust new units, with lots of both manual skill and dexterity along with technical knowledge and experience needed. Today it's "Plug and Play".... set the IP address and sit back and let the remote gnomes make any conguration changes from backup files and software tick-boxes.... Except it isn't always that simple. And then you have to roll your sleves up and dig in (obviously not with a screwdriver, trimming tool or soldering iron....not any more) And then there's the problem that modern systems are so ultra-reliable. That the time-between-failure is so long that very little experience is gained, even over 10+ years, of working on these things. In the 16 years since "Digital SwitchOver" this is the 2nd of this particular type of unit I've had to swap. That doesn't lend itself to building up a bedrock of intimate understanding and tribal knowledge. I did it, anyway.... Then today, Friday , it was f*cking PAT testing.... I hate PAT Testing. It's not a way to spend a pleasant day at work. And my hatred is only deepened by the unshakable memory of one May day in 2018 when I was PAT Testing as a vice-like pressure built in my chest, my jaws started to ache, I got cold and clammy and felt "rather unwell".... within an hour I was in the hospital ER... had flat lined... had been resucitated.... within another hour I was on an Air Amulance flight to the mainland... PAT Testing, still gives me the willies... I've decided to retire - not immediately - but within the next 12 months. As a freelance contractor I'm going to see if I can stick it until this time next year. If I find it too depressing I might throw the towel in earlier. I'm 60. I've been fettling TV and Radio Transmitter systems for almost 40 years. Surey I've earned some time off good behaviour by now? == Hobbies == Not much radio done this week. I'm planning/designing a new CW Transceiver, and waiting for a few parts from the excellent Bowood Electronics. == Media == I'm still deep in Big Bang Theory... I finished my re-watching on the whole 12-series last week... and re-started at the beginning again. It's the gift that keeps on giving. == Sport == Been watching, a fair bit of The Hundred cricket. It's a nice short format "light-entertainment" form of cricket for a pleasant evening's TV. I don't support a particular team so all games are watched purely for the fun of the chase. == Health == I decided, after giving it a fair try since November last year, that the 2-weekly injections of Adalimumab are not helping my Rheumatoid Arthritis. I was keeping an open mind, and trying to be positive. Seeing any brief period of a lessening of symptoms as evidence that it's "starting to work" But you can only fool yourself for so long before you have to admit that you feel SHITE and are feeling SHITER day by day. I caved in and asked to see my GP, who agreed I'd given it as good a try as I could, but obviously I need some other treatment. I've now got a clinic appointment (by Video conference) with my Rheumatologist (who works part of the time in Scotland and part of the time in India) on Wednesday. Today I had an intramuscular injection of Methyl-prednisolone (steroid) in my right buttock-cheek... it was a bit sore... and hopefully in a week or so I'll start to get some relief and it'll see me through until I can start whatever treatment is next on the list.... So far I've had (since staring this roller-coaster in 2019): Prednisolone Methotrexate (plus a tapering-down dose of Prednisolone) Methotrexate plus Hydroxychloriquine (plus a still-tapering down dose of Prednisolone) Methotrexate plus Sulfasalazine Leflunomide plus Sulfasalazine Adalimumab Only the prednisolone I had for the first 4 (yes 4!) years actually gave any reasonable relief - but apparantly you can't take Prednisolone long term.... (isn't 4 years long enough?) It took me a further 2 years to taper off it without causing an Adrenal crisis.... And sulfasalazine gives you permanent yellow diarrhoea and nausea and stains all (yes, all) your bodily fluids yellow. Getting old sucks.... what's next?