RS3PO

Yesterday I was asked to open a champagne bottle. I was unable to comply.

This is not a tract in favor of teetotalism, nor was I making a protest about the event we were asked to celebrate. I physically couldn't get the cork out.

For some months I have been suffering from pains and weakness in my arm muscles. The pains are quite discrete; I can easily point to the very spots. They are related to the use of certain muscles - not muscle groups - distinct and discrete muscles.

I believe it is a manifestation of my personal connective tissue disease that nobody seems to have heard of.

Some years ago I was preparing a talk to be given at the International MDS symposium in Paris on autoimmunity in the myelodysplastic syndrome. I came upon a rare syndrome associated with MDS called RS3CPE. It stands for Recurrent Symetrical Seronegative Synovitis with Peripheral Edema. It is a condition of men over 60 who are HLA-B7 positive.

When I was doing my doctorate many moons ago I found myself to be HLA-B7.

The condition is no-progressive and not lethal, just uncomfortable. It responds to steroid injections into the inflamed synovium.

In England oedema is spelt with an O. So it becomes RS3PO.

This is unfortunate. It makes it sound like a cousin of the Star Wars character.

I get no sympathy.