Hello John, thank you for the very interesting and informative articles. I have been learning as I go with this illness. One of the main steps I've taken is to learn how to manage my stress levels as stress heightens the pain and inflammation and can actually exacerbate a flare up. Through meditation and mindfulness I keep working at keeping stress at bay. Also, the draining fatigue that comes with the pain and inflammation is like a curtain that falls over the stage. When it hits, there is no keeping my eyes open. So I've learned to let myself sleep when this happens. It can be such an inconvenience to life in general, but I've learned not to fight it. It is a necessity.