First visit to forum

dougal

Hello to all of you,

I have arthritis in my neck and right shoulder ( I'm 57 ) am also awaiting results of tests as GP suspects Polymyalgia Rheumatica and currently off work for the first time with a recent flare up of painful symptoms (I'm a mental health nurse, job is very stressful, which I think has triggered it, |I don't miss the stress of work , but am feeling quite isolated at home with this as I look as well as normal, but feel awful !!)
I know very little about this condition and would be interested to hear from others.[/b]

dreamdaisy

Hello dougal and welcome to the worst club in the world. I cannot help you re your condition (I have PA, psoriaatic arthritis) but I do understand the isolation/loneliness that these conditions bring. My life turned round completely on 22 April this year, when I accidentally found this site and joined in. Here I can tell people how I'm feeling because they understand: my family doesn't, my husband tried and is very supportive, but basically they don't have a clue.

Use us as a sounding board for tips, hints and ideas. We are all pretty clued up about meds and side effects etc, so can answer most questions, (BUT WE ARE NOT DOCTORS!), we have all felt lonely and we are very good at propping others up to get them thro tough spots. And it's good to be propped up in return, when necessary. Look at the other forums too - chitchat is more lighthearted - I'm off there now to post a rant about the Olympic Stadium for 2012!

Someone with similar problems to you will be along at some point, I'm sure. Wishing you a better day. DD

tillytop

Hi Dougal, and welcome from me too.

As DD says, everyone here is very supportive and I am sure someone who has experience of PMR will be along soon to read your post and offer some advice.

In terms of practical, factual information about PMR, you may find some information on the Publications and Resources section of this site and/or on the Arthritis Research Campaign website.

Hopelfully now that you have found us, you won't feel quite so isolated and, as DD says the Chit-Chat forum is a good place for lighthearted company (and olympic stadium rants apparently!!).

Look forward to seeing you posting - you will be made most welcome.

Love Tilly x

stlucia

Hello nice to meet you!

This is a very friendly and supportive forum :-) you're very welcome to stick around!

There is always a cuppa going and a spot on the sofa over on the chit chat section too....biscuits if you are lucky!

Lucia

skezier

Hi Dougal,

A welcome fro me as well and as Tilly says there is some info on this site (if you click on 'about arthritis' at the top of the page you will find some info there) as well as a couple of people who have PMR as well and hopefully they will be about later and will be able to help you more. The helplines here are good either via email, posted on their forum or by phone as well. Hopefully now you have found this site you will feel less isolated. I think ll of us have felt that at some time so do understand that bit. Nice to meet you. Cris x

angie1973

Hi Dougal,

I'm a newbie as well, so welcome from me also. I have had Fibromyalgia for years, but only just recently also got diagnosed with OA, so I've been in a bit of shock and wondering about life.

However there are so many nice people on here, some going through some rough times, they make me feel humble and I admire how they come on here and support everyone when they are suffering.

It's a good place to be. I hope you are not in too much pain.

Take care
Ange..

carola

Hi Dougal

Just popping in here to give you a welcome too.

I don't have the same Arthritis as you however someone will be along soon to offer handy tips.

Yes, as you say you can feel very isolated at times which is where this forum kicks in beautifully.

Hope you are feeling a bit better today.
Carol

julie47

Hi Dougal

I have been feeling isolated for a good few months as I haven't been able to get out of the house alone. I Have RA and also an amputated leg . I am unable to wear a prosthetic one at the monent.

I found this site and I am glad I have. Everyone has been so supportive to me and reading through the forums and sometimes putting my two peneth in I find the day goes alot quicker.

Hope you enjoy the site too.

Julie pf xx

angel1

Welcome to the Forum Dougal. I have no knowledge of what you have - I`m OA - but be patient, and a fellow sufferer will be along soon, to give you some help.

There are so many different "varieties" of what we on here laughingly call Arthur. At the end of the day though, the end result is the same for all of us........Pain, sometime isolation, and the depression that comes with it, a feeling of being totally misunderstood. On our Forum, you will be understood, and supported.

I hope you will continue to post. I can promise you it will help you enormously...........Ange. .x.

janie68

Hi Dougal

I am too a mental health nurse but with RA. I am off sick too, how are you finding your managers? Being understanding at all? No? Ah sounds familiar. If they are, that's good then.

Do you work on a ward or community? I am on a ward and it's relentless, probably not the best for my RA but I do love it. i have reduced my hours which has helped but I think that nursing is not compatible with our conditions. My consultant offered to write his report for retirement but I declined. Not ready at 38, the pension would be rubbish.

This forum is excellent for support and advice, we also have a laugh on chit chat.

Feel free to PM me, although I'm out of action for a couple of days for a new treatment, I'm going to be a patient in hospital. Ugh, I'll be a terrible patient.

Take care

Janie

dorcas

Hi Dougal and welcome from me too.

I don't have PMR either but like the other peeps who've already answered you post... know what it is like to cope with arther on a daily/ nightly basis. :roll:

Your so right about arther being invisible to others...that's part of the difficulty in the 'world out there' understanding our condition and the silent pain we have.

That's not the case here and I'm glad you've found our forum we do know what it is like and get strength from supporting each other and being supported....or just having a bit of a rant!
having a sense of humour and sharing a laugh also helps.

hope to see you posting around the forum....just jump in...you'll be made very welcome. guaranteed!

Iris x

dreamdaisy

Wouldn't it be handy to have an outward sign of pain levels, something along the lines of those thermometers one sees outside churches, showing how much money has been raised towards roof repairs. How about a little window at the base of the back of the neck, shaped like those you see on spirit levels. When there is tolerable, 'I can cope with this' pain, just s little strip of colour would show. When it's the opposite end of the pain range, the whole window would be full. There are some basic design flaws in the human body. The lack of this is one of them. DD

barbara12

Hi Dougal
Avery warm welcome from me, no need to feel isolated anymore, everyone on here are so friendly and supportive.
Hope to see you posting more very soon.
Barbara x

dougal

Many thanks for all your very welcoming messages of support, it is a huge relief to know you are all so very understanding .
I think arthritis is very misunderstood generally. It is proving hard for me to accept becoming "a patient" as I have nursed many others for over 20 years. I will be dropping in here from time to time to keep in touch with your posts and will add anything I find useful. Meantime I will explore this website further....good to know I am not alone!
Valxxx

carola

DD - lovin' your Pain Assessor idea.

Do you think you could incorporate into it a big red button (I love big red buttons as they look so naughty) and when you press it, it will blast the same pain level to someone who is getting on our goat and not understanding our pain?

Also, if you could include a Pain Pause button to give temproary pain relief for a day or two that would be great.

Many thanks in anticipation
Carol

dougal

janie68 wrote:

Hi Dougal

I am too a mental health nurse but with RA. I am off sick too, how are you finding your managers? Being understanding at all? No? Ah sounds familiar. If they are, that's good then.

Do you work on a ward or community? I am on a ward and it's relentless, probably not the best for my RA but I do love it. i have reduced my hours which has helped but I think that nursing is not compatible with our conditions. My consultant offered to write his report for retirement but I declined. Not ready at 38, the pension would be rubbish.

This forum is excellent for support and advice, we also have a laugh on chit chat.

Feel free to PM me, although I'm out of action for a couple of days for a new treatment, I'm going to be a patient in hospital. Ugh, I'll be a terrible patient.

Take care

Janie]

Hi Janie, thanks for your reply, I work part time in adult community m.h. team and have a caseload of patients, am lucky to have a fairly understanding manager, but feel quite guilty about burdoning my already very stressed colleagues .
I think too that us nurses might possibly be the worst patients ever !!
Hope your new treatment proves helpful, take care, Val

woodbon

Hi, I don't have your type of arthritis, but I know at least 1 person and I expect their are others, who have it.

I'm glad you found the forum, and I hope you do what the others recommended and look on the site for information or ring the Helpline number at the top. They are very good and sent me lots of info on carpel tunnel, when I had that diagnosed.
Anyway, good luck and I hope you soon feel a bit better. I used to be a Care Assistant and had to retire, which I found hard, I'm 55! :shock: going on feeling 105 this week! :roll:
Love Sue

nanarose

carola wrote:

DD - lovin' your Pain Assessor idea.

Do you think you could incorporate into it a big red button (I love big red buttons as they look so naughty) and when you press it, it will blast the same pain level to someone who is getting on our goat and not understanding our pain?

Also, if you could include a Pain Pause button to give temproary pain relief for a day or two that would be great.

Many thanks in anticipation
Carol

Love the humour you folks have even in adversity; it really made me chuckle out loud!
Love the Big Red Button idea - I have a few folks in mind who I would love to try this out on!

sillyswede

Hi Dougal, from another newbie, and welcome. I only found this place a couple of days ago, and I'm so glad and relieved. It's wonderful to be able to share experiences, good and bad days in here.
I have yet to have an official diagnosis, however my GP seems rather convinced I've got reactive arthritis.

Keep posting, we're all here for the same reasons!

dougal

sillyswede wrote:

Hi Dougal, from another newbie, and welcome. I only found this place a couple of days ago, and I'm so glad and relieved. It's wonderful to be able to share experiences, good and bad days in here.
I have yet to have an official diagnosis, however my GP seems rather convinced I've got reactive arthritis.

Keep posting, we're all here for the same reasons!

Hi Sillyswede,
yes I will keep posting, hope you get your diagnosis soon, I think it will help to know what we are dealing with , tc

dougal

woodbon wrote:

Hi, I don't have your type of arthritis, but I know at least 1 person and I expect their are others, who have it.

I'm glad you found the forum, and I hope you do what the others recommended and look on the site for information or ring the Helpline number at the top. They are very good and sent me lots of info on carpel tunnel, when I had that diagnosed.
Anyway, good luck and I hope you soon feel a bit better. I used to be a Care Assistant and had to retire, which I found hard, I'm 55! :shock: going on feeling 105 this week! :roll:
Love Sue

Thanks woodbon, I know how you feel , this stuff is so aging!

dougal

dreamdaisy wrote:

Hello dougal and welcome to the worst club in the world. I cannot help you re your condition (I have PA, psoriaatic arthritis) but I do understand the isolation/loneliness that these conditions bring. My life turned round completely on 22 April this year, when I accidentally found this site and joined in. Here I can tell people how I'm feeling because they understand: my family doesn't, my husband tried and is very supportive, but basically they don't have a clue.

Use us as a sounding board for tips, hints and ideas. We are all pretty clued up about meds and side effects etc, so can answer most questions, (BUT WE ARE NOT DOCTORS!), we have all felt lonely and we are very good at propping others up to get them thro tough spots. And it's good to be propped up in return, when necessary. Look at the other forums too - chitchat is more lighthearted - I'm off there now to post a rant about the Olympic Stadium for 2012!

Someone with similar problems to you will be along at some point, I'm sure. Wishing you a better day. DD

Thanks dreamdaisy for your kind words of advice

dougal

tillytop wrote:

Hi Dougal, and welcome from me too.

As DD says, everyone here is very supportive and I am sure someone who has experience of PMR will be along soon to read your post and offer some advice.

In terms of practical, factual information about PMR, you may find some information on the Publications and Resources section of this site and/or on the Arthritis Research Campaign website.

Hopelfully now that you have found us, you won't feel quite so isolated and, as DD says the Chit-Chat forum is a good place for lighthearted company (and olympic stadium rants apparently!!).

Look forward to seeing you posting - you will be made most welcome.

Love Tilly x

Hi Tilly, thanks for the welcome, will soon be ranting with the best of you, I expect, tc dougal

dougal

skezier wrote:

Hi Dougal,

A welcome fro me as well and as Tilly says there is some info on this site (if you click on 'about arthritis' at the top of the page you will find some info there) as well as a couple of people who have PMR as well and hopefully they will be about later and will be able to help you more. The helplines here are good either via email, posted on their forum or by phone as well. Hopefully now you have found this site you will feel less isolated. I think ll of us have felt that at some time so do understand that bit. Nice to meet you. Cris x

Thanks skezier, am finding my way around here now and grateful for the support here, tc dougal

dougal

julie47 wrote:

Hi Dougal

I have been feeling isolated for a good few months as I haven't been able to get out of the house alone. I Have RA and also an amputated leg . I am unable to wear a prosthetic one at the monent.

I found this site and I am glad I have. Everyone has been so supportive to me and reading through the forums and sometimes putting my two peneth in I find the day goes alot quicker.

Hope you enjoy the site too.

Julie pf xx

Hello Julie, thanks for your message, it's good to hear from so many new friends so quickly, overwhelmed me, tc dougal

dougal

angie1973 wrote:

Hi Dougal,

I'm a newbie as well, so welcome from me also. I have had Fibromyalgia for years, but only just recently also got diagnosed with OA, so I've been in a bit of shock and wondering about life.

However there are so many nice people on here, some going through some rough times, they make me feel humble and I admire how they come on here and support everyone when they are suffering.

It's a good place to be. I hope you are not in too much pain.

Take care
Ange..

Hi Ange, you are right, so many nice people on here, nice to meet
you, tc dougal