I have begun to Challenge Pain

dreamdaisy

I managed to get to Felixstowe - it's only about ten miles from here but even driving Daisy did not yield the usual amount of pleasure - and clattered into the room moments before they started. I broke the ice by fishing my car keys out of my cleavage - they were there because I got out of the car, shrugged on my backpack, gathered the sticks , locked the car - no pocket so down they went. The stuff I find down my bra, you wouldn't believe it. Or maybe you would.

Anyhoo, there were nine students, ranging in age from 37 to 84. As ichabod pointed out the Challenging Pain course is run for anyone who has a long-term chronic condition, not just arthritis: what my fellow contestants were troubled by I do not know as medical conditions were not revealed or discussed. We covered a wide range of topics, the causes of pain, the role of stress, the importance of exercise and diet, breathing and relaxation techniques, and goal setting. Due to time constraints there was very little opportunity for discussion, although we were able to generate ideas for topics, eg 'How can stress affect you?' there was not time to talk through some of the points we had raised which was a pity as then some coping strategies could have been revealed or developed from within the group.

Did I learn anything new? To be honest, no, I am after all in my fifteenth year of this dross and have picked up a fair bit of knowledge along the way. What the course did, however, was freshen my memory on certain points, eg, the breathing exercises. I did these for years when very asthmatic but they have long gone out of the window as the asthma problems have considerably lessened. I did the first one and was warned that you could end up feeling giddy or light-headed as the amount of oxygen one was ingesting would be improved. I didn't as I could not get the techinique, but with the relaxation exercise I ended up very giddy! The old skill had returned without my realising (although I was conciously breathing that way) and towards the end of the relaxation I was in a bit of a tizzy and feeling very odd. It passed, all things do.

I am looking forward to Part 2 next Monday, topics to be covered then will include distration techiniques and visualisation skills. Again I am familiar with both but I am sure some useful reminders will crop up, and some useful skills will be learned. I would recommend this course to anyone, expecially if you are in the early years of coping with arthritis. Doctors cannot tell you everything, the forum tells you a helluva lot, but AC know their stuff and if you get the chance to go on one of their courses, do. I really want to do one of their six week ones now, Challenging Arthritis. I will keep my eyes open - I found this course was on purely by chance, perhaps I should be a little more vigilant from here-on-in, and I will be.

Thank you AC, I enjoyed it very much, your trained volunteers are good people. DD

suzygirl

Glad you enjoyed it Daisy, what a shame there wasn't more time for discussion. I find people very interesting, and that is part of the fun.

Be very interested to hear about next weeks.

theresa4

Thankyou DD for shraring with us all

tjt6768

Hello my Dear DD, I am glad that you enjoyed it hun, hopefully next one will be at a more settled pace and things can be discussed as required..

So, no David Brent in sight eh? :roll:

Oh, can you please refrain from placing images of rummaging around in your bra in mi bonce :shock: :shock: :shock:

I hope you are going to fork out for my therapy :eek: :eek:

Poppyg1rl

Hi DD,
I'm really interested in learning about the breathing techniques, they do very sound useful. Thanks for letting us know about the course, looking forward to next weeks one along with you!
Much love and hugs xxx

julie47

Morning DD

I am glad that you enjoyed the meeting in as much that you want a 6 week course at some point.
Even though after 15 years of arthur, as you say, iit can refresh the knowledge you have forgotton.
I am looking forwarrd to next weeks report, and I hope next time you have more discission time. (perhaps the 6 wk courses would have more time and these are just tasters ?)

Hope you are having a reasonable day and that you are not too tired and in too much pain.

Oh and DD you are not the only one who finds stuff down their bras
We find everything but whats supposed to be down there :oops:

love juliepf x

valval

could do with the breathing one about now have to remember to breath deep as with chest being sore tend to let breath get shallow when not thinking about it. so glad went well but time should have been set asside for disscusion always helps i find val

dreamdaisy

Regard the rummaging vision as a birthday present, Tony! The breathing thing, valval, was about breathing with the diaphragm (that's the band of muscle between the lungs and lower torso, I think). You place a hand on your chest, and one high on your tummy, and when you breathe in the hand on your tummy is the one that should go up and down - if you push your tummy out whilst breathing in it pulls the diaphragm down and thus pulls more air into the lungs. The diaphragm is shaped a little like an eyebrow, a gentle arch, and when you breathe in using your stomach muscles this pulls the diaphragm down and increases the capacity of lungs without involving the ribs. Does that make sense? DD

Seabreeze

Hi Daisy, thanks for letting us know about this course. I look forward to the next instalment. I have put my name down to do this course next month so wait to here from AC. New to arthur so look forward to learning breathing and relaxation techniques. You made me laugh out aloud with your keys down your bra. Sounds like something I would do. Have a great day.

Maria.
x

traluvie

Hi DD,

Look forward to hearing how you get on next week..
I used to do a technique like that when i did my singing class, the kids found it very helpful in opening their lungs more lol..
I should use the breathing techniques more myself really, on reading your post i am going to do just that , so thanks for the gentle reminder..
Hope you have not been too bad..x

frogmorton

hI dd

sOUNDS REALLY GOOD AN USEFUL TOO (oops caps lock :oops: ) l am glad you ahve been able to get on it especially as it was almost by chance :shock:

Could l hear giggling? l think l could and now l know why...it was the keys wasn't it?!!!

I look forward to hearing part two next week

well done

Love

toni xx

hileena111

Hi
Glad you got something out of it DD even if it was refreshing rather than new......The one I did was def. an arthritis course....I've also done an expert patients course....thats was for all chronic illness {not just arthur} and it was 6 weeks......done the 6 weeks challenging one as well.
I'm supposed to be trained to deliver them now {The AC ones not the expert patient ones} but with one thing an another happening my training has stopped midway
Looking forward to hearing about next weeks one
Love
Hileena

carola

Haha! I just burst out with a big guffaw at the vision of your bra rummaging and Jeanie Pup started barking at me as she got a fright!

Chuffed that you are getting something out of the course and think this will inspire others to try similar courses also so good on you DD.

Hope you are having a decent day today and thank you as ever for making me smile.
Carol x

stickywicket

No, I’m lost here. You say ‘distraction technique’ comes next week. So what was all that with the car keys then?

I’m glad you found it useful even if half the weapons of choice turned out to be ones you already had stored in the mental loft as it were. So often we learn this stuff, use it, it works so we consign it to oblivion again. Always helpful to be reminded that it’s there and available. I guess only time will tell how effective it all is now against different, more varied and probably more vicious pain. Hopefully very. Even if it only helps a bit, that bit can make a big difference. I know I (irrationally) resent the time I have to devote to exercises every day yet I'm far worse off without them. Either I give the arthritis that exercise time or it takes what it wants some other way. (I'm now getting deeply philosophical. Must be the excellent pub lunch with the excellent friends.)

OK, I’ll look forward to episode 2 next week. I imagine the other participants will too though, for the sake of the 84 yr old, I think you should find somewhere else to store the car keys. Coming to challenge pain only to be seen off by a DD-inspired coronary.....

dreamdaisy

Hey hey sticky! You have had a good lunch, I can tell! (Sentences flowing, typical sticky vocab, but a little truncated.) I hope you enjoyed meeting up with your friends and that a good time was had by all.

I know exactly what you mean about consigning stuff to one side: you do summat, it helps, things feel better so you stop doing stuff. Things worsen but one has, somehow, forgotten about the stuff that made them better in the first place. That was certainly the case viz the breathing and relaxation things, but what also suprised me was how little could count as exercise. People say to me 'You should exercise more' and yes, I should, but to me that means riding a bike (can't) going for a swim (can't walk after), doing a ten mile hike - yer what? :shock: but in fact it means just doing a very little but often. One minute of marching on the spot, done once an hour, could be enough to help joints etc remain flexible. That is easily done whilst brewing a cuppa, or cooking, or washing up. I will be doing a little more in that way, of that kind, and often. DD

stickywicket

I can assure you, DD, that if exercise involved hiking, cycling or swimming/drowning I would not be doing it. Mr SW comes back from his round of golf and laughs at the idea that what I do can be called exercise. (But I laugh at the idea that what he does can be called playing golf.)

Druncated? Moi?

dreamdaisy

Mr DD was a value-for-money golfer a few years ago, par 164 would count as a good day.

Druncated? Vous? Mais non, mon ami, vous etes (tu est? - too personal?) merely relaxed.

tjt6768

I'm sorry I'm only just able to reply regarding my erm... Present....
I've been busy washing my eyeballs with swarfiga in a feeble attempt to rid the burning image from my corneas... :shock: :shock: :shock:

Fortunately for me, Ra is a fully qualified shrink, so today has been spent laid on his scratch post telling him my woes.. You owt me for quid young lady (mates rates n all that)...
:???: :???:

julie47

been doing the breathing exercise dd but I think my diaphram nust have a cord attatched to my lips cause....as i breath in I pucker them up or go into some sort of shut lipped grin......but....i must be doing it right cause i got the wooo hooo feeling

ready for round two

juliepf x

dreamdaisy

I was in some trouble with the joints last night, so I took an extra coco, turned onto my back and did the breathing. Result. Things eased sufficiently for me to turn onto my favourite sleeping side (with my worst bone growths pressed into the mattress!) and they didn't feel too bad, kept up with the breathing and that was the last I knew until 1.30am - two and a half hours of un-interrupted snooze. Ye gods. :shock: DD

hileena111

Hi DD
Glad you got something from it that helped......I wish I could get the breathing to work for me.......I could never get to grips with it?????
Try other relaxation exercises....but the diaphramatic breathing is beyond me
Love
Hileena

redheaded

Hi DD I am new but I like the sound of the course you are on are the teachers really nice and obliging I would hate a school room type place and especially when I think of my old teachers who were not nice or handsome were yours and what do you learn to cope with to help your arthritis from Helen

dachshund

Hi DD
i'm pleased you enjoyed the talk that was a long way to go i would think that wore you out before you got there as for the breathing well that takes a bit of working out.
i know you will enjoy the next one what will happen to your keys then we will have to see.
take care. joan xx

dreamdaisy

The next one is tomorrow - it's the last one too. I think it will be cold and raining so jeans will be the order of the day, plenty of pockets and therefore no need to plunge the keys down my front. (Calm down, Tony, I typed NO NEED )

Hello redheaded, it's nice to meet you. The course is run by AC and is only for two weeks. It has been interesting, I haven't learned anything new as such but it did remind me about things I had forgotten I could do to help myself. I am not sure what tomorrow's will bring but I will report back.

The pain is really biting today. :sad: Never mind. It will pass, all things do, but I must admit I could do with a break from it. My right knee is reaching exquisite heights of new discomfort - it is astonishing what one's body can do to torment one. :roll:

ichabod6

Hello dd,

I thought you would benefit from the challenging pain
course. You impress me as one who gives life her best shots
and that is the way to approach any self management course.
Nothing new is offered on the courses. Just reminders of
techniques and approaches you already know and perhaps
the odd new or different slant probably turned up by a fellow
participant.
I'm sure you will enjoy and get more from tomorrow's session.

Have a safe journey.

tjt6768

It's ok you telling me to rest easy madam.. Since I last posted on here I've had a double-corneal-mastectomy, it was the only sure way of removing that image from my troubled mind.
The procedure was of course performed by my trusty side kick Ra, who said it was the worse case of booby burny thought thoughts he'd ever seen...
So in essence, yes, I'm very happy you'll have lots of pockets..

Lol


Hi Redheaded by the way...
Welcome to the forum