Polish up the Zimmer frame

jewelxox

Hello....

I have just been diagnosed with Osteoarthritis in both my hips !! what a shock to my system that was !!! there i was thinking i was young and sprightly (im 63) and then whammo i'm creaking and groaning like an old garden gate...i'm not a couch potato, im really quite active, i look after my three year old Grandson each week, and so i felt as fit as a fiddle (mostly lol), anyway now here i am wondering what the heck ive got myself into here, and wondering if i should get my hubby to clear out the garage in preparation for the electric scooter that he might have to treat me too.. of course he has promised me he will paint "go faster stripes" on it when the time comes.. so thats something to look forward to i suppose.....as you can tell i am trying to keep a positive outlook and not lose my sense of humour here, so hello everyone its good to meet you

pinkbritishstars

Welcome to the forum :-)

xx

dreamdaisy

Hello jewel, it's lovely to meet you tho I am sorry you have had to find us. The age at which one begins one's arthritic life is irrelevant - it's still distressing and a complete affront to one's life no matter how young or old one is. I appreciate your humour but for some of us younger ones on here it's no joke: I keep trying to think that I am lucky to live in an age where one can have sticks/crutches/a rollator/ a wheelchair - I've done the first two and the third and fourth are being seriously considered but quite honestly I would have loved to have made it to 63 with none of them. None of this is easy for any of us but I am sure I can speak for most of us when I say that we all too well know the distress and unhappiness this rubbish brings. I began at 37 (not old by any means) and by 42 was on the crutches full-time - I know for a fact that it ain't gonna get any better as I have two sorts of arthritis, the immune-system based type and OA (which I reckon has resulted due to the damage caused by the first one). It isn't the end of one's life, it's just the fact that the life you thought you were going to have has changed. I think you will get to grips with it all - without a doubt a sense of humour helps! I wish you well. DD

skezier

Hello jewel,

welcome from me as well.

flower there are a few things that might well help you. have you seen an ortho for an opinion re replacements? now those could really help and keep you a sprightly person well into old age so hang in there and leave the dust on the scooter and garage

its all a bit over whelming when your first told i think. i was lucky i was told young ( still in my teens) so took it better than perhaps i would have one when i was older maybe? i stayed active, i still do so don;t let the future run away with you if that makes sense?

we have a lot of hippies here and i am sue they can reassure you that its ok and replacements can help or resurfacing etc.

keep the faith comes to mind i know just now its all seems terribly scary but it does get easier and you might get the thr's and be fine again so hang in there. keep that humour cus it does truly help. nice to meet you. Cris x

hileena111

Hi and Welome to the forum,
It does come as a shock soesnt it? I'm 65 and was diagnosed with OA in hips and spine at 56....
My mobility wasnt bad then and i was on paracetamol only. When I was your age I went to the doc because the pain was worse and I thought paracetamol wasnt enough....He referred me to an Ortho....who sent me for an x ray and then said you need 2 new hips...I think i felt then the way you do now :shock:
I've had one replacement...wating for the 2nd......just to say that I have a scooter. Wouldnt be without it now for long distances. I fought against it at first {pride} until my daughter {in her late 20s then} said mam you are not giving in...its a coping mechanism.....it will let you do things you wouldnt be able to do normally and when you are out with dad it means he wont have to curtail his walks. I use it for large shopping centers, away for days with hubby or holidays if we are walking a long distance round hilly towns or whatever. We were gong round a large hilly town in Northern Ireland last year and I was enjoying myself....driving, parking outside shops and going in or crossinng over to do another few shops...Suddenly I notice him beside me .....saying....Lets stop for coffee {thats my line } He said I'm shattered.....I hant realised how far we had come
Bit by bit you will learn to cope and do things different ways.
Love
Hileena

jewelxox

Hi Hileena, thanks so much for that lovely reply, i was smiling to myself reading what you wrote about your daughter telling you off about having a scooter !! my brother has had severe Arthritis in his spine and hips since he was 35, and he is now 71 and in a wheelchair most of the time !! he was stubborn as well and i had to give him the same talking to as your daughter did to you

Now he has his trusty scooter and off they go, my SIL tells me that they walk for miles and she ends up shattered !! it has transformed his life in so many ways....
I know that for me i'm only really just a beginner at this Arthritis thing, and this forum is so good to read, it gives you hope for the future really reading all the positive things...

Reading all the other posts from people that have been having to deal with it for years and from such a young age makes me realise how lucky i am that ive managed to reach the grand old age of 63 without a problem, the trouble with me is that im only 25 in my head

I have an appointment with a Physiotherapist next week, so they can tell me all the do's and dont's and im chomping on the Glucosamine tabs and cycling each day...an exercise bike i hasten to add , cant be doing with wandering around in the lashing down rain and wind, lol...you just have to try and keep a positive attitude and get on with it......

Barbara

elnafinn

Hi Barbare

I hope you are feeling a little more cheerful things now and I am glad you posted on this zone as you see you have had replies. Using the exercise bike is a great exercise although can be boring but I persevere with it. :roll: You have found this forum now and know where to call in should you wish to ask questions, want support or help or even a good old rant. We also love to hear good news too.

I hope your weekend goes well,

Elna x

jewelxox

Hi Elna, and thanks so much for the help and advice... i do know what you mean about the exercis e bike, it can be boring!!! but well ive got it in our bedroom and i just put the tellie on, watch Judge Judy and pedal away like billyho and im a happy bunny lol.. ...

Barbara

dreamdaisy

Keep up with the calcium chomping and the cycling, exercise does help to keep the muscles that surround the joint good and strong so they support things better and that can only be a good thing. Another option is to swim as your full body weight is taken by the water - the temptation with that though is to do a little too much as it feels good. Come Christmas I thread a set of battery operated fairy lights through the holes in my poles - they look very effective at night as I clatter home from t'pub. (I don't do that every night - true.)

I was a bit grouchy yesterday - it was a tough day but that was no excuse. :oops: I sincerely apologise. DD

jewelxox

Hey DD, no need to apologise at all, we all have our off days, i can be a right narky old begger if im tired but really i was just a little concerned that maybe my humour had come across as making light of something so devastating to peoples lives...nothing could be further from my mind, i know first hand from my brother how awful it is, but id hate for anyone to think that i was a bit casual about it....i'd love to see you with your fairy lights, what a good idea
Hope your having a better day today...
Barbara

dachshund

Hello Barbara.
welcome to this lovely forum everyone's so kind and helpfull just ask any question and i'm sure some one will have the answer.
i have a exercise bike and a scoota to help me with the shopping and taking the dog for a walk.
have a lovely weekend.
joan xx

valval

first am sorry so laie getting to this welcome sure it will be ages till you need the scooter just keep doing as you are and take it a day at a time we are here if you have any questions good luck val

jewelxox

Thanks so much Joan and ValVal, its good to meet you, its great to know that theres somewhere to go to ask for a bit of advice and generally just have a bit of a moan !!!

Isnt the internet wonderful, what would we do without it now...

valval

we would be lost it suprising what you learn on here have good weekend val

hileena111

Hi Again Barbara
How are you feeling today?
As for my daughter......I think thats what you would sasy....out of the mouths of babes and sucklings.....certainly the positions were reversed
I'm glad you laughed...thought as usual I had rambled on too much.
Love
Hileena

julie47

Hi jewelxox

Welcome to the forum from me too.
I am sure you will enjoy being part of this lovely big family. We are a fun and informative bunch

well....me....I am more known for hugs I reckon if i look back rather than advice and information

Take care
Love Juliepf x ((((((((((((())))))))))))))

kellerman

Hi Jewel,
It is a shock isn't it to find out you have this terrible arthur.
I too am 63 and was told I had it in April. I had fallen on ice in December and fractured a vertabrae so was first told I had OP.
I have never even thought about a scooter at the moment,but maybe the day will come.
I just keep plodding on but can't do all I used to or for that matter what I want to without suffering afterwards.
I applaud your positive attitude.
Best to take one day at a time,rest when you need to but move about as well so you don't get stiff.
Hope you are getting help from your GP.Have you been referred to a physio.I had a 22 week wait to see one so just been given excersises.
Moan on this forum as much as you like.We all listen,we all moan at one time or another.
I consider myself lucky when I see what other people are going through,and a lot of them younger than me.
Stay around this great forum and the fantastic folk on it.
Take care
May

jewelxox

Hiya May....

Lovely to meet you, yes it was a bit of a shock really, but if im honest its been creeping steadily along for quite some time and of course me being me i ignored it till i couldnt any more !!! thats when i went to the Docs, he was brilliant, immediately sent me for X rays which i was convinced was a waste of time lol.. however i was wrong, and when i went back he advised me on exercises, told me to get the Glucosamine and referred me straight away to the Physiotherapist at the hospital,and sent me home clutching leaflets about Hip replacements !!!! GULP>>>> i had an appointment booked within two weeks !!! and could have gone quicker but i refused to give up a lunch date i had anyway i will be seeing them next Monday>>i cant beleive you had to wait 22weeks !!! thats outrageous !!! i look after my three year old Grandson so i dont get much chance to sit about and get stiff...as for the scooter, well thats a LONG way off i hope, me and my hubby just joke about it, it is my way of trying to get him to clear the garage out lol....