Arthritis coming in waves?

Trea

Morning my lovelies, hope you are all well. I just had a fantastic week and (nearly) forgot that I have OA. So grateful for it.
However it is creeping backk again. Beginning of the week I could get ready for the day and make breakfast, now I economize to get ready and might get a cup of tea before I have to sit down and rest. Somehow it feels like OA comes in waves but I am unable to link it to anything (like periods or so) I got a feeling that I am grabbing for straws, but just have to ask you.. Does your OA come in waves? Have you linked it to anything? And feel free to tell me that it doesn't lol :cheers: Andrea currently sitting down and grateful that my little one could make me a cuppa

stickywicket

Sorry, I can't really help much. I know my RA flares at will albeit, thankfully,very little these days but, apart from stress, it chooses its own triggers. My OA is different though and more logical. There's usually a cause I can pinpoint, if only retrospectively. It's worse when I've overdone things. End of.

I wonder if you're now paying for your 'fabulous week'. What exactly do you mean by it 'creeping back'? Did it go? I remember you saw a physio about back problems. Are you still doing the exercises you were, presumably, given? Exercise can be the last thing we feel like but the best thing to help.

I hope it eases up soon.

Trea

Cheers. I am trying to do the exercises from the physio (esp.when it gets baf). It seems to creep up in the sense that at the beginning of last week I could get ready and breakfast sorted and then the time available before I have to rest gets shorter. Today I managed to get dressed and half the kids breakfast sorted before I had to rest. Will get washed later. It just gently becomes worse.not sure if I make sense.. I expect the time before rest to shorten even more... just rambling to sort my own thoughts i suppose

Richmcfinn

Hi Trea,

When I get an improvement (decrease in pain and stiffness) it gives me a real lift as I'm sure it does to you and I enjoy doing all those things that were easy before. Unfortunately I have enjoyed myself so much that I don't realise I'm overdoing things and then there's a price to be paid...so maybe as Stickywicket was saying you are paying the price for that fabulous week?

Another possibility may be a change in the weather? Not sure how it is in your part of the world but here in Wales it recently got cooler and wetter with the September rain arriving, and Ive noticed an increase in pain as I have before on other occasions
Anyway its great that you had a fabulous week and lets hope you get some more of them!

Rach101

Hi Trea
I have reactive arthritis and it definitely comes in waves and I can't work out what makes it worse or better. I've just come out of a 2 week period of intense pain and stiffness where I couldn't seem do anything to help it. However I've now had a couple of days where the pain is much reduced and the stiffness is limited to the mornings. I also have periods of 7-10 days where I feel quite unwell and that is very debilitating. Sorry to not be able to help but do know that you're not alone. All I'm learning to do is to enjoy the better days and do more during those times and take it more easy during the bad times.
Take care
Rach xx

Trea

Thanks my lovelies,
i thoroughly enjoyed the good spell and tried to be careful not to do anything stupid (well tried ;-) It's great that we have this forum as many of my friends still can't get their heads around the fact that it varies so much. I shall try to keep a diary and see if I can link it to something, but it definitely is worse in the mornings and gradually getting worse or better. It is comforting thought that there are good days to be had and in a bad spell I will remember that.
taking it easy for now. :deckchair:

GraceB

I have OA (osteo arthritis). This flares in the wet, cold weather, when I do too much for too long and when I'm under stress. I try to pace myself or I pay for it.

You don't mention medication in your post. If you are not on regular pain meds, it could be worth seeing your GP to see what s/he can suggest.

GraceB

bubbadog

I defiantly believe it comes in waves!! Talking from experience at the moment, it sort of sneaks up on you and go 'boo!' when you least expect it!!

stickywicket

Trea wrote:

It is comforting thought that there are good days to be had and in a bad spell I will remember that.

The danger is that, on the good days in the bad spells, we rush around doing all the things that have been piling up, thus ushering in another bad spell

WyleECoyote

My flares are sometimes attributable to something I can identify, like hormones, a cold or something else that triggers an inflammatory response from the body, and sometimes not. It's about 50/50 for me. Some people find following a low-inflammation diet works. I haven't found what I eat makes much difference at all (although I'm generally pretty healthy and eat clean).

In answer to your question, yes. It does your head in from time to time because it's so unpredictable.

Trea

Thank you all so much, great to hear from you and to hear your support. Really useful. I think stress might be another trigger for me, shall keep an eye on it... I know that doing to much of one thing (standing, lying) will trigger it, but I shall lookout for other points too and take into account that sometimes it will just 'booh' you from behind (liked that analogue)
Thanks a bunch