hi, new to forum

paul46uk

hi there , just wanted to introduce myself before i begin posting .
My name is Paul i am 46 yrs old next week. i live and cope on my own.
i was diagnosed with osteoarthritis after having a MRI on my spine in 2014. The MRI was for my lumbar area as i have degrading vertebrae causing 3 of my discs to slip every time i bend.
I also have suffered with anxiety and depression also since 2006.
As most of you can can probably relate too, the constant differing levels of pain on a daily basis dosen't help .
i have joined the site because i don't have many people in my life who have the time to come see me and chat, and actually talking about how you feel is difficult .
friend/family member; 'how are you ?' me; 'how i am fine!'

you know how it goes

i do need some advice , but i will post it separately.
hope everyone's day is cope-able and positive!
look forward to chatting with you all.

dreamdaisy

Hello, in order of appearance I have psoriatic arthritis (PsA), OA and fibro, I began back in 1997 so am very used to things not being as I would like - it's not fun is it? I am now 58 and used to what's what.

Luckily I've never been bothered with the burden of good health so am used to making the most of what I have. Sometimes it can be very hard to make the effort to get out to do and see things but I always feel better for it after and wonder why it was so hard. Being taken out of oneself is always beneficial, I refuse to let the arthritis dominate my life. I never bore friends with the ins-and-outs of living with the disease, after all it's not that interesting a topic: when asked how I am I reply that things could be better, I'm pleased they're not worse and let's talk about what you're up to (that always goes down well ) I hope you find the forum to be of interest, we are all in arthritic boats of various shapes and sizes so truly understand about how challenging and difficult life can be from time-to-time. I wish you well. DD

dibdab

Hi Paul,

Welcome aboard, you've definitely found a safe space to find good listeners who will understand the struggles.

I'm sure we're all well used to the effort it takes to say"I'm fine thanks" whilst working hard to hide the struggles underneath. It's important sometimes to be able to verbalise the rough stuff, and this is somewhere we can do it without burdening the folks around us.

Deb x

hileena111

Hi Paul
Welcome to thee forum.
We are all in the same boat so understand You can come on here and moan if you want rather than to family and friends
I hope you enjoy it here

Love
Hileena

Dragonfly17

Hi Paul,
Welcome to the forum, their are some great people on here who have a huge amount of information and support to give. I am sure you will benefit greatly from this group of wonderful people, I know I have, they have provided me not only with a place to have a moan, if needed, but answered many questions I failed to ask at appointments. Also reading other peoples posts helps to know others are feeling the same and I am not alone, cos it is hard for non sufferers to understand just how difficult this diagnosis can be.
Good luck to you and hope we can be of some help. x

lindamay

Hi Paul
Welcome. You are among friends on here. Say what you will put all your moans on here, it helps get them out of your system. I had a hip replacement last year and all good so far but my wrists give me problems. I found the people who run this site very helpful and supportive.
As I said, you are among friends.
Linda

SarLoWills

Welcome! I’m fairly new but everyone has been welcoming and helpful.

pandora1961

Hi all I'm new as well and don't know my way round the site yet. I have recently been diagnosed with RA and am currently working with the medical staff to get swelling and pain under control. Nice to find a site like this