Hello - Am I making it worse?

yoursong

Hello,

Having read several of the stories here I really appreciate that there is always someone worse than yourself.

At 55 I’ve had osteoarthritis in the neck and spine for several years I’ve got by with physio and across counter medication while keeping very active - possibly too active? Which is my main question to those who may have been this way before. Earlier this year I noticed my fingers starting to sting and look inflamed around most of the joints. They are painful after a day’s work and now my wrists and elbows are joining the in party – I can feel them as I type!

I’m a sculptor/builder and enjoy playing guitar and generally fixing and creating things, so there’s a element of stupidity haunting me as I may have made things worse. I’ve just had xrays confirming osteoarthritis and inflammation and have yet to meet doc to discuss.

I’ve discussed it with friends, but only those 20 years older have any empathy and tell me they get it in a finger from time to time and it has calmed down now the bumps have stopped whatever that means? This sounds encouraging but the age difference worries me.

I hope I can cope with all the other joint stuff, which is not great, but if my hands become a serious issue then my options are very limited with at least 10 years to make some sort of living? I cant find any information on timescale or what to expect. Any experiences or advice would be so useful. At the end of a typical working day most of my finger joints and wrists are quite painful.

The question is, am I now in anyway, accelerating this process or when it first started my neck was its course inevitable?

Thank you for your time.

[Deleted User]

Hello yoursong and welcome to the forums from the moderation team. Any problems you have using the board we are here to help.

I am very sorry to hear about your arthritis. It’s very difficult when the only other people we know are much, much older than us and past work-age. I hope some of your queries will be answered when you see your doctor and talk about treatment options.

It sounds as though you fear you are accelerating the process of your Arthritis and worry about your ability to work in the future.
Firstly work. Work is so good for us mentally as well as financially. I attach a link for youabout working with arthritis:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/living-with-arthritis/work/


There are benefits which some people with arthritis can claim:

https://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/do-i-have-arthritis/publications/646-benefits-you-can-claim

It’s very difficult for anyone to say how fast a person’s arthritis will worsen your doctor is best placed to talk to you about your joints as he/she will have access to your results.

If it would help to talk to someone on the telephone please do call our helpline team on 0800 520 0520

We have a great community here, who have lots of experience of arthritis, I know they will make you very welcome and help in any way they can so do ask away!

Do let us know how you get on

Best wishes

Ellen.

Airwave!

Am I making things worse? I think you can answer that yourself! However you can help things along, I do as much with my hands as anybody, Elton must have a song for you?

Its a balance between work, leisure, exercise and rest.

At least you're here now. Come on over to LWA OR CHITCHAT.

dreamdaisy

Hello, it's nice to meet you and I am sorry you have had to find us. I started my first arthritis back in1997 when I was 37 so have been lumped in with pensioners ever since. :roll: It was an auto-immune kind and has progressed relentlessly because that is what it does. OA was diagnosed in 2011 so I have a creaky foot in both camps.

Any kind of arthritis is degenerative and progressive, no matter what one does or takes to ameliorate matters it will do what it will do (and it does). One can have better days and over my arthritic years I have learned to change what I do (and how I do it) to accommodate the demands of the disease but I will not give in to it, it does not define me.

I've had a rough few days so will be off now, I hope to see you again soon. DD

yoursong

Thank you.
Such a heart warming and immediately inspiring response!

I really appreciate you all taking the time. You have confirmed ans assured some of my more sensible thoughts but will have to assess which of my tools are simply asking for trouble!

I’ll let you how I get on and hopefully be able to put someone else’s mind at rest in future! Speak soon.

frogmorton

I have to agree with everything everyone has already said to you yoursong!! and welcome to the Forums from me too

Have you thought about trying some support gloves for your hands/wrists? If you google 'support gloves' plenty will come up. I have used neoprene ones in the past and they have helped a fair bit. You can still 'work' in them.

I do have some which my Dr recommended though they are what they call 'resting' splints and I wouldn't be able to do much in them although they are useful when I have maybe overdone it or my hands are particularly in need of a rest.

Best of luck I very much hope your GP tells you a bit more when you see him or her.

Toni x

yoursong

Hi Toni

Thank you.

I've just been given wrist supports but didn't consider support gloves. I'll give it a go.

All the best