Hi everyone...I'm new and just joined.

Sunflower05
Sunflower05 Member Posts: 3
edited 28. Nov 2023, 14:05 in Living with arthritis

Good evening everybody. Im Sunflower, as I'm not sure if we are supposed to give our true names.

I am sure that the advertisement from his versusar arthritis, with the lady struggling to get out of bed we can all empathise with.

I know I'm not alone living in pain due to arthritis so here's my story.

I have lived with pain for over 40 years, I will be 62 this year. When I first started having severe pain I was teenager and told it was a slipped disc and to lay on a hard floor and rest. it took Dr 15 years before somebody decided to give me x-rays and eventually a scan, I was then told I had osteoarthritis and annulus bulging. And my condition would not get any better and I would probably eventually need new knees and hips.

As you can imagine I was was shocked to find out in my 20s I had arthritis, but also relieved to have a diagnosis as people kept thinking I was a hypochondriac. Because my pain 1st started off periodically.

Until eventually I was so bad I was housebound I could not walk without a zimmer frame, I was then started on spinal injections and stronger painkillers, until eventually I was able to walk unaided by zimmer frame. and I started to have some form of normal life for a short time.... I am sure it was the laying on a hard floor and resting so much that made me so incapacitated.

I was adamant I would not live off benefit, I wanted to raise my three children and buy my own home one day, and have some kind of life, even if it was not a full active life. I had to change my career so started evening classes learning computers for office admin.

I am happy to say I was able to achieve this it wasn't easy but very rewarding. I don't have a lot but what I do have I got on my own.

My pain medication has increased over the years and now I am on Oramorph when I cannot stand the pain anymore, as well as sleeping tablets to help sleep through the pain.

My condition started in my spine but now I suffer with all my joints. I'm even thinking of having my knees done. So I can have some type of quality of life before it's to late.

I still work but I have to say I'm finding it harder as I get older, let's be honest people don't want to hear about how much Pain we are in. So we keep quite I'm suffering in silence.

I have adjusted my life as best I can, I bought an electric bed, and electric recliner chair, but what I can't buy or adjust my life is a new body.

So maybe chatting to other people like me online... I hope that somebody on here might have advised on how to control pain and still have a life. Also if they have had new knees has it improved your life.

Well that all from me tonight, sorry if I bored you. Good night.

Comments

  • Ellen
    Ellen Moderator Posts: 1,835

    Welcome to the Versus Arthritis online Community Sunflower 🙂

    It's fine to use your own name if you want to when you sign off, but I suggest not your full-name online. I am very pleased to see that our recent Advertisement lead you to finding support on here.

    You do sound to have had a very long 'journey' with your Arthritis. I am not going to respond to all of your queries, I'll leave our lovely members to do that, but I am attaching a link to an 'old' thread during the summer of 2012 when we had a lot of people havening knee surgery:

    https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/34009/june-julyaugust-2012-tkrs

    I hope the thread it helpful and that you decide to keep coming back!

    Ellen

  • auriol
    auriol Member Posts: 3

    I'm new, on the whole methotrexate has saved me a lot of aggro with Rheumatoid ,I am now having odd problem with osteo like a back that is not in a very good state.Auriol

  • Sharon_K
    Sharon_K Member Posts: 460

    Hi @auriol

    welcome to the community, it's lovely that you have joined us. I am glad that Methtrexate is working for you and you are benefitting from it. Sorry that you are struggling with osteoarthritis in your back. I am gussing this is very painful?

    We have a dedicated section of the website on back pain that you might find useful

    https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/back-pain/

    We also have some video clips on back exercises that you might find useful

    https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/healthcare-professionals/back-pain-exercises/

    I am sure our nmembers will make you feel very welcome and share their experince with you. Let us know how you get on

    Best Wishes

    Sharon

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