Hello from Bath

KateWilkey

Hi, I'm Kate. I'm 63 and live in Bath with my husband and two energetic cats. I have OA in my knees, hips, and hands. The right hand is playing up at the moment! I keep cheerful, but it's getting difficult to paint, which is my hobby and passion. Looking forward to hearing how other people cope and any clever tricks and tips you may have come up with.

Ellen

Hi @KateWilkey - Kate. Good to meet you and welcome you to the Online Community.

I see you have Osteoarthritis in quite a few joints, but your right hand is playing up at the moment. This must be worrying you a lot if you are an artist.

This article might help you understand what is going on with your hands (apologies if you already know this):

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/surgery/hand-and-wrist-surgery/

It is possible to get hold of various things which might help you such as foam tubes to pop over your pens/pencils/paintbrushes. This might be worth a read to get you started:

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

Do have a look around we have a pets corner and love seeing photos of new member's pets!

I look forward to seeing your posts 🙂

Best wishes

Ellen.

KateWilkey

Thank you for your kind welcome, Ellen. I'm looking into some aids such as pen holders etc. I'm trying to avoid surgery for as long as possible, as I'm a part time carer for my elderly father, and can't afford to be out of action for long.

There's some really useful information in those links you posted, particularly the home one.