Just a quick hello

Trekker2831
Trekker2831 Member Posts: 3
edited 28. Nov 2023, 14:06 in Living with arthritis

Hi everyone, I'm a 55 year old female who was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my knees and one finger joint in 2012.

Since then my knees have actually improved due to exercise - I am a mad-keen cyclist now, it's amazing how it strengthens the muscles and lubricates the joint.

My fingers, however are a different story, they have gone from a single joint to every joint! And two of tem in particular are now extremely stiff and painful, and I am now struggling with various ordinary tasks, not to mention my hobbies - I play clarinet and flute, and am faced with having to give them up before long, because it's becoming more and more difficult - not just the pain, but the fact that as my joints force my fingers into bending out of shape, I cannot easily cover the holes in the the clarinet. As for the flute, the most affected finger is the one that supports the instrument. I guess that's not a coincidence haha.

I also feel like other joints are starting to be affected too now - ankles, feet, shoulder, elbow, hip - it's depressing if I stop to think about how it's going, so usually I just try to keep going and not think too much about it. Use it or lose it I reckon, so I just try to do as much as I can and not let it impact my life too much.

Bye for now!

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