As we get older

fabian

Up until about 6 months ago I never had any trouble with Arthritis, no pain in my joints or stiffness in my limbs. But now as I'm getting older (I'll be 76yrs old next week) I've found out what others must be experiencing when they say "I've got Arthritis".

I woke up one morning about 8 months ago and my right hand was so stiff I couldn't make a fist with it and as I tried the pain was really bad. That evening the pain had gotten so bad I was going to ring for an ambulance and go to A+E as I didn't have any pain relief left in the house and, to be honest, I was worried my heart would give up as I was crippled with pain.

I didn't ring for an ambulance as I was more worried about going into a hospital full of Covid and getting more problems than I already had. I eventually went to bed and spent the night awake thinking will this be the norm from now on. Will I have to live with this pain for the rest of my life?

I must have dropped off around 4 in the morning but woke around six as the pain was still giving me grief. I phoned the doctor and waited for a reply. When the doctor eventually phoned back she prescribed me some pain killers but refused to give me sleeping tablets as she said they were addictive and I would fall asleep through fatigue instead. I complained that that wasn't good enough but was told it would only become addictive as the pain from the Arthritis would lessen over the next few days. I reckon I would have got the sleeping tablets had I been face to face with the doctor and not having a conversation over the phone. (That's Covid for you) That morning I spent most of the time online looking for remedies to ease the pain.

What I ended up with was an introduction to Omega 3 or fish oil. I ordered 3 large tubs of Omega 3 oil tablets from Amazon and went to Tesco and bought 3 packs of smoked Mackrel and had them over the next 2 days. I take 4 tablets every day now, 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, and I've started buying Mackrel on a regular basis now that my Arthritis has cleared up completely although both hands get a little stiff in the mornings when I wake up, but after several attempts to make a fist, it disappears for the rest of the day and I don't have any more stiffness. This isn't an everyday experience for me as I can go for a week and I wake up with no pain at all.

I think I'm one of the lucky ones as I haven't had a flare-up since that first day but I'm still keeping an eye out for people and doctors talking about their own experiences and what's worked for them. The Omega 3 seems to work for me but I hope I'm not the only one and I hope this post is some help to others who have experienced the same pain as I have.

I'm sorry this post is so long but it's the first time I've actually sat down and related my problems to anyone and by the way it felt so good to get it out of my system especially to other suffers who know what I've experienced in the past.

All the best

Michael.

Brynmor

Hi @fabian

Although there are no diets or supplements that will cure your arthritis, some people do find that their condition is affected by what they eat, how much they weigh and their physical activity levels.

There are many types of arthritis, and there are differences between people, so what works for one person may not work for another. It is well worth reading through our information on Eating well with Arthritis, which also has a great entry on Omega 3 in the section on Are there any foods that help with arthritis?

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/diet/

fabian

Hello Brynmor

Thanks for the reply. I'm well aware that there is no cure for Arthritis and wasn't suggesting that Omega 3 cured my recent flare. Although it did ease my pain considerably and I haven't had that level of pain since I started taking Omega 3 tablets and also buying Smoked Mackrel from Tesco.

I'm sure that the Omega 3 was accepted by my system and distributed the oil throughout my body and what worked for me may not work for the majority of other sufferers of this illness. I also think mind over matter plays a big role in stopping pain if you think you're taking something that has been recommended by many others.

I haven't started reading the article on Omega 3 that you pointed me to but I copied the address and will read it tonight.

Thanks again for your reply.

Fabian.