Newbie Struggling

AmandaAtchy23 · 29. Oct 2023, 10:30

Hi

New to the community and hoping to get a bit of advice, support and general guidance on how to life live with Arthritis.

I’ll be perfectly honest I didn’t realise how debilitating arthritis could be both physically and mentally.

Before COVID I was struggling with my hands, went to the doctors who said it was tendinitis, ended up having a injection to help, during COVID I couldn’t get an injection so took a shed load of painkillers to get through (I worked through COVID).

Anyway after COVID I moved, and had trouble with my knees, ended up seeing my new doctor about both hands and knees, had x-rays done and was diagnosed with OA.

More recently I’ve been struggling with my back, had back ache and sciatica of and on throughout the years so thought I’d be fine it would resolve.

After a few months to the doctor I went, couldn’t cope anymore and it’s wasn’t getting any better. I was referred to back treatment triage, had a full examination very thorougher. Hoping slipped disc it can be fixed, for the consultant to say in her opinion it was degenerative disc disease.

Waiting on an appointment for physio but in the meantime I started following the advice of the consultant, thought I was doing well and making progress. But bam back to constant debilitating pain which coincided with storm Babet.

At times I’m struggling mentally on how I’m going to live life like this!

I’ve always been active, love walking use to hike 3 times a week before COVID, walked the Yorkshire 3 Peaks. And moved to somewhere I was hoping to walk even more.

My hands and knees I could just about cope with, but now my back!

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

😊