In need of support

AnnElizJ

Hello, my name is Ann. I have suffered from arthritis since hitting the menopause back in 2006. I feel I have not been taken seriously and often feel very isolated - it’s as though others think moaning about arthritis is somehow amusing. Not funny at all, of course - but that doesn’t mean I want to be miserable about my symptoms; it would just be lovely to chat with someone who understands.

I know I’m lucky - hands, feet and knees only, and I do look for exercise advice. It’s that upsetting feeling of helplessness and frustration when I struggle to open that tight bottle top, etc.

So pleased to have found this community; thank you to all who run it for us :)

For now, we need to keep smiling through the relentless rain, don’t we?

With best wishes,

Ann

Ellen

Hello Ann @AnnElizJ welcome to the online community.

Having Arthritis can be very isolating without a doubt. It's very difficult to explain to those who don't have it just how 'un-funny' it is. I think I just invented a new word there.

Have you ever read the spoon theory?

https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

Some of our members have used this to illustrate to people just how exhausting living with a long term condition can be.

The good think about the community here is that everyone does understand and so no explanation is necessary.

Have you thought about seeing if there is a local group near you?

https://www.versusarthritis.org/in-your-area/

This might help with some of the day to day tasks we all struggle with:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2022/december/how-aids-and-adaptations-can-help-if-you-have-arthritis/

Oh yes we do keep smiling through this rain. It's off again here I'm afraid.

Best wishes

Ellen.

Rina

Hello @AnnElizJ, I think you’ve summed up living with arthritis pretty well. This forum is great - I don’t post much but I really enjoy browsing and often find answers to questions I have. There’s a lot of good tips too about how to manage everyday. Have you seen the exercises on the Versus Arthritis website? They are really good, especially the videos. I sometimes do them with my Mum who’s 93 and we both feel better for them. Here’s a link if you want to have a look - https://versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/exercising-with-arthritis/exercises-for-healthy-joints/

Rina 😊