Hi im new hello

andy_le161

hi,im Andrew,53 with a lot of weight issues and cannot exercise because of pain.i have spondylitis of the spine from top to bottom,3 crushed vertebrae in my lower back,a neck injury from 2 close together car accidents years ago,osteoarthritis in my shoulders and hands.ive not been able to work for 10 years because of pain.my hospitals physio dept won’t touch me as im in a lot of pain constantly.just coping with all the medication doctors throw at you.my asthma doesn’t help me either when I’m helping the wife…

I care for my wife that’s in the same predicament,she has had back surgery which has failed,she’s overweight the same as me.she has spinal seizures that come anytime without warning that causes her to loose everything from the waist down and I mean everything.shes in and out of a wheelchair so sometimes can be standing up when this happens and falls to the ground.she too takes much more medication than myself.

We have a bungalow which has a wet room and widened doors to get through but are just managing day to day….

Anna

Hello @andy_le161, and welcome to the online forum,

What a lot of challenges you are facing at the moment, being in a great deal of pain with multiple conditions and also caring for your wife who is also dealing with medical issues. It’s no wonder that you feel you are only managing day to day.

Others may have suggestions for how you can begin to improve your situation, since all our members live with arthritis and have a great deal of experience to share. Meanwhile, I would suggest three ways you could think about to move forward: the first is to contact your local council social services department to find out if they can offer support in caring for your wife if you feel you are struggling; the second is to discuss your medication with your GP or your Rheumatologist if you are seeing one to consider if your treatment is still suitable for your condition or needs changing, and the third is to look at some gentle exercises that you and your wife can start to do together. The Versus Arthritis website has some really good information about movements that will help combat the pain and could help you to start to lose weight as this will also help to reduce the pain.Ive posted a link to some of them below:

https://versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/exercising-with-arthritis/exercises-for-healthy-joints/

Do keep posting any questions you may have, and let us know how you’re getting on,

Best wishes,

Anna ( Moderator)