Hi I’m gill feeling like my arthritis is taking over mylife.

Hello, your post is very scant on detail so it's hard to know what to say. Arthritis tries to dominate my life but it meets resistance from its host. I am twenty-one years in (I started aged thirty eight) and have psoriatic plus osteo: some joints have one, some the other and others both. There are times when its petulance needs attention, and I have made many changes to how I live my life to accommodate its demands, but it does not define me, it is not me, I am not it. There was, is (and always will be) more to my life than arthritis. DD

Thanks for getting back to us, Gill, and please don't apologise. There will always be people worse off in the world than any of us but that doesn't make our own pain any easier to handle.

It seems you've been so used to putting up with the pain that you've hardly noticed how much it has been dominating your life until recently.

I don't know why it seems to be getting worse more quickly now but I think we just have to accept that it goes at its own pace. I don't think it's much, if anything, to do with age and, in any case, there's not much we can do about that. I prefer to concentrate on what I can do.

You say you have a bath lift. Me too. They make a big difference, don't they? As for stairs, what about a stair lift? We moved to a bungalow eventually.

There are all sorts of gadgets on the market to help with everyday tasks. Look online at any disability store.

But, of course it's better to do what we can. Have you been given any exercises? I've no idea where I'd be without mine. Arthritis Care does a booklet on them and also has lots of useful info about living with arthritis. Just check out the menu at the top of the page.

I've always found there are things I have to give up in order to 'save myself' for the more important things. The important things are sometimes what's important to me personally but sometimes just the boring exercises which help me to keep what mobility I have.

How do you get about? Can you use public transport? Do you have a mobility scooter? When did you last have any x-rays done? Perhaps you might qualify for a joint replacement.

Sorry for all the questions. Just trying to help.

I'm very much afraid that "You need a new hip/knee but are too young" is a regular story on here. It's a shame.

It sounds to me, Gill, that you are very down about things and no wonder. Arthritis can isolate us and make us quite depressed. We need hope and right now it sounds as if you have very little.

But there are things you can do. You worry about the damage that exercise might do to your joints. Actually, the opposite is true. It's lack of exercise that damages them. It allows muscles to weaken and go slack so that they don't support the joints properly. That hurts.

You don't need a physio for exercises though it's better but, if you don't want to try with a physio, just download Arthritis Care's booklet on exercise and read it carefully first. It's essential to go very gently at first until strength is built up. Little and often is the beat way. Why not give it a try?

Another thing which might help would be to ring our helpline people for a chat about things. They're very kind and it really does help to talk to people who understand.