How To Get My Like Back Living With AS Arthritis

Hi @BeckySparkles81 , I'm sorry to hear you're feeling so low. Your AS really has knocked your lifestyle into the rough hasn't it. If you haven't done so already, do chase up your GP for a referral both for rheumatologist as Yvonne suggests, and maybe the pain clinic. It's not good if the pain is so bad you're pretty much housebound, particularly at your age.

The link on managing pain also has some really good tips. Over and above drug treatments, distraction can be really helpful, ie find something that you find yourself absorbed in, so it takes your focus away from your pain, and from your confined circumstances. Could be a spot of gardening, watching a good movie, crafting, chatting with friends, playing music, whatever floats your boat really. Gardening does it for me, even if I my hip plays up afterwards. It boosts my mood and gives my body a gentle all over work out.

Mindfullness and meditation can also be helpful in controlling pain (it often works when I have flare ups with my wrecked hip), and is also helpful for managing depression - I've had several medics recommend it to me, and the physiological and psychological benefits are now increasingly well understood. I'm no good at reading books on this sort of thing, but I found "Teach yourself to meditate" by Erixc Harrison really easy to follow and doesn't need a spiritual aspect to it if you're not that way inclined. (Why are so many books designed to help depression so long and dull to read, when the condition they're trying to cure means you can't read anything long and dull?!)

Also have a look at the exercises with "let's move with Leon" via this site. You can make them as gentle as they need to be, you can miss out the ones that don't work for you, and they're quite fun too. It may help to get the rest of your body moving a bit to get rid of the tension. I find if I feel knotted up all over, the pain is worse.

It's totally understandable if you have a sense of bereavement for all you've had to let go, but it would help you to try to work through that. You may find counselling and/or CBT therapy helpful, in helping you change your focus. A good tip is that for everything you've had to let go, replace it with something new. I know that's hard with current restrictions, but things will start opening up again soon, with new opportunities. Just hang on in there a bit longer....

Once you have the pain under better control, you may be able to review your options for working in the future. There are probably many ways of working with children that aren't so physically demanding, even if it's something as simple as reading to them at libraries. You never know where small beginings will take you,

I know you're at the beginning of a road you really don't want to be on, it's ok to feel fed up about that. None of us would choose this condition. But there are many on this site who have been lifelong arthritis warriors who have lead happy and fulfilled lives, so while it's not the journey you anticipated, it may still be a rewarding one. Hang on in there.

Meanwhile, if you want a moan, advice, support, or just a natter and a giggle, come on here. We all know how rubbish this feels. LM x