helpless

I suffer arthritis I had so many operations on my right leg now my left leg is gone bad I on pain killers everyday I feel so lonely i dont have lots of friends,i think my family think i exagerate the pain at the moment i live alone I am worried what will happen to me when my mobility gone worse. I use to be very active working now I dont know what to do I feel very lonely and isolated

Comments

  • Poppyjane
    Poppyjane Moderator Posts: 734

    Hello @Purple33, welcome to the online community. This is a great place to get support and make friends with those whose lives like yours have been affected by arthritis.

    There is information about living with arthritis and management of pain and I attach some links for you to look at


    You do not say which parts of your legs are causing you the most concern , hips, knees, ankles and feet,? There are videos on the community pages which offer different types of gentle exercises which many members have found really useful to increase their flexibility, mobility and general feeling of wellbeing. They are general exercises with Lets Move with Leon, and Tai Chi and Yoga, all of which are good for one's body and mind as well as being fun.

    It is often said among our members that families don't understand the ways that pain affects us all . So we hope that you will find that talking online to people here will help you in lots of ways. To share experiences both good and bad, to moan, to laugh, to send in photos of your pets or garden - whatever you feel like that day . So I hope that you will have time to browse round the community, if however you feel that it would be helpful to talk to someone then the helpline is open Monday to Friday 9.00 - 6.00.

    We look forward to hearing from you soon.

    Take Care

    Poppyjane

    If it would be helpful to talk to someone ring the Helpline 0800 5200 520

    Monday - Friday 9.00a.m. - 6.00p.m.

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    Hello @Purple33 , I’m sorry you’re feeling so low right now. It’s very hard for people who are fit and healthy to understand what constant severe pain feels like, and how it can make you so tired all the time, and depressed, specially if you can’t get out much. It sounds like you’ve had a really tough time. But you’ve come to the right place, this is a lovely friendly forum where you can come for advice (lots of very experienced arthritis sufferers here, as well as the VA team), or if you want to have a moan - we all know how rubbish this can get. You can also just come for a chat, on Matrons Munchies or Val’s Cafe, or Pets Corner or Levity if your spirits need a lift. Or you can ring the helpline as Poppyjane suggests,

    Do keep posting and reading around on this forum and on the advice pages. If you tell us a bit more about yourself the moderators can direct you to the pages that will best help you.

  • Hi Purple33,

    Thank you for joining and posting on our helpline forum, I am so sorry to hear about the pain that you are experiencing and how lonely you are feeling, I am so pleased that you have taken the first steps to contact people. As Poppyjane has said, because it is an invisible condition, some people do not understand the pain that you are going through, talking to others that are experiencing the same thing can often be very beneficial. I know it is easy said than done but please try not to worry about your mobility and what the future holds as stress and anxiety can have an impact on your condition, and things keep progressing so much now with new research going on, compared to many years ago.

    It is important that you GP identifies the best treatment for you based on your individual needs and circumstances. You mentioned about taking pain killers, if you would like to try the alternative complementary treatments and that you condition is Osteoarthritis, there is a drug-free, effective, and very well-tolerated painkiller called capsaicin, available on prescription for osteoarthritis. Capsaicin is a complementary medicine extracted from the pepper plant (capsicum), which works mainly by reducing the pain transmitter in the nerves.

    You could also speak to your doctor about a referral for therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which is a talking therapy, which try to reduce the overwhelming effect of problems such as stress, unhappiness, and pain. They aim to help you understand how you react to different problems by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable, chunks. This should help you change the way you react to them and the effect they have on you.

    I have attached a couple of links below that I hope will help you in the future.

    If ever you would like to call the Helpline on the free phone number (0800 5200 520) and talk to us in confidence, please do so.

     

    Best wishes

    Chris

    Helpline Advisor