No one really does but it’s a catchy title. What is arthritis? Going to arthritis.com you will find it discusses two types of arthritis: rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid is an auto-immune disease which impacts joints. Osteoarthritis is where you have wear and tear of your joints. Going to the Arthritis Foundation website: arthritis.org; you will find a wealth of information on the different types of arthritis. Besides arthritis you can also find information on fibromyalgia, gout and Lupus. I will cover fibromyalgia in another post. From these websites it looks like I have Rheumatoid arthritis in my hands and osteoarthritis in my back, shoulders and knees. However, I could not be sure as I am not a doctor. I have also been diagnosed with fibromyalgia so sometimes everything just hurts. I have been seeing doctors for a few years and one thing I have learned is it is not exact science. For instance, I saw one doctor over four years ago for shoulder pain. He said I had impingement syndrome with arthritis. However, the diagnosis was listed as degenerative joint disorder. Now four years later I return to the same doctor, have new x-rays done, and he said something about rotator cup and that I have arthritis starting.
Update: The arthritis in my shoulders has gotten worse according to new exrays in July, 2020. I had more injections to keep working.
The same could be said for my back. I have had several doctors say different things about my back. Some of them tell me my back looks normal for a woman my age, others say it looks bad. I am now seeking a third opinion on my back because it hurts worse and differently than before the doctor burned the nerve endings in my lower back. I asked him what will be done about it but he said nothing right now and come back in six weeks. He said sometimes this gets better on its own. It is not! He also sent me back to work full time. I tied to go on social security disability in 2018 but could not find a doctor to fill out the paperwork.
August 2020 I turned 62 years old and I have decided to take early social security. My back is not really any better and now I have arthritis in my left ankle. My knees are starting to hurt. I cut my hours at work in hopes it helps.
So what do I do for my arthritis? I take a lot of Ibuprofen. I also take acetaminophen for arthritis twice a day. It is an extended-release formula with a higher dosage than regular acetaminophen. More importantly I stay active. I do my work outs in the pool so I do not do more damage. I also work at a job where I am on my feet most of the time moving around instead of standing in one place. I also use the therapy techniques taught me by physical therapists. Most importantly, I pray because no matter how bad the pain is God has always seen me through each day.
A book that might be helpful:
| Arthritis, What Exercises Work: Breakthrough Relief for the Rest of Your Life, Even After Drugs & Surgery Have Failed By Dava Sobel & Arthur C. Klein What is the most powerful arthritis treatment ever developed to help restore you to a healthy, pain-free, and vigorous life—for the rest of your life?The answer? ExerciseIn Arthritis: What Exercises Work you’ll find the right exercises for your kind of arthritis, pain level, age, occupation, and hobbies. And they’re the most effective exercises for arthritis available anywhere – rated “best” by arthritis sufferers themselves in a n unprecedented nationwide survey and supported by medical doctors. |
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