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:

Wouldn’t life be easier if everyone had close captioning flowing on their body somehow for those of us who struggle with hearing loss.  Oh the problems that would cause if someone is having a private conversation.  On the other hand it would save so much time not having to ask others to repeat themselves. 

Since my early 40’s my hearing has been slowly getting worst.  I no longer enjoy group settings or places with loud noises.  It is a struggle to hear people when they are several feet from me.  I wear hearing aids but they are older and outdated.  At this point I cannot afford new ones.  Some of my friends and coworkers are also experiencing some hearing loss. 

Either I ask the person to repeat themselves or pretend I heard what they said and agree with them.  This could be dangerous also so I am careful I do not agree to anything more serious than it’s raining outside.   I don’t actually read lips but it helps my overall ability to understand what the person is saying by their overall body language and seeing their lips. 

Besides the physical limitations of being hard of hearing there is the emotional aspect.  This is rarely addressed in the medical field.  For one thing people with hearing loss look “normal” to the outside world.  This is true for many people with disabilities such as chronic pain sufferers.  (Another post?)  Imagine being in a crowded room and you are sitting at a table of friends and your friend is whispering their deepest struggles and you are only catching a word here and there!  If you’re a caring person this can be most frustrating.  Or imagine going to a movie and you hear all the loud noises and music but you cannot understand everything that is being said.  Circumstances such as these can lead to isolation. 

Never give up!  There are ways to get the help you need.   Some of the ways I found to help get help with hearing aids include: Checking with your local ADRC office, checking with the local job service office to see if you can be hooked up with DVR, and doing web searches for grant money to help buy hearing aids.  Another idea is getting an appointment with a hearing aid specialist who often lets you buy hearing aids on a payment plan.  Finally, get a check-up with an Dr. of audiology to see if there is anything interfering with your hearing.  I ended up having a MRI and they found fluid in my tubes interfering with how my left ear was hearing.  The ear, nose and throat specialist taught me how to plug my nose and try to blow through it to drain the water out of my tubes.  It helps temporarily.

Just remember: NEVER GIVE UP!

Here is a regional hearing aid specialists with whom I have been working with for a number of years. I highly recommend them!

https://www.hearingadvantagellc.com/