Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Arthritic Adventures

Having arthritis is not fun!  I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) about 6 years ago.  Since then I have also been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.  Each of these diseases have had a significant impact on how I live my life.  I can no longer just jump out of bed and start my day.  On a good day it may take only 5 to 10 minutes to work out the stiffness in my hands and joints.  On a bad day it can take in excess of 30 minutes and I may have to ask my daughter to help me dress. (not a very good feeling at all)

Its funny, well no it isn't but there are so many things that we as human beings take for granted.  Take for instance holding a coffee cup or pop can if your fingers are swollen and sore you will need to use two hands to hold that cup or can.  Round door knobs are my enemy as are jar lids.  My students wonder why I am always sore or why I am sick, its because I am taking medication that alters my immune system and makes me susceptible to other illnesses.

The Arthritis Society has been a big help in helping understand this disease and how I can make positive changes to my life.  Last year I registered for the Joints in Motion Dublin 1/2 Marathon.  I wasn't able to make the fundraising deadline so I was able to transfrer my commitment.  I will tell you more about that in another post.  For now please take some time to read this article it will help you to understand RA and why its called one of the invisible diseases.

http://voices.yahoo.com/rheumatoid-arthritis-lupus-fibromyalgia-invisible-7492300.html

1 comment:

  1. Hurray for you, Adventurous Orange! It's inspiring to read your blog -- you remind me why I'm proud to be an Arthritis Society volunteer, and why I too this year signed up for a JIM event. I'll be going to Iceland in July for a 6-day trek, and for me the big challenges are the physical demands (so I'm already training as much as I can), managing my osteo-arthritis, and... my age! I'm 69, older than most, but really excited to do this. So congratulations to you, and to everyone who lives with arthritis and does terrific things anyway.

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