From the article: Coping Tips for Osteoarthritis Patients
People formulate expectations based on previous experience. For example, if your grandmother had osteoarthritis, her experience may affect your perception of the disease. How has living with osteoarthritis yourself impacted your life? Has the disease impacted your life more than you thought it would? Basically, what did you expect living with osteoarthritis would be like and what's it really like? Share Your Story
I hate osteoarthritis
- I have osteoarthritis in my right hip and knee for the past 4 years. I can't get enough sleep now becaue of the inflammation and pain in my right knee and hip. In the daytime its not as bad, but can't walk as far as I used to. I have an awful feeling I may need to get knee and hip surgery and I would rather do almost anything than that. But to be able to sleep better and walk further which has changed my life for the worst, I may have to get surgery. I am afraid to get it as the rehab time is so long and I hate being restrictive. I used to do a lot of things, now I can't and its very depressing. I feel trapped.
- —Mar234
OA
- I will soon be 72 yrs. old and I have a lot of pain in my neck and back. I have a lot of OA in my whole body. I can't sleep at night and I am in a lot of pain most all the time. My doctor wants to inject a shot in my neck in hopes it will relieve the pain. Do you have any advise for me?
- —JaniceFullmer
Living
- The impact on my life has been a great adjustment because I have been a very active person. At the present time, I have been experiencing lack of balance and also being a post-polio person there are other issues that have dealt with to the best of my knowledge. My bones ache on a daily basis when it 's cold and damp indoor or outdoors. Staying at home has been a way of life for me because in the winter I am hemmed in because I only drive in the summer. Exercises help for balancing but if my bones and muscles are sore there is a limit to my exercising. My ideals are to keep happy and talk to people on the telephone and forget about my health. Put a smile on before you leave your bed and thank the Lord that you are still living.
- —Guest FRANCES KASPER
Fibro and OA
- Lately the OA in both knees has been acting up something fierce!! It hurts to walk, lie, sit and stand. I can't keep it straightened or bent too long, and the back of my knees hurt also. I have been limited in how much I can do mobility-wise. Having depression and fibro doesn't help much either. My life has been affected terribly by these illnesses and more. I don't have a social life and can't really do shopping and such anymore. Boo pain!!
- —JewelryDiva
Osteoarthritis and I'm 23
- I feel like what life I have lived is as exciting as my life will have been. I hurt so bad everyday, and cannot get going. Sleep hurts, standing hurts, sitting hurts. I have been in extreme pain for 3 yrs and just this month found out I have oa in my right knee, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and facet disease of the lumbar spine. I cannot find info on people as young as me having this. I hurt in my feet, shoulders, both knees, hips, back. SI joint is terrible. I have not had all these other things looked at and I feel like I already know they will find the same thing. I have one child and wanted more, not able to get preg. I get so swollen I cant move, and will not plan anything if I dont have pain meds, because I just cant do anything. I have a messy house, my husband doesn't clean, so I clean hard when I'm well and can't do anything the next day. I bend over 3 times and all my toes are numb on both feet. I feel broken. Everything is affected, and it gets worse.
- —Guest Beth
o/a of left knee
- After a slip & fall, I also had 3 knee surgeries, including a partial knee replacement. I still have tremendous amount of pain, swelling, limping, and I get very depressed, I have a hard time going to sleep, walking, etc. I used to like to socialize, go to plays, movies or go shopping. I now want to be alone and not do much of anything. It is extremely frustrating, I just hate to go to bed and get up with so much pain, I haven't been able to go back to work or do many things I took for granted. I am constantly taking medication & therapy. I would do anything to get rid of the pain, stiffness. I exercise every day, and I am not overweight. Any suggestions?
- —Guest gioconda777
oa and fibro makes it hard to be accepte
- I sm sore mody of the time. Joints in my hands are painful. The thumb joint is s rea pain. Then there is the tedons that swell and add to wrist pain and shoulder pain. With the fibro added in I sometimes have areas with extra pain and frequently a real surprise. I buy clothes for comfort. Shoes too. The combination of the arthtitis and fibro compound fatgue issues. I can sleep most of a day awat and still sleep well enough the next night. Sometimes, I prefer to sleep alone as my DH is an active tall man. I just need a more peaceful bed and sleep downstairs until he leaves in the morninig. ;;Mostly I miss being a happy active volunteer who just plan to any event. I run out of steam or the pain level is too high. How it is explained, I don't know - but trust my DH. It would be nice to count on myself to work regularly and find a way to become stronger with out suffering any majof set bad, I do have friends who understand me and they are the most predious friends I have,
- —mamamull
oa of the left knee
- i have advanced O A of the left knee,i'm going to see a specialist apparently i have what they call bone on bone.I can't sleep at night because my knee cramps and that wakes me up.I'm 64 and still working.i work in the geriatric field.so gets pretty hectic.I also have been in this profession for at 35 yrs Do you have some advise for me on what i should be doing to improve my sleep at night Thank You Joan Bowers
- —Guest joan bowers
Not so funny
- I was diagnosed with OA last year after a lot of pain in my joints. It kills me because I cannot sit on the floor with my graddaughter anymore, like I used to, to play with her.
- —Guest Gladys
