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Anyone suffer chronic pain/fibromyalgia/arthritis etc?
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Posted
Anyone suffer any type of chronic pain condition where they cant really sit for too long without being in lots of pain? Or cant look down/up etc for the same reason? How do you overcome this? Do you do small and often? Or do u have special equipment to help you through?
I suffer from Fibromyalgia, Arthritis and a Torn cartledge of the hip to name a few, my least painful position is horizontal 😂😂 I just wondered if anyone else suffered and how you cope.
Posted
Absolutely. The drugs keep it at bay. Her Indoors is a nurse and was specialising in rheumatology when we met, so she spotted the signs early. I came off stage at a festival, chucked suitcases in the car and we flew off to Italy for our holiday. No sleep the first night due to intense pain. Four weeks later I played a wedding. No sleep that night either. I got packed off to the quack and the specialists pronto. I've not had a painful flare since, but I'll be on the drugs for the rest of my naturals
Renoir was in such arthritic pain in his later years he could not hold his brushes, so he devised a way of strapping them to his arms to allow him to continue painting.
Posted
I have an arthritic spine and hips - the latter not bad enough for a replacement operation, although ... well... I do tend to suffer in some silence: I don't like operations.
Apart from taking the drugs, which can leave you zonked and itching, but there you are (I'm told there are better drugs in the pipeline, but I bet I won't live long enough to benefit from them!) my only advice is to keep moving as best you can: take rests, stroll round the garden (or hobble, as appropriate), keep yourself hydrated, don't think alcohol is a great help - it might be at the time, but not the next day - get some advice about the best mattress for your back (and then afford the damn' thing), and ensure your seating is deep enough and supportive enough to avoid sciatica. Fortunately in my case, I've retained flexibility in the fingers - chiefly by learning to touch type when I was much younger, which helps with all sorts of things. But wouldn't with rheumatoid arthritis, sadly.
Unfortunately, we live on a damp little island with not enough sunshine and all too frequent episodes of low air-pressure (yes, that does make a difference) so together with advancing age we're going to be prone to these things. Some helpful soul suggested that the answer lay in going to live in the south of France - given half a chance I would; but I didn't find that especially practical advice, somehow.
Posted
Jen, I have arthritis of the spine and knees. I had to have a spinal fusion back in 2009 but now the discs below and above that are going but I don't think I want to go through another op like that! I keep taking the tablets which do help somewhat. Sitting on a hard chair is difficult for long periods so I keep going back and forth to my drawings. Sorry you have problems as you are a lot younger than most of us on here so keep your chin up and keep going.
Posted
Neck pain is horrible - I can cope with the rest of it, but neck pain just sends me to bed.... However: try a support collar. I know physios don't recommend them for long-term use, unless they happen to have neck pain themselves: then they can change their tune. It won't work immediately, but it warms the muscles, keeps the neck fairly still, and if you're lucky you'll get a most satisfying click when you flex the neck after using it. They're of more use when used overnight, on however many pillows you find tolerable - the fewer the better for most of us. Left to itself, I find neck arthritis spreads down your arms, into your hands, and over the scalp to give you a headache - try a cold flannel on the head for that.
POL is turning into self-help for the elderly, but there we are - if your great love is painting, it's murder when you just can't do it: you begin to wonder what on earth you're here for, so anything that helps artists is a legitimate arty subject.... And finally - I used to find soluble calcium aspirin very helpful, but can't take it now without bleeding to death, which is a bit of a snag: always consult the Vet ....
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