Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis
I remember watching my Granny Nora sit and work her quilts with fingers crooked from arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis, or Arthur as my granny would call it, can develop at any age. Rheumatoid arthritis (or RA) is an autoimmune disease – our own immune system attacking healthy cells in our body. It can cause the wearing down and deformity of joints, and can eventually affect organs and other internal systems as well. Living with RA means maintaining a healthy lifestyle, managing pain, and finding ways to deal with decreased joint mobility.
Diet
A person with rheumatoid arthritis can have a decreased range of joint motion, pain, and swelling of joints. Because the inflammation of RA is not only in joints but throughout the whole body, it can leave a person feeling tired. That tiredness, along with side effects from medicine and pain can cause a person to neglect their diet. It is important to remember to eat healthy, even when you don’t really feel like it. The website cookingwitharthur.blogspot.com has some great tips on cooking and eating healthy for those with arthritis.
Pain
The pain of rheumatoid arthritis can be intense and become chronic. It is important to be open and honest with your doctor about the pain, so that it can be treated. Heading pain off at the pass is often easier than corralling it after it has become severe. That may mean taking pain medication on a set schedule rather than waiting until the pain gets bad enough. Meditation, biofeedback, massage, exercise, and using heat or cold can help ease the pain. Chronic pain can take an emotional toll. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from a mental health professional.
Helpful Tools
Everybody has a little trouble opening a jar every now and then. For people with rheumatoid arthritis, that’s just the beginning—chores that are easy for most of us can be extremely challenging if not impossible for those with RA. Phones with over-sized buttons, lightweight cookware, raised toilet seat attachments, and tools designed to help reach and grip can help make those tasks easier. Read about more helpful suggestions at the Arthritis Today website. A host of additional information about living with arthritis can be found at the Arthritis Foundation website.
What tips have you discovered for living with arthritis?
Arthritis runs in my family as well. In her later years, my grandmother’s hands were so stiff that she had trouble with buttons and zippers. Getting dressed or changing clothes required a little help every day. Sometimes we take these activities of daily living (ADL) for granted when they are easy to do. Getting help can make these activities easy again.