12 October 2016 – always holding my hand – sometimes metaphorically 🙂
My chap picks me up when I fall, holds my hand and is always by my side – my rock. He’s always so positive, even when life throws up problems.
On #worldarthritisday I’m reaffirming a promise I made to myself – to keep going forwards.
I was diagnosed with osteo-arthritis in my fingers and toes in Summer 2015 aged 48 – and in my lower back in September 2016. I’ve had chronic back pain for six years so I think the arthritis has been developing for a while. It’s constant pain, every walking moment of every day – nothing stops the pain, painkillers aren’t a solution for me. Mindfulness helps as does yoga and tail chi – it’s trying to manage my pain and stiffness.
But, I carry on with life, doing as much as I can.
Sunshine and warm weather help me; I’m having a good week as we are on holiday in Lisbon. I track my symptoms with the ‘cloudy with a change of pain’ App developed my researchers at the University of Manchester. It’s a citizen scientist investigating if the weather affects peoples’ arthritis pain and other symptoms. anyone can get involved. It’s really helped me.
Views from my garden bench 
I have arthritis in my hands, but at this time there is no pain just the larger joints. I have back pain, but that has been a constant companion mostly because I do too much gardening and have had back surgery. When it is damp and rainy, I have considerably more discomfort. This is a very interesting app and here’s hoping the data will be able to help medical solutions in the future.
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V sorry to hear you’ve got arthritis and back pain (I don’t do any heavy gardening now – My Chap does it all). Yes there are many researchers (and research projects) at University of Manchester looking at various arthritis conditions – so I hope changes in treatment in the future. love bec xx
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Arthritis is such a cruel condition, in my family it always seems to attack the hands of the best knitters and sewers. My mum is really bad with it in her back now too, I wonder whether this app might help her, the constant pain has really changed her. I’m so impressed that you carry on as much as you can. Happy belated birthday lovely, I hope you are having a brilliant holiday xxxx
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