Osteoarthritis Reality

     I keep forgetting some of the limitations that I have with having 3rd stage Osteoarthritis. So first of all I am far from not being able to walk or having a full time nurse to help me. I still am not as mobile as I used to be. I was a nurse for 13 years and I loved to walk. There were times I would walk 10 miles a day, usually 5 miles to work and another 5 miles back home. I would play my music on an mp3 player and walk to the beat. It kept my weight off, my muscle tight and was great exercise. 

    One day, about 11 years ago I started having pain in my foot. It began to swell and became impossible to stand on. I went to the doctor and found out I had Gout. If you don't know what Gout is, you are very lucky. Gout is a common and complex form of arthritis that can affect anyone. It's characterized by sudden, severe attacks of pain, swelling, redness and tenderness in one or more joints, most often in the big toe. They gave me an steroid shot for the swelling and pain. Plus, a booklet on Gout about what I can and can't eat. It was hard at first cause most of the food on their list was all in my freezer at home. I had to give it away and go shopping. So I thought I was done with painful joint damage. Nope.

   About a year later, my heel started to hurt when I walked. I knew it wasn't Gout because Gout pain is continuous. It doesn't matter if I stand up, walk, run or etc. However, this pain was different, so back to the doctor I go. They did x-rays and found out that I have Osteoarthritis. So now I have two forms of arthritis battling each other to breakdown my joints. The Gout flare causes pain, swelling, and tenderness in my joints. I take medicine and drink a lot of fluids to flush it out. However, in the middle of my treatment the Gout is doing damage to my joints. So by the time the Gout flare is over I have to go to occupational or physical therapy to get my range of motion back, if I can. Sometimes, it never comes back. 

   So now, I have to deal with the reality of arthritis changing my daily activities. I can't cook like I want to because standing long times in the kitchen can make my feet hurt. So I had to get anti fatigue mats to stand on. I had to get a bedside commode in my room because when the Gout flare hits my feet, sometimes I can't walk to the bathroom. Today, I had to get my son to help me get of the toilet because the toilet is so low that when I tried to get up on my own....I couldn't. This is my new reality until I can get my health under control.