[Roxy]

but I have problems with my knee joints and my finger joints.  My knuckles swell bad, as do my knees with overuse.  Suppose its with being outside all the time, hands in feed, mud etc.....  No grip in my fingers, which is frustrating.  Spent ages trying to get the flask lid off yesterday. 
I always try and hold me hand out for my card, and change in a shop, as once they are on the counter, I find it impossible to pick up.  Some of the assistants chuck the card down, and then watch me struggle.  I end up asking them politely to pick the card or money up and put it directly into my hand.  I can tell sometimes its too much of an effort, and they obviously cannot see anything wrong with me.  Of course I would not ask if I could pick up things myself, would I .....its not that I am lazy!!!
Since discolating my finger last year on the fall on the ice, that has made things worse, and now the cold weather is here, my fingers and knees are feeling it .......would say I would move to warmer climes, but then I would moan about the heat!!!
 

[lachlanandmarcus]

I have the same problem - cant pick up feed sacks or anything like that :-((( finger joints and (now) one hip giving gyp :-(((
Had the tests to confirm its osteo not rheumatoid arthritis, just have to soldier on but it is a blinkin nuisance.

[Bionic]

Oh Roxy, I sympathise.   
My hands aren't bad but I have started having pains in both elbows. Yesterday I was trying to prune a bush and the pain in my elbow meant I couldn't put enough pressure on the secateurs to cut even the smallest twigs. That combined with my dodgy left knee and my extremely painful right ankle means I am not good for anything much.
I am usually a pretty cheerful person but these aches and pains are getting me down.  I have been waiting for 2.5 months for an appointment at the hospital for the ankle but despite keep ringing them I haven't got a clue when I might get seen.
At least we aren't alone because I know there are a lot of TAS'ers out there with similar problems.
Sending  to make you feel a bit better
Sally

[SallyintNorth]

Group 

Me too, Roxy.    Some days I'm nearly normal, some days I can hardly hold the cereal box.  And my kack-handed grip for 25kg feed sacks has to be seen to be believed - and even then, I think science could disprove that that works! 

But, as always, I can readily name and recount the stories of many many worse off than me, and they soldier on undaunted (outwardly at least.)  I long ago swallowed my pride, and now don't even give it a thought when I use the wheelbarrow to move a bale of hay, or have to apologise to a shop assistant, saying, "I'm sorry - stupid fingers, got no grip, do you mind?" - and hope they didn't see me spinning yarn yesterday, because you'd think if you can grip fibre to spin, you could pick up a coin from a flat surface, wouldn't you?  But no.

I haven't got as far as investigating those dog-lead handle things for attaching the reins to your wrists, but I have that mental image filed away for when I do need it...

[RUSTYME]

I know how you feel mate .
I don't do shops , and everything i do spend money on is with a debit card , usually on the net .
When i do use cash , any change goes into my hand , never had anyone plop it on the counter , so far !
Things are going wrong though atm , where it will go i have no idea , but giving in isn't an option for us lot is it ?
Take care all !

[jaykay]

No, can't give in.

I travelled on a train yesterday with a 68 year old blind lady. She was travelling from Leicester to the Lake District to meet up with friends. I was so impressed she didn't let anything stop her, she was great!

As for the arthritic fingers - yeh, me too 

Things that help:
Gluten free - I eat gluten, my joints are terrible
Limit the alcohol (phoooey)
High doses of glucosamine

[SallyintNorth]

Gluten and joints?!     Well, okay, I can try that... 

Off to do some research on what foods do and don't contain gluten...

[tizaala]

You can't expect to live our lifestyle without getting damaged, Sally and Rusty, (sic) and I are worth more as scrap metal these days. My left hand has only three good'ish fingers , left leg buggard up well and truly, right hip on verge of giving up the ghost , left shoulder full of arthritis , Lungs always were dodgey ,Diverticulitis, umbilcal hernia repair , occasional kidneystones, and losing my tentative grip on reality , this is a progresive complaint from other people that I've suffered since birth.
Taking Omega 3, codliver oil , multivitamins , and glucosamine suplements has so far made no difference ,
We are not designed to live longer than 35 , so get on with it while you can.
 

[bangbang]

For my joint pain relief I take

1no. cod liver oil capsule (1000mg)
1no. glucosamine sulphate (500mg)

Per day. I feel they give me some relief....but they ache's are never fully away.

 

[Kitchen Cottage]

I've started getting some hip and knee pain, very small, its my fault for being a fattie so I'm trying to use it as a wake up call to loose weight.  This has given me some more motivation.   ;Dtaz to the resue!

[jaykay]

Gluten = mainly wheat. Avoid anything containing flour.

And personally, I find most gluten-free stuff tastes like sawdust so I'm better just not eating that sort of stuff.

For many folk, lower carb also = losing weight.

When our grandmothers wanted to lose weight they cut out the bread and potatoes. It's only lately we've got all 'low-fat' about it. And does it work? Do you notice lots of slim people now that the government et al are pushing low fat? No. Because you get hungry on low-fat whereas fat keeps you feeling full (as does protein, often go together) so low fat diets are miserable and rely on punishing will-power to stick to, plus it's the insulin response to high carbs that tends to make us fat anyway.

Lower-carb (and gluten free) isn't an easy way to eat in our society, but it's an easy way for our bodies, in terms of feeling good and losing weight whilst not feeling hungry.

I've just gotta get back to doing it! And sadly, alcohol is treated by the body as carbs 

[Small Farmer]

My GPs warnings of a possible hernia proved true last week while putting in some fence posts.  Not fun but I seem to be better off than most here.  I've also got a lot better at avoiding back pain by using hydraulics, barrows and a hunky son.


OH is queuing for her cataract operations. She's pretty fed up having always had 20:20 vision.

[Ina]

Food combining (also knows as Hay diet) seems to help some people with arthritis. Basically, the theory is that since protein and carbs need different environments to get digested (acidic versus alkaline), it makes sense not to eat them together (at least not in concentration), because otherwise they fight and cause all sorts of trouble in the body... And fat seems to go better with protein, too. Since I've been sticking (more or less!) to this way of eating, I've felt a lot better and lost weight. Might be worth a try if you've tried everything else!

Turmeric also seems to be beneficial for some. Just eat a lot of curry... (Actually, I read somewhere that the incidence of arthritic conditions is much lower in India for exactly that reason! Can't remember where I read it, of course. )

[tizaala]

 If I may quote Ina
 
     " Turmeric also seems to be beneficial for some. Just eat a lot of curry... (Actually, I read somewhere that the incidence of arthritic conditions is much lower in India for exactly that reason! Can't remember where I read it, of course. )"
 
 
Could it possibly be because of the warmer ,sunyer climate . ?..... Instead of this abject missery we have to put up with.

[sabrina]

I suffer with joint pain all over now. I find if when shopping I need help  while asking I say sorry to be a problem but I cannot manage myself and you would be amazed how many people give me help willingly I am good at looking helpless when need be.