2024 52 Card Project: Week 22: Arthritis

[pegkerr]

Several weeks ago, I suddenly had pain blossom at the base of my left thumb. A visit to the doctor and an x-ray diagnosed arthritis. Ugh.

I have been wearing a brace and doing physical therapy. If the physical therapy doesn't work in about four weeks, I will be trying a cortisone shot. Which will suck, but will be preferable to dealing with this pain with all my daily activities: chopping vegetables, buttoning my clothes, pulling on socks, opening bottles--it all hurts.

Growing old isn't for the faint of heart.

Image description: Background: a tracery of bare, gnarled branches against a gray sky. Over this are several shots of a left hand. One wears a rigid brace. One rolls a ball against a pad. One has a clip clamped on the web between the thumb and forefinger. One holds rubber bands between the thumb and forefinger. Bottom center: a bottle of Ibuprofen.

Arthritis



Click on the links to see the 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 52 Card Project galleries.

Comments

[pegkerr]

I happen to be on a steroid inhaler for my asthma (although I hope to go off of it soon, as the pollen season is ebbing). I hope to go off of it soon, however, as it raises my pulse rate and my blood pressure, and it makes me retain water and sodium. It just isn't a good idea to be on it long term.

As best as I can tell, the physical therapy may be helping. A little. But we'll see how it goes as I go off the inhaler later this month. I have a PT appointment in three weeks and we'll evaluate getting the shot then.

[dreamshark]

It's hard to tell what exactly is helping when one is trying multiple things at once. With my hip it was very clear that all the PT did was give me a backache along with the hip pain. I don't think it actually made the hip worse, but it clearly didn't help. It didn't get better until I just gave up on walking (which is what aggravated it in the first place) and started taking ibuprofen every 4 hours rather than waiting until the pain was bad.

What is the relationship to the steroid inhaler? Do you think that is making the arthritis better or worse?