I have a combination of Asteoarthritis and Peripheral Neuropathy. The stiffness I have in my hands is joined by the tingling of my PN. I'm not suffering - yet. However, the progression hasn't been researched yet on my part. I'm 80, and enjoying otherwise good health, so I'm not complaining. I perform for folks in retirement homes, memory care facilities and nursing homes and feel akin to those folks, many of whom are not in good shape. I actually feel that its a privilege to play for them! They love music and are a great audience, ev ery time.
I was fortunate to have traveled around the U.S. A. and in many countries, performing in castles, concert halls, pubs, and famous venues for five years. During that time I realized that at age 68 I was very fortunate to still be working as a traveling musician. Now, in retirement I am dealing with the same PN I had during those years but now with my hands being affected by the PN and not just the Arthritis. As we grow older new problems pop up, as we all know. The difference is always the degree to which we are limited in doing what we enjoy and to what degree it restrains us. I'm personally hard to restrain, I've found, as it seems I'm an eternal optimist.

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