Living with arthritis: How do you stay active?

@jimhd Jim, I hate to say it, but I think maybe women are sometimes more willing to listen to their bodies - not having to uphold what I call the John Wayne/macho thing. For instance, I also have horrible arthritis in my hands and have had a number of surgeries on them with more to come - my brother (who is also my neighbor) was astonished the other day when I declined to sand a table he's refinishing "because my hands say no."
Just finished my morning walk, and my walking pals peeled off one-by-one as their bodies dictated, so I did my 2 miles, but the others didn't go as far.
Sue

@suz55 Welcome to connect Suz we aren't Dr.s but can help with symptoms that we have insharing them and what helps us . I to have neck and shoulder pain , fibromyalgia which is brutal . ONe thing I found for my neck and shoulders is sleep without a pillow . This allows the nerves not to be pinched . Before I found this I had neck and shoulder pain with radiating down both arms. SInce I found just this I haven't had the radiating pain and I had to put my laptop at a different angle so I wan't straining my neck . Hope this helps .

<p>Hi, I am new to this site and arthritis. I am 65 and about three years ago I started having issues. Started in my knee which I had scoped many years ago. Now my biggest complaint is my neck and shoulders. I have so much stiffness and discomfort after sleeping, getting up early is no problem. Sometimes I am unable to put eye drops in until i move around and loosen up. I have only seen an orthopedic doctor and my PA. Would you recommend going to a specialist of some sort. I have contacted a pain specialist who has my records to review yo see if she can help me. I am concerned about my future health. Does anyone have any experience to share. I welcome your comments and hope this is the right site for me.</p>

Hi @suz55, you're in the right group (Bones, Joints & Muscles https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/arthritis-and-joint-conditions-268850/) to talk about arthritis. You'll notice that I moved your message to this discussion called "Living with arthritis: How do you stay active?" I did this to introduce you to other members living with arthritis like @migizii @jimhd @trayus @beatricefay @houp528123 and @sueinmn and who can recommend which specialist to see.

Suz, what physical movements do you do in the morning to help loosen up?

@suz55 Welcome to this discussion. If you have had problems for three years now it might be time for a full evaluation, by a rheumatologist or internist, to determine the exact cause if possible. Bloodwork, a complete physical exam and medical history and possibly imaging can help determine whether you have rheumatoid and/or osteo arthritis, another illness, and the extent of possible damage. Once that is known, you can work with either of them, and a pain doc as well as a physical therapist who specializes in dealing with chronic pain.
After a winter where we both had a lot of pain, my husband and I both were rescreened, years after our original diagnoses, he is trying a new medication for rheumatoid arthritis and I am being treated with non-opiod meds and therapy for my pain.
The message is that everyone is different and will respond to the appropriate treatment, so I am not sharing medication names - this needs to be determined for each individual based on the specific diagnosis.
We may never be pain free but we can feel better.
Have you ever had a full workup for the pain? Do you have access to a facility where you can do it?
Sue

@suz55 Hello to you, from NYC. I'm a 55yr old female who has been suffering with various arthritis issue's myself, amongst other types of back & knee issues. I see a Rheumatologist for arthritis pain. I have severe pain in my right hand & both knees, feet & spine & my hips r starting to click-clack & PT helps alot. Just moving more. I can barely wait for pool to open up so I can swim. It really helps my joints & helps tone & strengthen my muscles. I wish you well. Stay strong. I use a paper towel to exercise my hand & fingers on both hands. Just crumple it up & release with same hand. Do this daily it helps my hands from cramping & my fingers from getting stiff. I too suffer from debilitating chronic Fibromyalgia pain. I also see my Pain Mgmt Dr. But for Arthritis in my hands & feet I prefer my Rheumatologist. Stay strong.

Thank you for your comments and positive attitude. I am going to set appt with a rheumatologist for an evaluation.

Thank you for your input. I will take your advice on having an evaluation with a specialist to see what I am dealing with. Nearest specialist will be 3 hours away but will be worth the trip.

Just getting up and moving about helps, feeding my dog, making coffee. Also sitting and doing the yes and no movements with my neck very slowly and reaching up in an apple picking motion. When I first get up, I cannot raise my arms to put eye drops in. I am thankful I loosen up pretty fast.

@sueinmn My O.A
In my hands is getting worse
New pain symptom woke me up during sleep .It never did this before .I have my Meloxicam I take but it didn't keep my pain away last night .