Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Bad joints + hot weather + heavy lunch =

I ain't moving.

My folks were in town so had lunch with them at Pancho's Mexican Buffet. I'd be full in any case, but with all the carbs in Mexican food... urk. And it's low 90's outide and my hands and knees and one elbow have been giving me hell the last couple of days. So, I'm sitting here for a while. I'll go outside and take care of the yard stuff after there's more shade and the temp has eased down a bit. Also after things have moved through the system a bit.

The joints are just accumulated wear and damage(though nowhere near as bad as Chris has), added to the arthritis in my hands. I can take naproxyn and it helps a lot, but I don't like taking it more than a few days; I'm lucky in that it doesn't bother my stomach, but the warnings on long-term use make me very leery of it. This crap has taken a lot of the fun out of forging, and is a big reason I don't do much now: when it hurts to hammer, or on some days you can't use bigger than a 2lb hammer(which leaves any heavy work out), it removes a lot of the joy out of making things.

The knees have been bad for a long time, God knows how bad they'd be now without glucosimine. I used to go to a folk-dance groups meetings every week, and it forced the knees to my attention. As in I'd finish the first hour, which was all easy beginner stuff both for new people and for warmup, and have to leave as it hurt to walk. For that matter, on some days before a cold front would come through they'd ache like hell; forecasting by your joint pain is funny to tell, but no damn fun to live with. One night I said something about it and someone told me about the stuff, during which conversation about four other people chimed in; all were taking it and loved it. So I got a bottle to give it a trial, and I'm still taking it: took about 1.5-2 months to notice a difference, and then it was bloody wonderful. They're starting to give me more trouble, though, whether age is combining with damage or I'm not taking enough now. Friend said she got better results from it combined with chondroitin, so I'm going to get a bottle of the mix and try it. It seems a literal case of 'it can't hurt'.

And yes, sometimes typing and mousing is, let us say, uncomfortable. So I have to be somewhat careful of hand/forearm position if I have much to say, or a long report at work or whatever. For that matter, it really, truly sucks to pick something up and drop it because you can't squeeze hard enough to hold it, or a pain shoots through and it slips. Or you can't put enough tension on a tool to get something done. Damn.

What was that bumper sticker? Something like "If I'd known I'd live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself".

2 comments:

MauserMedic said...

After 18 years in medicine, I realize there is two choices: save the joints and die of coronary disease, or stay active and wear out the joints. Me, I'm blowing out the joints one at a time. As some drug-addled musician once said, "Better to burn out than rust".

Anonymous said...

My knees are sh*t. I have been taking glucosamine and chondrioitin for years. Helpful indeed, but delaying the inevitable. In 2000 I had my right knee replaced. What a Godsend. NO PAIN! Now it the left one. Surgery is on the 8th of July, same surgeon. He tells me the operation is much improved and recovery pain and time much lessened. I'll be going to a big Mountain Man Rendezvous in Sequim, WA the 25th thru the 27th of July, 2 1/2 weeks after surgery and only using a cane. Last time it was nearly a month before I could walk without crutches. Things are improving.