Keeping Chickens When You Have Arthritis.

[ronott1]

Struggling, Rheumy wants me off prednisone and so do I. Problem is the methotrexate hasn’t kick in yet.... I am on 2.5 prednisone every other day ( which is nothing) the fatigue, joint pain and feeling of unwell is consuming. I am trying to counter with 800 Motrin once or twice a day, icy hot, ice packs ect. MD said if I had bad symptoms to call her she would up the prednisone once again- but that is counter to our goals. My chickens are ready to be let out to free range, but they will just have to wait..... just too stiff to move right this minute. Sucks! I have so many things I want to do.... by body is not cooperating! If it was not for the chickens and small garden that needs watering I don’t think I would get out of bed
Sorry to whine

Hang in there!

 

[Matilda Belle]

I hope it works for a long time!

Thanks. I hope so too.

I know I'm no spring chicken (pun) but I shouldn't feel this old at my age. I always get comments from people that I'm too young to have arthritis. Even my parents didn't believe me at 16 when I complained of joint pain. People don't realize it happens to all ages.

 

[ronott1]

Thanks. I hope so too.

I know I'm no spring chicken (pun) but I shouldn't feel this old at my age. I always get comments from people that I'm too young to have arthritis. Even my parents didn't believe me at 16 when I complained of joint pain. People don't realize it happens to all ages.

It does happen at all ages! I have had arthritis in my foot for a long time. I think I was in my 40s when the bump on the top of the foot started

 

[microchick]

I can remember working pediatrics early in my nursing career and taking care of a youngster who had JRA. He was probably 10 years old so yes, it happens to kids also.

@ronott1 I have that 'bump' on the top of my right foot near the ankle. Makes it hard to tolerate shoes tied to tight.

Getting ready to move my feed cans out to the coop. Should make a big difference for me only having to fill the garbage cans and not the buckets every morning and lug them out to the coop.

Got so many good ideas from this thread. So glad I took Penny's idea and ran with it. Thank you my friend, sure hope you are feeling better today.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I have enjoyed this site more than ever imagined all the threads I am on mean a huge amount to my well being and my hippie egg customer came back 100 lbs less had to tell him how great he looked perked my day up allot

 

[Kfults]

I need non chicken advise from my fellow arthritis sufferers! Months ago our friends planned a trip to Arkansas to ride 4 wheelers in the mountains. It is a 9 hr drive from home. I told them at the time it would depend on where I was with my RA, but we agreed to go hopeful that the methotrexate would be working well. Well we are a week away.... coming off prednisone has been horrible, I have not yet seen improvement from the methotrexate. Last night I had to break down and take a half a pain pill I was in so much pain. I got in bed and began to cry. My husband says to not let our friends guilt me into going....I don’t know if I can handle this trip. I would want my husband to still go. He will really enjoy it. I could go take a pain pill for the drive and just rest at the cabin while they go ride. A large part of me just wants to stay home. Nobody except DH understands what I am going through. I look ok on the outside. I hate to disappoint our friends. I am also tired of staying home while everyone goes out and enjoys life. DH and our son and daughter n law are going to Disneyland in Dec and I opted out. Too much money for me to go and lay around a hotel ( no way I can do an amusement park) this disease is so isolating! Any advise????

 

[microchick]

I need non chicken advise from my fellow arthritis sufferers! Months ago our friends planned a trip to Arkansas to ride 4 wheelers in the mountains. It is a 9 hr drive from home. I told them at the time it would depend on where I was with my RA, but we agreed to go hopeful that the methotrexate would be working well. Well we are a week away.... coming off prednisone has been horrible, I have not yet seen improvement from the methotrexate. Last night I had to break down and take a half a pain pill I was in so much pain. I got in bed and began to cry. My husband says to not let our friends guilt me into going....I don’t know if I can handle this trip. I would want my husband to still go. He will really enjoy it. I could go take a pain pill for the drive and just rest at the cabin while they go ride. A large part of me just wants to stay home. Nobody except DH understands what I am going through. I look ok on the outside. I hate to disappoint our friends. I am also tired of staying home while everyone goes out and enjoys life. DH and our son and daughter n law are going to Disneyland in Dec and I opted out. Too much money for me to go and lay around a hotel ( no way I can do an amusement park) this disease is so isolating! Any advise????

First off

How long have you been on the Methotrexate? It takes 3-4 weeks to start seeing results from treatment and months to see optimum improvement from it. I just started treatment and it's like, okay, I'm feeling exhausted but not feeling better. This sux. I keep telling myself to be patient.

I too have that response from people and hear 'but you look great! What's wrong with you anyway?' People can be co cruel. I understand how bad your pain is and only you know how bad you hurt and how much you can tolerate. With pain medicine on board could you go and lounge about, take a stack of books or magazines with you? You wouldn't have to get out and 4 wheel but just getting out is so good for your mental and emotional health. Lounge around outside under a tree with a glass of iced tea and a good book sounds like heaven to me. Bouncing around on a 4 wheeler sounds like Hell. I have a 125cc Honda TTR that I like to ride but I haven't rode it all summer. Hands are too sore.

As for Disney world. Anyway you can wait till closer to the time of the trip before you make your decision to go or not go? You may pop back into remission by the time that the trip rolls around.

Please don't be afraid to take your pain medicine when you need it. As a retired nurse we were taught that pain medicine should be on board before the pain a person is suffering gets too bad for them to endure. You want to take it as your doc has prescribed it. And as for your friends, if they don't understand, they aren't very good friends. I agree with your husband. Don't let them bully you.

But if you could go along just to get out, frequent stops so you can stretch out the kinks, analgesics, pain meds on board, a comfortable pillow or two to pad things out I sure would give that trip a try. Once you get to your destination , you could rest when you had to, participate when you feel like it and most of all, talk to your Rheumy about going. Ask them what they think about you going on trip one and how you could make it more comfortable for yourself.

As for trip #2. From what I am reading I don't think you mind missing that trip as much as you would miss the first. Like I said, talk to your doc and see what they say. Maybe they can offer you some tips or adjust your medicine so you can go along just to get out and be around people.

Most of all, be kind to you. You didn't ask to have this disease befall you. None of us did. You are doing the best you can to deal with it and yes, it will get better. I used to race bikes with a lady with RA. I'd ask her how her RA was doing and she'd shrug and tell me that she went to the doc and got a Methotrexate injection and was good to go. She'd hop on her recumbent bike and proceed to whup my backside in the race. I think about her now and tell myself if she can feel good enough to do that, so can I eventually. Until then, I'm pampering myself, and if folks don't understand that is their problem.

 

[ronott1]

I can remember working pediatrics early in my nursing career and taking care of a youngster who had JRA. He was probably 10 years old so yes, it happens to kids also.

@ronott1 I have that 'bump' on the top of my right foot near the ankle. Makes it hard to tolerate shoes tied to tight.

Getting ready to move my feed cans out to the coop. Should make a big difference for me only having to fill the garbage cans and not the buckets every morning and lug them out to the coop.

Got so many good ideas from this thread. So glad I took Penny's idea and ran with it. Thank you my friend, sure hope you are feeling better today.

between the bump and foot drop, I can't wear sandals anymore.

If it gets too painful, they can work on it but I would rather live with it for now

 

[Kfults]

First off

How long have you been on the Methotrexate? It takes 3-4 weeks to start seeing results from treatment and months to see optimum improvement from it. I just started treatment and it's like, okay, I'm feeling exhausted but not feeling better. This sux. I keep telling myself to be patient.

I too have that response from people and hear 'but you look great! What's wrong with you anyway?' People can be co cruel. I understand how bad your pain is and only you know how bad you hurt and how much you can tolerate. With pain medicine on board could you go and lounge about, take a stack of books or magazines with you? You wouldn't have to get out and 4 wheel but just getting out is so good for your mental and emotional health. Lounge around outside under a tree with a glass of iced tea and a good book sounds like heaven to me. Bouncing around on a 4 wheeler sounds like Hell. I have a 125cc Honda TTR that I like to ride but I haven't rode it all summer. Hands are too sore.

As for Disney world. Anyway you can wait till closer to the time of the trip before you make your decision to go or not go? You may pop back into remission by the time that the trip rolls around.

Please don't be afraid to take your pain medicine when you need it. As a retired nurse we were taught that pain medicine should be on board before the pain a person is suffering gets too bad for them to endure. You want to take it as your doc has prescribed it. And as for your friends, if they don't understand, they aren't very good friends. I agree with your husband. Don't let them bully you.

But if you could go along just to get out, frequent stops so you can stretch out the kinks, analgesics, pain meds on board, a comfortable pillow or two to pad things out I sure would give that trip a try. Once you get to your destination , you could rest when you had to, participate when you feel like it and most of all, talk to your Rheumy about going. Ask them what they think about you going on trip one and how you could make it more comfortable for yourself.

As for trip #2. From what I am reading I don't think you mind missing that trip as much as you would miss the first. Like I said, talk to your doc and see what they say. Maybe they can offer you some tips or adjust your medicine so you can go along just to get out and be around people.

Most of all, be kind to you. You didn't ask to have this disease befall you. None of us did. You are doing the best you can to deal with it and yes, it will get better. I used to race bikes with a lady with RA. I'd ask her how her RA was doing and she'd shrug and tell me that she went to the doc and got a Methotrexate injection and was good to go. She'd hop on her recumbent bike and proceed to whup my backside in the race. I think about her now and tell myself if she can feel good enough to do that, so can I eventually. Until then, I'm pampering myself, and if folks don't understand that is their problem.

Thanks! I have only been on methotrexate for 5 weeks at at the lowest dose. She is weaning me up slow- started at 10mg and a week ago I went to 15mg. I don’t expect optimum results till I am at 25mg for a few weeks. Weaning on prednisone has been easier with the MTX, I couldn’t get below 15mg without a flare, then I stabilized at 5 mg with MXT and was ok. Now that I am on 2.5mg I am flaring again. It will take time, my PCP said a 1mg adjustment with RA can mean a flare. Even tiny adjustments make a big difference.
I know if I go to Arkansas I will be harassed constantly about riding not only by our friends but the twin 12yr olds. My friends husband jokingly said “if I have to tie you on the 4 wheeler you are riding- I want you to see the views” I also found out my married son is coming home for a concert the same weekend. I have decided to stay home and visit with our son. He is newlywed and lives 4 hr away. I don’t wanna miss opportunity to see him. My friends can get over it! My PCP would say “take care of you” there will be time for trips once we get you in remission. I don’t want Rheumy to know I am flaring- she will just increase my Prednisone and further delay the inevitable.
My daughter n law PHD program has forced them to move their Disney trip by 5 days which will extend over Christmas and DH told them he wasn’t going and leaving rest family for Christmas. Thanks for advice, this disease can feel lonely! Glad I have fellow chicken friends.

 

[Kfults]

between the bump and foot drop, I can't wear sandals anymore.

If it gets too painful, they can work on it but I would rather live with it for now

Do you have special shoes to prevent further foot drop?
With my arthritis I can’t wear any form of heel anymore- just flats with good support and cushion. Has made life full of accommodations