20 min. to 2 hours | Arthritis Information

Do you ever just sit back and wonder - what has happened to me?! I just spent over 2 hours mending 2 tiny holes and sewing on 3 buttons! This is a job that at one time would not have taken me over 20 min. I am just too stubborn to drop on such simple little things. I wish my hands wound work like they used to! Ohhh the days!

Hi T

ALL THE TIME!!!

Been there done that. Do you have any older children? Ask them to help. If that doesn't help, you may need to use a needle threader and a needle with a larger thread hole. Godness don't drop .00 to put some buttons on a shirt or pants. That's way to much money to spend. I learned to use small safty pins where they won't show.

Life in the fast lane...is now just a old cow pasture, thanks to RA.

Absolutely. And space expands, too. The distance from my bedroom to the kitchen is now about 3 miles, and it used to be a few feet. There are days when I'm not sure I can make it. Everything is relative! Yes, and the step into the truck is at least 5 feet high, the kitchen sink has sunk into the floor by at least a foot, my arms are shorter, and my toes are a foot further away from my fingers. I could go on forever but you get the idea. Time warp is also a problem. I think that I've slept for 5 hours and get up and flit around the house doing things or reading and look at the clock and realize I was only asleep for 15 minutes. Life is strange when you have RA and no one understands this strangeness except another person with RA. My spouse is finally getting it and plays along. He's a prince.

Im in an Industrial Process Operator program at my college, and I have to climb up 3 feet skids to work on equipment, Im short to begin with (5ft), and now that My RA is getting worse it takes me alittle longer to do it, I sympathize!

What's hard for me is that everyone still expects me to do everything I used to. I've always been one of those people that had to do three things at once, literally. I was a hyper child. Right before the RA hit, I had this tremendous amount of energy. I was driving everyone crazy with it. I was as bad as any three year old.

Then, poof! But I'm still hyper in my brain. My body just won't go along for the ride. There is still so much I want to do. I thought at this age, with my kids finally on their own I could travel. I would love to do that. Going to the grocery store is the biggest ordeal. That cart weighs a ton! And laundry, same thing. When did clothes get so heavy?

And, I dream of making it to the library. Still dreaming.

So, I started writing books. My heroines can do anything. They are athletic, beautiful women with magical powers. They go anywhere they want. Actually, they are more complicated than that, with character flaws, etc. But it gives me an outlet for all the things I can't do any more.

You know had to give up snow skiing. Never actually been, but am told I can't do that any more. Tried water skiing. Never got up on the skis. They dragged me across the lake all summer. Had the time of my life. Never could get up there. So, I can't do somethings. I dream about new things now.

I spent the summer sewing together an antique braided rug made by my grandmother. It took hours, nearly killed me, and was then scrunched up and destroyed by the dog. I put a ruberized mat under it, placed the rows together and it shall remain unsewn-at least until the dog dies.I have trouble getting the lid of my children juice cups. Sometimes I swear they were glued on. My husband has to open them for sad but true
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