One of the things I never go too much into detail about on here is my family, I think half the time you must all think I come from wolves. Well, I have an older sister who lives in Australia, two younger sisters who live here and my mum, sadly my dad passed away almost 14 years ago. My life has always been a bit up and down due to the fact that my mum has always been unwell, she has suffered awfully her entire life and I can’t remember a day when she has been well.
She has a rare blood disorder called I.T.P and she also suffers terribly from arthritis, I know you’re probably thinking that arthritis is something that your gran or granddad should suffer from but my mum is only in her mid forties and has had it for many years.
Little things that you and I take for granted could be such a struggle for her like brushing her hair or walking, sometimes she can’t walk more than 50 yards without having to stop and use me, someone or something as a leaning post because her knees have seemingly ‘given up’ on her as she likes to put it. Sometimes the pain gets too much for her and can cause her to cry she is in so much pain, it can cause her to be bed bound and be so helpless which is awful.
Throughout growing up and before moving out I was my mums main caregiver so I would always make sure that I would make life easier for us both, I would do the shopping because she found it hard to hike around the shops and hold the bags. We had things easy to hand like scissors for opening things as they stopped her using her hands for opening things like packages and packets, an electric can opener was an essential kit in the kitchen as it helped when making dinner and helped my mum with being able to keep her independence.
It was obviously very frustrating for a teenager to not know whether one day was going to be a good day from the next, not being able to make plans with your friends just in case you needed to help or making plans and then having to cancel them. Even now I am constantly checking in on my mum or when we are together I am making sure I am doing everything because it’s instinct.
Advice For Anyone Living With Someone With Arthritis
- Be understanding – Anyone who has an illness probably feels like a burden, I know I do when I am unwell so just try to be as understanding as possible that they might not be up for getting out of the house today for an activity you had planned or you may have to cut short your shopping trip because of a bout of pain.
- Encourage them to do daily activities like mild exercises to help ease joint stiffness – Swimming is a great activity for this!
- Make sure they get enough sleep – A regular sleeping pattern is something that can really help as it means their body is well rested.
- Understand what medication they taking especially if you have to help them get it ready.
- Most of all be supportive.
I wrote this post in conjunction with Adjustamatic who do wonderful adjustable beds and chairs which are perfect for people with arthritis and conditions alike.
*This is a collaborative post