Yes, I do hobble around. Some days more than others. But yes I do hobble. Why do I hobble? Because of my bursitis in both hips, my arthritic feet, my bad knees, my bad back, and more. (Occasionally I have been known to 'hobble' if I was getting dirty looks because I use my handicapped placard.)
However, hobbling along I get to go lots of places, provided I can rest routinely and amply so as not to stress myself out. As I hobble I get to places like the grocery store, the gym, my knitting group, and, of course, doctor appointments (can't have enough of those).
I sometimes even meet friends for coffee or other stationary activities where I do not have to stand around. I plan to visit a museum with friends next month. What makes me happy is they have wheel chairs there and if I start to get tired, a friend can get me one to use while I am there.
But that is my life and I do not have time to stress about being in pain. Furthermore I don't want any pity. Pity causes stress because it makes me feel bad about myself and my state of health.
Showing posts with label feet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label feet. Show all posts
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
How RA (and other ailments) change your feet
In addition to the pain and fatigue that came into my life with my degenerating disks in my back, RA, and fibromyalgia, my foot wear has taken a big hit.
I have never been a fan of high heels, well not since my 20's and 30's when I was going out dancing regularly. My favorite work shoes were low to moderate heels for years. I had no real problems with my feet.
Since my RA diagnosis, my feet are a big part of my conversations with my rheumatologist. RA frequently affects the small joints in your hands and feet at first. I can tell you my RA did start that way. I get painful hands and feet. Also, I have to use toe separators on my right foot to stop my toes from curling under each other.
I don't shop for shoes by looks or heel height. My shoe choices are no longer low or medium heels. I get to wear flats. I get to wear supportive flats with a big toe box - meaning no points. I get to put expensive inserts ($50/pair) in my shoes that aren't supportive enough. And my feet are now wider and 1/2 size longer.
Shoe brands that I now look for are Merrell's and Clark's. Naturalizer shoes, a good brand of shoes with structure, no longer are an acceptable choice. While they are supportive they do not provide enough support.
I got rid of most of the shoes in my closet as a result of these changes. Yesterday I found I wasn't alone with this. Lisa wrote about this in her blog as well. (I met Lisa a few years before my RA diagnosis and have been reading her blog for a while now.)
Back to my feet. Foot pain sucks. Because your feet are involved in things like walking and standing. Its hard to do much without using your feet. And sometimes they hurt when I am sitting or lying down.
You never think about some body parts until they stop cooperating with the rest of you. I don't miss my gall bladder much now that I no longer have it. My gall stones made things difficult for a while. I also don't miss my left ovary and uterus since they have been gone for more than ten years.
But my hands and feet are a real problem. They are too important to remove. I am stuck with them as they are and hope they don't get too much worse. And wear ugly supportive shoes.
I have never been a fan of high heels, well not since my 20's and 30's when I was going out dancing regularly. My favorite work shoes were low to moderate heels for years. I had no real problems with my feet.
Since my RA diagnosis, my feet are a big part of my conversations with my rheumatologist. RA frequently affects the small joints in your hands and feet at first. I can tell you my RA did start that way. I get painful hands and feet. Also, I have to use toe separators on my right foot to stop my toes from curling under each other.
I don't shop for shoes by looks or heel height. My shoe choices are no longer low or medium heels. I get to wear flats. I get to wear supportive flats with a big toe box - meaning no points. I get to put expensive inserts ($50/pair) in my shoes that aren't supportive enough. And my feet are now wider and 1/2 size longer.
Shoe brands that I now look for are Merrell's and Clark's. Naturalizer shoes, a good brand of shoes with structure, no longer are an acceptable choice. While they are supportive they do not provide enough support.
I got rid of most of the shoes in my closet as a result of these changes. Yesterday I found I wasn't alone with this. Lisa wrote about this in her blog as well. (I met Lisa a few years before my RA diagnosis and have been reading her blog for a while now.)
Back to my feet. Foot pain sucks. Because your feet are involved in things like walking and standing. Its hard to do much without using your feet. And sometimes they hurt when I am sitting or lying down.
You never think about some body parts until they stop cooperating with the rest of you. I don't miss my gall bladder much now that I no longer have it. My gall stones made things difficult for a while. I also don't miss my left ovary and uterus since they have been gone for more than ten years.
But my hands and feet are a real problem. They are too important to remove. I am stuck with them as they are and hope they don't get too much worse. And wear ugly supportive shoes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)