Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
We talk from time to time about the importance of managing our psychological health, and of following a healthy diet, and other things that aren't specifically RA related, but which are components of the "whole" that is each of us.
Hellen recently posted about a broken ankle, and that got me to thinking. In one of my rounds of PT, after a foot / ankle injury, I had to do some exercises to strengthen my balance. Nothing strenuous, just simple things like standing on one foot and reaching for something that meant I had to lean a little bit, and then straighten back up. Eventually, I was supposed to be able to stand on one foot and catch a ball, which the therapist would intentionally toss just the tiniest bit out of reach so I'd have to lean, and recover.
I sucked at it.
I sucked at it so thoroughly that the therapist and I decided it wasn't related to my injury, that I was just not that coordinated a person to begin with. The honest truth is that if I'm standing on BOTH feet and someone gently tosses a ball exactly towards my outstretched hands, I will still manage to not catch it.
But that's not my point. My point is that after reading Hellen's story, I'm realizing that I ought to be doing those exercises again. Because there is so stinking much about this disease that I can't control, but it still makes sense to find things - like the aforementioned diet or mental health - that I can work on, and make sure I'm doing my best to keep those in good form. Better balance, in theory, should mean less risk of a fall. Fewer falls should mean fewer injuries. Injuries can potentially mean the need to add more meds to the toxic brew I'm already on. Etc.
So, I'm adding 'balance' to the list, in the most literal sense. My kids had a balance disk, think of a flat hard circle that's balancing on a half-sphere of hard rubber, you stand on it and just try to keep your balance. I think I'll check the 'basedump' and see if I can find it, and maybe try it while I'm washing dishes or something. Although that sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn't it? Maybe not while washing glassware.
So, tell me what's on your self-care list? What are you focusing some energy on, with the goal of being able to manage your life better, even if it's not specifically RA related? I'm sure my extra weight isn't helping the RA, and it sure puts me at risk for other problems, so I should be working more on that. What else is on your list? What else can we dp, pro-actively?
And please, please, please understand that what I have been trying to say is that I just never like to be catagorized. Not a saint, not a sinner, not a victim, not broken. The title of your post began with "balance," and for me, that's the "core" issue. Take that beyond the maneuvering of your physical self in a limited space, and extend to your mental health, the movement of your being in a complex, complicated world, how you see yourself interacting with others and with the quality of life that is meaningful to you. Can you do it? Did you try? I have no plan B in life. That's not to say I haven't done a few things with foresight, so that if the time arrives to make a choice, maybe I actually have some options. But, in my mind, Plans B do not exist while I'm actively engaged in Plan A. Siehst du?
yeah if you ramp it up to cognac I'm in.
depotblue