coping with RA-Sue

[Guest guest]

Sue, you are absolutely right. OA is no picnic either. Problem is,

people think that arthritis is just that, arthritis. They don't

realize that there are different forms of it. I know people who

have OA and they have quite a bit of pain. My boss says that she

has OA in bothr her knees that hurt her terribly when she has to be

on her feet all day. She also said that if that's how she feels

when she is occasionally on her feet throughout the day, that what I

feel has to be worse. Especially because I am on my feet all day.

So, both have painful effects. But, there is so much more with RA.

That's the part people don't get. I have seen the effects of OA on

peoples Xrays and have assisted in their total joint replacement.

It is painful. I don't deny that. My grandmother, mother and

father all had/have OA. But, it seems that the thinking that there

isn't any difference in OA and RA is what is so hard to deal with.

That's why I love this group. People here GET it because they are

going through it. It's so difficult for me because I don't LOOK

sick. People think that because you don't look ill that you must

NOT be ill. Then, when I am out with my family, they forget and

just puch push push to do things, one thing after the other. They

don't get that people with RA have to rest periodically. <sigh>.

Oh well. There are a few people where I work who said they were

going to do the Arthritis Foundation walk in my honor. That was

touching. Some people DO get it. Some people don't. Then there

are those,like some of my co-workers, who don't quite get it, but

know that something is wrong and they do their best to help me when

possible. So, OA is no picnic, but I would trade it for the RA.

Problem is, there was a no refund policy with the RA. Damn!! lol

> And it's not as though osteoarthritis is a picnic in the park,

either.

> My aunt has it and has had two knee replacements (on the same

knee) and

> still has to use a walker. I have a friend who has it and has had

hip

> replacements. I have also seen some fingers that look pretty bad

from

> osteoarthritis; just not deformed in the same way that RA does

it. Sue

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