exercise

[Guest guest]

Hi Dee -- I'm not on DMARDS and have never been. I think I must have a mild

case, although I decided n ot to take methotrexate when it was advised

because of its side effects. Also, I don't have insurance to cover this and

can't afford expensive treatment. I get along on NSAIDS (Aleve) and a mild

muscle relaxer (Benadryl). -- Jan O', Alaska

[ ] exercise

> I finally had a visit with a rheumy about the PA. He didn't mention

anything

> about the DMARDS but told me to continue to use the Celebrex that my gp

> presecribed. Am I the only here who isn't on the DMARDS? Does everyone

take

> them? I do suffer from emphysema and asthma and I was wondering if maybe

> that's the reason he didn't suggest them. Also, could it be because my PA

> isn't advanced enough?

> One more question. Does anyone know why we shouldn't do weight training?

The

> rheumy advised me against it, he said it would aggravate the PA. I thought

> that it might be a good idea to strengthen the muscles surrounding the

> joints.

> Thanks,

> dee in Pa

>

> [

[Guest guest]

Hi Tammy,

I think the best is light water therapy. I enjoy water walking, just going

back and forth, sometimes I go backwards to work the leg muscles, but at the

moment I don't have a warm enough pool to use,

good luck

Jeanette

[ ] EXERCISE

> Hello to all!!

> Can someone give me some information on exercise? What do you do to

> improve your movements and joints? What should I avoid? I quit

> smoking in August and I have gained 15 pounds. My husband who quit

> before I did said did you not think that you were not going to gain

> weight? I figured honestly that I would but now that I have that bad

> habit under control I need to work on my weight. A dear friend at

> work told me that now that I was Dx with Psoriatic Arthritis that is

> more important to exercise and get the weight off. She is right and I

> know that my joints would be happy that I did something good for them.

>

>

> So any information that you might have would be helpful. I know that

> I painted my sons room on a Saturday and on that Sunday night was one

> of my worst nights ever. So I have it in my head that streinous

> exercise is a no, no.

> Take care,

> Tammy

>

> [Editor's Note: Tammy, go to the Arthritis Foundation's web site

> (www.arthritis.org). They have exercise tapes you can purchase called

> People with Arthritis Can Exercise (PACE). If you put in your zip code,

> they will also tell you if there are PACE classes near you (typically at a

> YMCA or similar place) or Aquatics for Arthritics. Aquatics, in

> particular, are helpful to most arthritics because water is kind to our

> joints and the aquatics classes are held in warm water pools. Kathy F.]

[Guest guest]

My exercise is a little more detailed than yours I

take a shower and get dressed! Sharon

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Brent - the only elliptical machine I've tried is one you walk on, and

I was too spastic to use it! I don't know what it is about it, but I

could never feel like I really had my balance on it. I was always

tensed up feeling like I was going to fall. Maybe I should try a

different machine?

best,

sherry z

>

> As going to the gym and the pool both seem to be too time-

> consuming/energy-consuming, we just bought an elliptical execiser

with

> digital readouts of heartrate and preprogrammed courses based upon

> magnetic resistance and target heartrates. It is so cool, and so low

> impact, even my sore feet are not complaining. I recommend one to

all

> who have any knees, ankles and hips left. We found our's on sale at

> Canadian Tire, but I have also seen them on ebay. best

wishes ...brent

>

[Guest guest]

Japanese researchers have found that simply walking to work can cut

your risk of developing diabetes. In a study of almost 8,600 mgn with

similar sedentary jobs at the same firm it was found that those who

took 21 minutes or more to walk to work were 25% less likely to

develop diabetes than those who walked 10 minutes or less. The men

had similar levels educational and socioeconomic backgrounds

indicating it was the length of casual walking that made the

difference; September 2007 Diabetes Care

[Guest guest]

, it varies from person to person. You'll have to figure out

your own " max. " For a long time, I could not stand or walk more

than 15 minutes at a time without really suffering later. I would

set the timer for 15 minutes to do some activities around the house,

then set it for 15 minutes to sit down and get off my feet. As I

improved, I could go 20 minutes, then 30 minutes. Now I can go for

longer stretches at time as long as I don't do too many long

stretches in one day.

Don't do all the housework in one day! That is a recipe for

disaster. Pushing until you get it done is not at all the right

attitude at this point in your illness. Instead, plan it out in

smaller doses. Vacuum or mop one room. Then do some chores you can

do sitting down, maybe mail or sorting photos, etc. Then if you

aren't wiped out, you can try mopping another room. Then sit down

and fold laundry. You get the picture...

This method has enabled me to manage to be somewhat active the last

year without causing a major flare. It's not so bad compared to the

total incapacitation you get if you overdo!

best regards,

sherry z