Facet joint arthritis

Tatie
Tatie Online Community Member Posts: 2 Listener
edited July 2024 in Housing and independent living
Hi I have facet joint arthritis along with arthritis in my knees and hip. I'm in constant pain and walking is almost impossible due to the pain. I have to use a wheelchair while out and crutches around the house and to and from the car. I hate being this person. I hate my body. I'm very overweight and apart from pain meds there's nothing the drs can do for me due to my weight. But it's not that easy to lose it. Does anyone have any hints, tips or any advice please? Many thanks 

Comments

  • Jean_OT
    Jean_OT Online Community Member Posts: 511 Empowering
    Hi @Tatie

    Sorry to hear of the difficulties that you are experiencing.

    If the doctor's have identified that your weight is a barrier to receiving other medical care, are they willing to do anything to support you with losing weight? It might be worth asking your GP if they can refer you to an NHS dietitian.

    In some areas GP's have the ability to do 'social prescribing' this might mean something like arranging for you to have a free membership of a weight watchers type group. 

    Obviously it can be very difficult to exercise when any movement causes pain so  your weight loss focus may need to be changing your diet rather than trying to burn off calories with exercise.  However, if you can bear to increase your activity level it may be beneficial physically and emotionally. Some people find swimming is the best thing and some pools have specialist sessions for disabled people. GP referrals to Hydrotherapy and Physiotherapy would be ideal, but also very hard to get in most areas.

    Websites like "My Fitness Pal"  have free diet and exercise trackers that some people find helpful to record their daily progress and gain insight into additional changes they could make. Such trackers also provide useful data to share with medical professionals so that you can demonstrate that you are motivated and wanting to change things, if professionals know you are motivated they may be more forthcoming with referrals which will support you making further progress.

    Just knowing that other people are interested and 'have your back' can sometimes make a big difference. Maybe you could write a blog to chart your progress, I'm sure that lots of folks on here would be inspired by that and cheer you on!

    Don't feel that you have to rush to do everything at once, it is ok to take tiny steps as long as they are in the right direction, they are still taking you closer to your goal. You are human so it is almost inevitable that you will have days when you didn't stick to your intentions, don't loss heart, just get back on the right path as soon as you can.

    Best Wishes

    Jean      

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