GARDENING WITH ARTHRITIS TIPS HERE

I developed psoriatic arthritis (PsA) at about 17. Initially the arthritis just affected my feet and was bearable with painkillers.

10 years on it has much more of an impact on my life.

There’s a lot of support and advice on the internet, especially through PHO

I want to carry on leading as normal a life as I can and try to stay positive and upbeat as much as possible.

Humira – my current medication, works the best so far. Although this brings its own concerns for me, it’s a pretty serious biological medicine and relatively new, so I don’t know what the long term effects of it are, plus the side effects list is long and a bit scary to read!

However it has given me my life back so I consider this trade off is well worth it. It has meant that I have been able to return to work (on a part time basis) and get back into gardening, which have both been essential to my well being.

I’ve had to modify the way I do some things but I get a lot of satisfaction from pushing myself to achieve something I wouldn’t have been able to do just 2 years ago.

Blueberries flowering and apples setting in the circle, broadbeans and salad back right and raspberries flowering near trellis, none of this would be possible for me to do 2 years ago

This plot was just weeds all over 2 years ago, OH helped me with raised beds and top soil.

I try not to take the little things for granted, I’m just glad to be here and to be active!

I don’t want PsA to dictate how I live my life or make decisions for me but I have to pick my battles. I am guilty of trying to take on too much and paying for it in my joints afterwards, so pacing myself is essential. – See Gardening with Arthritis tips

I’ll never run a marathon but even as a child I was allergic to P.E, so to be honest, I was never particularly likely to do that anyway

I have recently started a writing course (with the plan being to write from home instead of going out to proper work!) through the Writer’s Bureau, which is going well so far, and I have just had my first ‘proper article‘ published which has made me very proud.

I think without this condition and the difficulties it has caused me, I wouldn’t have the outlook on life that I have, and I guess that’s the ultimate trade-off of all.