Not many people are aware of this, but I suffer from arthritis, both osteo and rheumatoid. One’s genetic, the other acquired through many years of very hard labour working in stables and accentuated by horse-riding mishaps. Most of the time the pain is manageable, but sometimes it can take over and there is nothing to be done but simply dealing with it.
Sometimes the aching is so bad I lie awake at night and just remember the pain-free days of my youth. Sometimes the pain is so sharp that all I can do is stop and try to breathe through it. But, like most things in life, it passes, and a new day dawns.
And then sometimes you just get knocked on your ass and are forced to stop and do nothing. Three weeks ago my knee went out, and I ignored it, simply bandaging it up and getting on with stuff (including trying to teach dance classes – not recommended!). Then last week my back went out, again, on top of the arthritis pain and I was forced to stop, to be still, to listen to my body and manage my energy levels.
This time of year we can run around like lunatics, trying to get everything done. And then that big boot of fate comes crashing down Monty Pythonesque, putting a stop to the madness. All I can say is that this time, despite the pain and days of not being able to move, it proved to be a valuable and incredibly positive lesson.
For what did I do when I was forced to sit still, to not move about? Well, a book popped out. Yes, a book! I can’t wait to share with you all some more about it. It’s quite close to my heart, containing 25 years of experience and some very personal and unforgettable moments.
In the meantime, my herbal potions of nettle, chickweed and birch leaves are doing a good job at keeping the arthritis pain down, and the back is now slowly starting to heal. Slowly, one day at a time, and who knows what tomorrow may bring? Another book perhaps???
Down the Forest Path 
Looking forward to the new book, Joanna. Feel better!
Thanks, Bee! 🙂
I am glad for you that you were able to use the time, or maybe the time used you, to discover another book. I trust that your pain is easing now. xx
I love that idea 🙂 Yes, it’s getting better each day.
I do so identify with your experience. Some years ago my ‘frenetic’ life caught up with me and one evening getting up from the sofa I passed out – fell – with the result I broke the top of my right femur resulting in not being able to walk for nearly 3 months. I was dependent on a helper for everything – not something I accepted very easily – but of course there is always a lesson to learn and for me it was learning to let go, not always be in control and just stop at times and rest. Well, I obviously didn’t learn well enough because two years almost to the day I fell again this time breaking my left hip! I still find it hard to accept I have limits of energy but I am working at it. Stay well. xx
Yikes! Yes, accepting limits I think here is key. The older I get, the more I have to work on this 😉 We can but try our best to remember to take care of ourselves, and to know our limits, while still reaching for the skies. x
Hope you recover soon Joanna, I know your pain, I have osteoarthritis, in right wrist, back and knees, mind you Iam nearly 67! Do you drink those herbs, or make a balm from them?
Blessed Be
Gwen
Hi Gwen, I drink it in a tea, three cups a day. Good things is, nettle and chickweed are also very good for allergies, so it’s doubly good at this time of year with the pollen so high 🙂