Living with arthritis, or almost any chronic condition that is, it is very often that we here something like "It's just a bit of pain in your joints, get on with it". But the question we are exploring today is to see if it is just a bit of physical pain we encounter, or is there a lot more to discuss mentally and emotionally? We as chronic illness sufferers know this answer, but read on as you may be able to relate to some things in this article, and for those lucky enough not to suffer with chronic illness, this blog post should hopefully help to educate you further!
To get a true answer to the question, I got in touch with fellow JIA (Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis) sufferer Taran, who kindly shared his experiences with me. Taran has Enthesitis related arthritis, first diagnosed at the age of 14 in 2021. Now 17, he looks to help raise awareness when he can, being involved in numerous projects.
I first asked Taran to choose 3 words to describe how he felt when he first started getting symptoms - before he was even diagnosed. He chose the words annoyed, angry and confused, which I'm sure many others would agree are a good selection to at least attempt to try explain the unfathomable frustration felt due to aggressive symptoms with no cause at the time. So even before getting diagnosed with arthritis, we as victims to the cruel disease are likely already experience poor mental health.
Taran went on to say his mental health has "improved so much" since first being diagnosed, when everything was so new and seemed impossible to conquer. Now having a diagnosis, Taran has said he received lots of help from his paediatric rheumatologist and nurses, teaching him how to manage his symptoms, giving steroid injections as well use of the biologic known as Humira. He went on to add at the end "I still haven't accepted this condition fully, but I don't let it halt me in achieving my goals in life." It is clear that there is a clear correlation between the severity of symptoms, and the state of one's mental health, and it doesn't take a genius to work out that they are linked. That's why with fantastic healthcare professionals providing helpful medications to relieve our symptoms, we can look forward to brighter days and "achieving our goals"!
I felt it was important to talk about how Taran himself improved his own mental health, of which he spoke lots about staying fit and healthy doing something he enjoyed. After having a disappointing result meaning he couldn't pursue a passion for athletics, he then went on to find a love for power lifting, of which he said ''it has helped my joints function tremendously, and comes with the psychological benefits too". As Taran so perfectly put it, exercise does wonders for the joints, and happy joints equal to a happy mind! On top of having improved joints which help boost your mental health, exercise also releases endorphins and serotonin, further enhancing an excellent mental health.
So whether it be arthritis, or in fact any chronic illness, getting out and moving will definitely have a positive effect on you. However despite it being the obvious this can often be so hard to achieve, thanks to fatigue, infection and doubt. I know I was always so worried to start going to the gym out of fear of being judged, as well as fear of letting myself down, thinking I wouldn't be able to do anything due to limitations in my joints. However, I finally took the leap, and now actually enjoy going, having lots of fun and feeling comfortable and confident in my body. If you are thinking of going, I would definitely recommend going with friends, as I always come out of the gym feeling refreshed and better in myself.
Finally, Taran spoke about getting called names like "old man" and "pensioner", due to the very damaging myth that "young people can't get arthritis". This as a result could also result in a damaged mental health, even if it might seem like a "joke" to others. I think this is important to remember as it's not just the direct effect of our arthritis i.e. painful joints that damages our mental health, but also the indirect effects like people name calling or doubting us.
A huge thank you to Taran for giving his time to feature in this blog. If you too would like to share your experience and help ''debunk'' another ''myth'', please do get in touch with me.
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