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+-- Forum: General (https://arthritisforum.org/Forum-General)
+--- Forum: Introduce Yourself (https://arthritisforum.org/Forum-Introduce-Yourself)
+--- Thread: KeithD (/Thread-KeithD)
KeithD - KeithD - 07-02-2023
Hi Everyone.
I am the owner of this site, and set it up to pass on information about various forms of arthritis. The disease can be painful, complicated, and for some, lonely. My aim is to offer a way for people to communicate with each other. Whether that is for help, or just for general chat.
I run other forums, a couple of them are now 22+ years old, with millions of posts. I don't do them to make money, I put my time and effort in them to help people. I do other things on the internet to pay my way.
I'm from Liverpool, UK, but have lived in Wales for half my life. Being in the countryside, the fresh air is a great help to my illness.
Talking of my illness, I was diagnosed in 1986 with reactive arthritis. Since then, it has morphed in to osteoarthritis, rheumatoid, and ankylosing spondylitis. I have been on numerous NSAIDs over the years, trying ones my GP hadn't even heard of. They usually work for a few years, and then stop. I then have to go through the hassle of finding another one that works well.
These days, I don't usually use painkillers. Which is different from my first few years, when I would be eating them like sweets. Pain management has been more studied since the 80's, and certain lifestyle changes can make a difference. One hour in a jacuzzi a day, a decent NSAID, a good lever of vitamins, and light exercise. The latter being 10-20 minutes a day on an exercise bike, while watching a video of someone else cycling. It is a great feeling reaching the top of the Alps!
Yes, I still have bad periods/days, but having had arthritis so long, it is all about managing it, and getting on with life.
Please feel free to join in the forum. It is here for you, after all.