Anne's story – Let’s be honest about the hidden impact of arthritis

Anne Kearl, 55, was first diagnosed with osteoarthritis in her spine twenty years ago. Chronic back and neck pain affect every aspect of her life, contributing to her giving up work aged 52, but this impact is often hidden and rarely understood by others. This is something Anne believes needs to change."Pain is normal to me. It’s always there. I may paint a smile on my face, but I'll be hurting all over. You get used to it, but it does grind you down. It’s had a big impact on my mental health; pain and depression feed off each other and in my experience, it’s hard to separate them out a lot of the time. I never know when I wake up if I’m going to have a good day or a‘just got to get through it’ day. That’s the reality for me of living with arthritis."But, because arthritis is invisible and because I don’t want people to think I'm being grumpy and making a fuss, people other than my family don’t see the reality. When friends and colleagues can’t physically see anything wrong with you, they assume you’re OK and often I let people think that rather than be honest about my arthritis."For example, this week my husband and I are meeting up with friends for the day. I’ll probably put a lovely photo on Facebook of us out having fun. What people won’t see is the impact that one day out will have on the rest of the week. I'll have to rest for two days beforehand, so I don’t tire myself out before I go. ...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news