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I was an environmental biologist, doing pretty physical work and using painkillers just to keep going. Eventually I just ground to a halt. I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis.
At my worst, I couldn’t walk more than 70 yards without using a stick. I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t stand for long and I was unable to bend over.
I had my first hip replacement at 43, which is pretty young.
Making life easier
I really enjoy DIY. In fact I built a couple of houses and did a barn conversion before I was diagnosed. I can do much less nowadays, but I still enjoy it. I’ve invested wisely in tools which take a lot of the labour out of the work.
The same goes for gardening – I’ve just had to modify a bit. My garden is easy to tend. I don’t have flowerbeds because weeding just isn’t possible for me anymore. I do have a raised vegetable patch, so I can tend my vegetables from a seated position.
Attitude is important
I think attitude affects everything: diet, exercise, having fun.
I’m a naturally positive person, but learning to live with arthritis is not easy. Sometimes you just think you have to laugh or weep, and I’ve tried to keep a sense of humour.
I suppose I’ve developed a wry take on life and its difficulties. The nature of arthritis is that it comes, but then it does also go. It won’t be like that all the time, you just have to roll with the punches.
Keeping a social life going
My social life ground to a halt because of my arthritis. Even now the worst thing imaginable is long periods of standing still. I sometimes bring a chair with me, just in case.
I’ve found that friends who don’t have experience of chronic pain try to be sympathetic, but they can’t understand what it is like to be in pain for days, weeks even. With friends who also have a chronic condition we all understand each other – so leaving a party early needs no explanation.
David Strutt is from Hampshire. He was 40 when we was diagnosed with osteoarthritis
