The persistent buzzing of the clock radio dragged Roberta from a deep sleep. She rolled over and hunted for the snooze button but it was too late. She was awake now. Might as well get up. Monday. The start of another week.
Roberta rolled out of bed, slid her feet into a pair of slippers and put on her robe. She stumbled the first few steps as she headed for the kitchen. After about five or six steps, she hit a small puddle. The splash surprised her. She then began to worry. She was in the living room. She flipped on the light to discover a large puddle of water. As she stared at it, she saw a drop of water hit the puddle making a small splash. She slowly looked up and there above her, on the ceiling, was a large wet area. Great. A leak. Just great.
Roberta went through her usual routine to get ready for work all the while thinking about how she was going to get the leak fixed. I'll have to call a roofing company today. Maybe they can come on Saturday. I can't deal with it this week. But, man, the carpet will be soaked. Aghh. Maybe I can switch some of my meetings. She loaded her car with her briefcase and workout bag, grabbed a cup of coffee to go and slid into the driver's seat of her Mercedes 320E. The car purred as she backed out of the garage. Roberta turned the corner and glanced back at her house in horror. Oh my God! This can't be my house! This is a shack! This can't be right!
What Roberta saw was not the brick, one story house with a tile roof and well manicured front lawn. She saw a crumbling, decaying structure leaning heavily to the right whose roof was missing shingles over her living room. The windows were cracked. The crooked front door was partially open. Roberta's house had changed over night. She woke up that Monday morning in a different house.
This is what it feels like to people who have osteoarthritis. One day you wake up in a different body. Your knee hurts or maybe its your hip or your back. And it hurts a lot. Everything was just fine yesterday and the day before. But today, you woke up in a different house. What happened? I didn't do anything! How can this be?
The natural first response is denial. It'll go away. But, it doesn't. Next, comes a bad case of the blues. I want my old house back. I liked the crisp, clean exterior and I liked the way the door sounded when I closed it. I don't like this house! You can always move out of an old, run down house and buy something else. But, you cannot move out of your body. And just like a house in disrepair, you have to do a lot of work to get it back into shape. Yes, you can tack some shingles down to fix the leak, re-hang the front door and try a fresh coat of paint to spruce it up. But inside things are falling apart. The exterior is just a representation of the interior. However it is possible to put an old house back in working order and fall in love with it all over again.
When you discover your joints are not as healthy as they once were and you can’t do the activities you love, its normal to feel angry. And when you're told there is nothing you can do about it; that you will just have to live with it, you may become depressed. These two emotions, anger and depression, suck you into a deep, dark lonely hole. These two are not friends of yours. You don’t want to spend time with them. But, you see no way out and no end in sight. Why wouldn't you be depressed?
But, here is the truth. If you have osteoarthritis, there is a lot you can do about it. In some cases, you can restore the entire spectrum of function you once enjoyed. But, it comes at a price. The price is persistence. You can improve the health of your cartilage but you must do it just like you renovate a house; a little every day. Like a major overhaul on a historical landmark, it takes time: 2-5 years.
You may be thinking, Two to five years! I can't spend that kind of time! I have things to do. I'm too busy for that! But once again, here's the truth. You are your most valuable asset. You. Your mind, your body and your spirit. Just start today. Do one thing for your joints. And tomorrow do one more thing. Major change comes from doing small things frequently. And if you want to change your life, you must change what you do each day.
What's wrong with today?
Make today count.
Doug Kelsey
Author. Teacher. Therapist.
