Dealing with questions and comments
Entering the end of my firat year living with AF and the first holiday season. Lots of events with acquaintances or people I don't really know at all. I'm sure I'm not the only one. So how do you deal with the intrusive questions and comments?
I can't wear heels anymore. If I stand too long, I'm stiff and in pain, if I sit too long I'm stiff and in pain. My limping gait is fairly obvious. Prompting many of the inquiries.
I have the basic answer for anybody who asks (an autoimmune reaction to my knee replacement surgery, where my body doesn't know to stop making scar tissue). And last week at a party, I basically told the person who tried to equate my AF with having received the covid shot to walk away from me immediately!
But I am so tired of people either telling me they are sure it will get better and I'll be fine in six months or saying that I am still luckier then others.
I am still trying to figure out what this means for my life. I can tell talking about a life-changing diagnosis can make people uncomfortable and prompt some of the responses. How do others here deal with the questions - well meaning or not?
Dear Erika,
I had my knee opeeration 5 years ago and it took me more than 6 months to even become aware of what my body was doing. And that is only because I found Dr. Usher's thesis on arthrofibrosis. Nobody had heard of it and I was constantly given the wrong exercises which made my condition worse. Since then Dr. Usher has made the problem much more understandable and helped many people with her advice on the arthrofibrosis.info website.
So, i have been kiving with Arthrofibrosis in my knee for 5 years now. It has gotten much better after I took better care never to over-stress my knee.
Each time I do too much it hurts again. The pain never really goes away, but I can live with it and have many good days.
Gentle walking helps maintain flexibility but resting is also important as soon as your knee "acts up". When t really hurts I use Voltaren on it and rest.
If people ask about my knee I tell them about Arthrofibrosis to make the condition more recognizable. The problem is, that very few doctors as yet know about!
So, the more people become aware of it the better.
I have also found , thatany other jint operation cann bring it about: I had a trigger finger operated on and again developed Arthjrofibrosis in the finger joint!
But I was aware of it early enough to catch it.
Wishing you all the best,
Maria, Canada.