Back on track

After weeks of missing exercises and supplements I am almost back on track entirely. This last week I did the Rx exercises M, W, F and did 30-min aerobic activities T, Th, S. I took glucosamine every day. I have, however, run out of ginger.

After those days of excruciating pain in the mornings I am back to more of a discomfort, a manageable pain in the morning. Perhaps it was good to go off for a bit to find that this program is helping. It is a little disconcerting to suspect that it is the regular maintenance of these activities that keeps it working. In other words, I doubt there have been any meaningful physical changes that are longer-term. I wish there were a way to test.

My 30-minute exercises tended to be less painful than before. Because I am just getting back into this, though, I can't count that as a done deal. I have to see if it keeps up. It is the roller-coaster nature of this condition that makes it hard for me to sift through what's working and what isn't. What I can tell right now is this: I have not lost weight and I have stopped taking ginger and still I am experiencing less pain. This suggests that there may actually be some longer-term effects or that the glucosamine and exercises alone are effective.

One more thing I am doing: I have been a vegetarian for almost 25 years. Most of that time I have not been vegan. In the last several months I have moved more toward veganism and right now am just about there. Very few exceptions. The occasional ice cream treat. I am wondering if the diminishing of pain might be related to the diminishing of high-fat dairy products, like cheese. I looked in the Arthritis Rx book and saw dairy products on the inflammatory foods list (except low-fat). So perhaps I am onto something here. Doing a better job on the diet can reap rewards.

testing, testing

Over the past several weeks I fell off the program. I was traveling and missed several days of exercises and then started missing days of glucosamine and ginger as well. Interestingly, the inflammation in my knee really kicked up and I have had some truly awful mornings. Waking up and putting my feet on the floor and standing up has been excruciating.

So on Monday I got back on track. Exercise and supplements both. And I am already starting to feel less pain.

Still not with it

I am on the road. I have been since June 10. Some of the time I have done everything in the program, other times I have not. I usually manage the 30-minute exercises at least three times a week and I always get to the supplements but I don't always get to the specific arthritis exercises. Today I did, after a gap of a week or so.

I managed a hike in Mount Charleston that took almost two hours, fairly steep, with no ill effects. I also hiked in Cedar Breaks, Utah, two miles that went up and down and was at a high altitude - over 10,000 feet above sea level. I noticed the change in elevation but it was also clear just how out of shape I am. Still! The only after-effects have been a bit more stiffness for the following couple of days.

It's a long process for me, this getting rid of the pain, but I feel the progress.

Not with it

This week has been a bad one in that I haven't done all of the exercise required in this program. It is my last week in my old house and I have felt like I can give myself a break.

Last night, however, was a "riser rehearsal" in the performing arts center. We were on the risers for over an hour, during which time I briefly leaned and "sat" on one of the bars behind me a few times. Mostly, though, I was standing like everybody else. The good news is that although it was uncomfortable I was not in much pain. Actually, I can't say I was in pain at all, just discomfort. That's distinctly different from the last time I had to do a riser rehearsal. I usually start feeling pain almost immediately and just do whatever I can to get through it, mostly by trying to focus on the music and exclude everything else.

We were fortunate that we were done earlier than usual. I was expecting a three-hour rehearsal, total, and was certainly not looking forward to it. But we got loose early because the orchestra had to rehearse a concerto.

pain

I may have turned a corner. I have noticed an overall decrease in pain in my knees, and the pain I've been getting in my right leg and hip has diminished as well. I feel like I can walk with less of a feeling of stiffness in my legs, although I still have some trouble with the rest of my body.

I think if I lose weight I will notice a huge difference.

Water, water everywhere

Today I tried out an aqua aerobics class. I wore my water socks because I remembered that the last time I had tried one of these classes I kept losing my balance. I figured those things would grip the floor of the pool better than my bare feet.

They did, but it still felt awkward to me. What's odd is that I cannot see, for the most part, what others are doing in the pool, and I can't usually follow the teacher with anything like a good rhythm. So I felt like I was flubbing a lot but couldn't really tell.

A lot of the moves also hurt my knees and that discouraged me. But by the end they felt okay, and I figure it may just be that they are needing to get used to stresses from different directions. It didn't feel like we were doing anything particularly aerobic, although the moves clearly were. Mild aerobic activity, I guess you'd call it. And that's not so different from walking.

In the last third of the class we used the "noodles" to do some kinds of strength training. I rather enjoyed that.

When the class was done I headed for the spa. It's a terrific one. The jets are strong, felt like wonderful fingers massaging me, and the water temperature is perfect. The spa is large enough for several people, and there do tend to be people in there a lot of the time. Maybe the next time I'll also hit the sauna or steam room. Might as well get full benefit of being there.

I think I will continue to do these classes about once a week, more maybe. That will fulfill one of my aerobic days. Perhaps these classes will also strengthen my arms a bit, which will benefit my swimming when I do that.

It's a change

The pain in my right leg and hip have overtaken, for the most part, pain in my left knee. I wonder if I have made enough of a difference in knee pain to have it take a back seat to pain I didn't even notice before, or noticed rarely.

Perhaps the program I am following works well for my knees but needs something extra for my hips. There is a section at the end of the book that makes recommendations on various types of arthritis and offers additional treatment for them. I will look to see if there are specific recommendations for what I am now experiencing.