Arthritis - Coping With A Chronic Condition

By editor | July 14, 2007

“Chronic” is a technical-sounding word with a lot of personal impact. According to one dictionary definition, chronic means constantly weakning, or troubling. If you have a chronic form of arthritis-most often that’s an inflammatory type such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus it’s the suggestion of constant in “chronic” that can wear you down. But the real picture is not as bleak as it sounds.

With chronic arthritis, you may find at first that what’s hardest to deal with isn’t the physical pain but rather the emotional consequences it can bring. You may fear that chronic means you’ll never experience any relief. Like many others in your situation, you may find yourself struggling with thoughts like these:

The fact is, however, that most of these fears are never realized. You may have a chronic condition that requires a new kind of awareness and, yes, in that case it is some-thing you will need to pay attention to for the rest of your life. But chronic doesn’t have to mean constant; most types of chronic arthritis flare up now and then but don’t cause relentless pain every day.

When you’re hurting and searching for relief, it’s easy to become discouraged. But hang in there. It’s important to understand that because of the nature of chronic arthritis, medical treatment is based on a trial and error approach. So, although there are many effective medicines and treatments for pain, it takes time to find the combination that’s effective for you. Your doctor may have to try you on several different drugs, for several months each, for example. And even though it’s hard to wait for the most effective relief, this trial and error approach is proper treatment. Have faith in the process, and realize that though the wait may be frustrating, it will pay off in the end.

And many kinds of more immediate practical help are available. There are effective physical treatments for pain, therapists who can help you modify your home or work-place so maneuvering is easier, support groups so you’ll know you’re not alone, and abundant gadgets and gizmos and clever ideas to help you cope more easily.

In the great majority of cases, people with chronic arthritis continue to live enjoyable, fulfilling lives that may be modified in some ways but are no less meaningful. You can become resigned to the condition but never resign from life.


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Topics: Arthritis |

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