Thriving With Rheumatoid Arthritis

 Thriving With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Helen Ward Day, BellaLuna Productions LLC, 2021

You have just been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Now what do you do?

There will be days when you are full of energy. There will also be days when your body says "Nope. Not today." It is possible to do many of the things you used to do, just not at the same speed or intensity.

When cleaning your house, maybe you were able to declutter, rearrange and deep clean an entire room in a morning. Now, with RA, you might have to limit yourself to doing just your closet, or just a couple of drawers in your dresser, in an entire day. If you have a heavy upright vacuum cleaner, get a lighter, cordless model. No one will notice, or care, if you vacuum your carpet every month, instead of every week. When your body says "Rest," do it.

In the kitchen, move things around so that the things that are used more often are more accessible. Get an anti-fatigue mat if you plan on lots of standing. If you are renovating your kitchen, consider raising the height of the counter (if it helps).

When doing the laundry, consider a rolling laundry basket. Get a pair of tongs or grippers to get the clothes off the floor. Think about getting a low seat or step stool to prevent bending over to get clothes out of your front-loading dryer.

Travel is still very possible, with plenty of rest periods. Consider a three-legged cane that includes a small seat, for when no seating is available. Of course, carry all your medications with you on the plane. Make sure that your suitcase has wheels. It my be disconcerting to buy items intended to make things easier for the elderly, if you have not yet reached that age. If it makes RA easier for you to deal with, it's worth it.

This is an excellent one-stop resource for anyone with rheumatoid arthritis. It also includes many websites for the items mentioned in the book. It is possible to live a generally normal life with RA; this book will help a lot.