Share your hopes and dreams

Hello and good morning or evening where ever you are!
How is everyone? I wanted to check in and see how things are going? I know the world has been a scary pace these past few months, well since Dec 31st, 2019, but let us share some good news, hopes, and dreams. Sometimes a positive mindset can really help.

I am doing well. We are able to venture out a bit since things are starting to open up here in Texas, USA. My son who is 9 still misses his friends but we are able to hike and go walking. Soon I will take a trip to Florida to see my grandparents. They are doing well but have been isolated a long time and I am worried about them. My husband is a pharmacist, so essential, and he has worked a lot and is very stressed out.
My personally I am doing good. I saw my dermatologist because with all the stress my psoriasis came back, its still here. Then I saw my rheumy who said things looked so good that I have been put on ā€œas neededā€ meaning no follow up appointments unless it is needed. I am so pumped about that!! The last two years have been amazing for me. I focused more on my health and nutrition. We eat heathy, add more plants into our diet, take fruit + veggies capsules, and exercise more. I also started growing 50% of my own produce on hydroponic gardens in my backyard. That way I know exactly where my food is coming from and itā€™s loaded with nutrients. Plus I have started to work on me and how I can better improve my thoughts. I tend to be more pessimistic than most so I am hoping this really helps. I still have pain from time to time that I need medication for but other than that I am off all my meds, except as needed creams. I am so proud of myself!

My dream right now is to buy and RV, one of those travel trailer for camping, with the income I make from my business. So far so good! We have started looking into different models we like and will be able to buy one very soon. I am so excited! I am not a fan of camping but my husband and son love it, this way we can make memories together! So many trips to come!

Ok, tell me about you!

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Thatā€™s just amazing to hear how well things are going for you! Weā€™re still fairly shut down in my part of New York, but weā€™re making progress. Things were pretty dire here for a while, especially in the city. It was pretty scary, so weā€™re in no rush to get out and about.

We havenā€™t been able to see my parents, who are about 3 hours away, but weā€™re hoping to see them sometime this summer. Iā€™ll be having surgery next week, so Iā€™ll be pretty limited for much of the summer. Itā€™s a shame, but itā€™s not like I was able to go hiking, biking, etc, in my current condition, so Iā€™m looking forward to improvement. My daughter works full time at a grocery store, and is graduating from high school soon, so weā€™re excited about that. And my 13 year old is keeping busy with his new basketball hoop.

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I would still be very cautious in NY too. I dont blame you for that. What surgery are you having?
A trip to your parents will be just what you need, where do they live? Country or city?

congrats to your daughter on graduating! Good luck with basketball! Iā€™m a shorty.

I broke a few bones in the late year in my feet. One healed on its own (mostly), my big toe is finishing healing with the use of a bone stimulator, and the fourth metatarsal isnā€™t healing at all. So I broke it last October, and now theyā€™ll fix it, involving opening up the fracture and getting it ready, packing it with bone, and slapping a plate on it. Itā€™s the 6 weeks of non weight bearing that Iā€™m dreading. But my family is home, Iā€™ve been gathering up all sorts of stuff, and will hopefully get a few meals from my Temple and friends.

Hereā€™s a public service announcement. The local ambulance Corp usually has a loan closet. I got to go ā€œshoppingā€ today, and picked up an extra toilet thing with bars to help me get up off the toilet, and a shower chair which will also help me get out of the bath. Lots of crutches, wheelchairs, etc. All free to borrow.

I love this post. Iā€™m an optimist by nature which sadly means I get disappointed a lot! :joy:

Iā€™m doing pretty good too really. Iā€™m in the UK medically classified as needing to ā€˜isolateā€™ but not on the government list of ā€˜shieldersā€™. That basically means shield anyway. Throughout our lockdown we had the use of a private field to exercise our dog which is huge and right on top of the Downs with an amazing view. That helped. My partnerā€™s family also owns 120 acres of farmland around 30 miles away which we visited once a week for simply glorious isolation on ā€˜essential farming workā€™ of course. My partner fixed fencing etc and I walked our dog, sat in a chair and read a book and watched nature to include deer spotting and foxes chasing rabbits. Essential maintenance of my sanity I can tell you. Iā€™m not a camping person either but weā€™re seriously considering buying a tent plus decent blow up beds and spending weekends camping there in the summer.

Otherwise Iā€™ve had the joys of online grocery shopping limited by the supermarket to once a week which has proved challenging since Iā€™m not one of those who grocery shops like that. But living rurally has its advantages as itā€™s easier to access local food producers and of course itā€™s not city living. Iā€™m amazingly lucky to be able to work from home and have done so throughout.

So hopes and dreams - we had a holiday booked for April on our first ever canal boat holiday. That now awaits us next April. I do like looking forward to things. We have another holiday booked for the end of September in the Lake District. Itā€™s looking increasingly likely we might be able to go on that one. Again itā€™s an area of spendid isolation if you keep away from the tourist hotspots and simply being somewhere different will be heaven.

Cosentyx is proving good for my PsA. Yes I still have some issues and still need anti-inflammatories and pain relief for that. But I have capacity to walk my dog and once I have that - Iā€™m usually doing good emotionally too.

Walking the dog has been challenging too as the entire world seemed to have gone out walking when they never did so before. So there were simply too many people about. Now that things are opening up slowly, there are less people about so I can get out of my gorgeous field and go for a proper walk again. Sadly that still has to be done around 6.30am which is itself challenging for us PsA sufferers but we nonetheless doing well on it. I am thriving on more exercise and the dog who always loved a post breakfast nap has risen to the challenge admirably.

I keep my hopes and dreams fairly small as the best lesson PsA has taught me is perpertually aim to live in the now. The ā€˜nowā€™ today is pretty good so Iā€™m happy.

@Stoney the very best of luck with your surgery. It sounds like you can access the aids youā€™ll need too. Some sort of table which attaches to your wheelchair is good too as it means you can bring the cup of coffee or whatever to where you want to drink it. Alternatively use flasks and lidded things. The most frustrating thing about being non-weightbearing is your inability to carry food and drinks to the sofa on your own. Itā€™s totally infuriating so plan to be able to do that.

Hey @amielynn38! Wonderful to see you again and to hear you sounding so cheery & optimistic!

As it happens weā€™re planning to go camping too after years of thinking that perhaps those days were over. In fact, thatā€™s what we would have been doing last month but something or other intervened.

What I want most is to see my adult kids & my friends again without social distancing. The first person who comes to stay with us when restrictions are eased will be treated like royalty! A decent cup of coffee at a pavement caf wouldnā€™t go amiss either.

I also want to retain something from all of this ā€¦ itā€™s possible the lockdown etc. has taught me something about priorities.

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It sounds like having the dog has been really good for you. Weā€™ve found the same problem with the bike path near us, that itā€™s been very crowded with all of the people who suddenly have time to be out on it. Even my neighborhood streets have been crowded at times, and weā€™ve found that people are driving here to take a walk. Itā€™s a bit odd.

I think the knee scooter will be my best friend. Iā€™m hoping to avoid a wheelchair and probably can, because my area wonā€™t be in phase 4, the most open, until mid July anyway. I think that the physical therapy office should be open by the time the cast comes off.

We have been very fortunate in Australia, with the combination of early lockdowns and Low numbers, and most people living in suburbia (400 -600 sq m blocks), so really able to go for a walk around the block or suburb and see only a few people. Because I always have walked my dog at the same time each day for the last two years, it was really noticeable to me all the people out walking that werenā€™t normally. Thatā€™s pretty much stopped now.

Iā€™m looking forward to seeing my sister (Who I havenā€™t seen in months and would normally see a lot more regularly) tomorrow for my birthday. If we can get a seat somewhere In a restaurant (we have a seat shortage as they are allowed to reopen, but only 20 people at a time), then weā€™ll Have lunch out, which I havenā€™t done since February I think.

In a few weeks, Iā€™ll see my mum, which will be great too. I know sheā€™s found it hard to be at home alone.

Later in the year, I hope they open the state borders up and Iā€™ll go to Tasmania - itā€™s the only state Iā€™ve never been to and has some beautiful natural areas Iā€™m told.

And hopefully Iā€™ll get rid of my very persistent flare (or possibly medication failureā€¦).

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Sad to hear this.

Just brilliant - that will help enormously as the wheel chair or crutches can get so frustrating if you need to carry anything from one place to the other!

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@Stoney
That is great! I am glad you have family and resources to help you! Good
luck with your surgery. I guess this is the best time to be forced to
stay home and recover!

@Poo_therapy
A Farm house sounds lovely!! Wow!! I would go there and stay there.

I have always wanted to take a river boat cruise! Thatā€™s great you were
able to reschedule it. I think by September you will be ok, especially
if you are still isolated.

I havenā€™t heard of Cosentyx, glad its working for you!

6:30am is a hard time to get out, I agree but at least you are able to
get out and your are doing it! Thatā€™s wonderful!

Yes, live today and in the now. It is hard when people ask me for big
picture dreams, and I sayā€¦ be able to walk around the block at a
steady pace! Hahaha

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Hey Sybil!!
Good to hear from you too!
Glad you are going camping again. I love being outside and I love the
time away from my phone and computer. it really clears my head! Camping
in the summer is easier since I am not cold and stiff.

I agree!! Seeing friends would be so nice. itā€™s been hard for me too. No
one is out and we homeschool, no friends for my son wither.

100% agree priorities!

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@Jen75

Yes, we saw so many people out walking but it has slowed down. Of course
the heat is upon us in Texas!

Happy birthday!!! I am glad you are seeing your sister. Wow, human
contact and eating out! Thats big. Enjoy the heck out of it.

Wow, when you go to Tasmania post some pictures here. I would love to
see it.

Feel better and take care of yourself. Flares are no joke.

Thanks Poo. There seems to be a lot going on in my body right now. Reflecting on it, my silver lining from Coronavirus is that Iā€™m using the drop in business from COVID-19 as an excuse to take self-funded long-service leave and give my body every fighting chance, it could use all the help it can get at the moment :joy:

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Thanks Amielynn, yes today will be exciting - even if we have to get takeaway and sit on a nearby beach - we are very lucky here. I often wonder how my 10year old daughter will remember this, and whether that will be totally different to a child in a hard hit area.

Surgery is tough but Iā€™m so glad you are looking forward to some improvement, and also glad the PT will likely be open when you need it, and youā€™ve got all those resources you can borrow.

Hopefully by the time things open up fully, youā€™ll have a foot thatā€™s looking for places to walk!

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@jen75
I hope you had a great birthday!!

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Thanks so much Amielynn, it was so fantastic to spend the day with my sister - I am so grateful to be able to do that, and looking forward to the hope of a vacccine so we can all spend time with family again soon :grin:

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Delighted you had a lovely birthday!

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