Living with Psoriatic Arthritis has its challenges. For me these days, it's being off of all PsA meds while undergoing diagnosis for neurological issues. I find that the worse my health gets, the more my sense of humor kicks in. It has to, really, or I'd completely lose my mind!
I'm so thankful for my five amazing kids who are just as content to snuggle and read books or watch a movie as they are to explore a museum or science center...and who share my sense of humor. Like the time my legs collapsed as I was getting out of bed and I couldn't get off the floor for a while. In the beginning it was because my legs didn't work. After a few minutes, it was because I was laughing so hard as my kids tried to invent ways to get me to the bathroom, which included everything from building a travois to calling in firefighters. We laughed even harder when I mentioned that laughing wasn't good for someone in my condition...that is, needing to use the restroom!
How does your sense of humor serve you when dealing with life with PsA?
I call myself gimpy when i cant walk or a big wussy if i cant carry something. It makes my mother laugh(I moved back home at the age of 44 to help my mom when my dad passed away. Ironically, i got sick a few years later and now she helps me everyday). I try to keep a positive outlook and joke around a lot, except when im really bad.
Sunny51--I take it you're 51? I'm 61 and I, too, have a mom who seems to be in better shape than me (89 years and 11 months)! She is sick today, and does have some arthritis, but not PsA or rheumatoid and no inflammation. My dad died 10 years ago and she's still kicking! Her motto is "it's better to wear out than rust out"! and I think that is exactly what she's trying to do.
Our family has a good sense of humor and we laugh a lot.....in fact, I had to give our adult kids--23, 30, 33 and 35-strict orders not to laugh during the 30-year old's wedding in October! Of course, during the priest's homily, IDK what he said that was so funny, but after the mass they were all telling of how they had to bite their cheeks to avoid "losing it" during this very serious occasion!
The kids do not like to see me sick or in pain and they have a hard time acknowledging it--they just want their mom (and grandma) to be healthy and happy at all times!
The pinky finger on my right hand drifts to the side and for a while before hand therapy it was stuck up and curled- my son and I call that my "tea-time deformity." :) My left index finger was the first to go wonky on that hand, and my sister called it my crone finger. So I could switch hands depending on what sort of message I wanted to convey, I suppose. :)
My family laughs too to help with the fact that this is new and hard for them to understand. I am a very strong woman the rock of the household. I am a millwright (aka industrial mechanic) used to lifting 100 lbs etc before this started attacking my back and hands. Now we laugh at my gorilla paws when my hands swell and joke that my 11 yr old son is taller than I am because I must be shrinking when I can’t stand straight. My 3 kids make me smile through every flare up and the tears I try to hide.