This is What Arthritis Looks Like

Picture a woman in her 60s, an age where a woman should have her independence, but she’s unable to get up on a chair to change a lightbulb, she is unable to walk far before her knees are in agony, and forced to resort to strange ways of getting up off the floor.

Anita says the hardest part of having Arthritis is that it limits her abilities. When she got her diagnosis four years ago, Anita’s first thought was “how will I live alone with the pain?”, for at that time she could barely stand for a minute without pain.

“Arthritis is unacceptable because of the pain. The pain is very sharp, and when it hits, it is like being stabbed, which is followed by a bruised feeling. By the time you have had five stabbing and five bruised feelings by the end of the day, all you want to do is sit down,” Anita explains.

When explaining flare-ups, Anita says the pain brings you down emotionally because you begin to think ‘this is as good as it gets’.

“Then you think that the pain is for the rest of your life. But luckily for me, there are not many flare-ups with Osteoarthritis like there are in other types of Arthritis.”

How has Arthritis affected your quality of life?

“I cannot walk as far as I used to and garden as much as I used to. I can’t walk on uneven ground like walking around the coast. I walk the bus route so that if anything goes wrong, I can get home again. All of this forces me to think carefully where I go and how I get there and back.”

Osteoarthritis of the knees has made Anita’s life significantly difficult. Planning journeys and making sure she can safely get home without needing to walk far is an essential part of her daily planning.

“At the moment I am on top of my Arthritis, but I have to work not to feel sorry for myself. Part of working at it is my aquafit and hydro-motion swim circuit and walk,” she says.

What do you want the world to know about Arthritis?

“I want people to know about the pain and the impact it has on your life. It is not just ‘a little arthritis’, and we can’t ‘get over it’. Before I had Arthritis, I had no idea how it impacted every aspect of life.” 

That’s why Arthritis New Zealand works very hard to raise awareness about living with Arthritis.

“Arthritis New Zealand has been great to me. I enjoy going to hear professional talks and attending local events. The educators are great people and great help to me.”

Arthritis New Zealand’s goal is to help people manage their pain, guide them on nutrition, exercise, joint protection, and mental wellbeing.