Warmer Weather

I am in great anticipation for the warmer weather to come in the few months. Being able to get outside more often to collect the sun’s rays will be a welcome feeling. Moving the arms and legs in walking, running, biking, tennis, golf (my favorite) and any other excuse to be outside will help to keep the effects of Arthritis at bay.

Our two Cocker Spaniels, at least one has Arthritis, is also chomping at the bit, per say to walk around and smell all that the outdoors has to offer. The upcoming “Arthritis Walk” events are a nice committed way to show support to all that have Arthritis. Please join me at a walk (Arthritis Foundation signature event) this spring. I am lucky so far not to have any major issues that restrict my activities.

During this time of being careful of how we all spend our money, look at all the parks and paths that we have available to us that provide a variety of things to do at no cost. Yea, I do like some of the cheaper entertainment options and save my money for other important treats.

Commitment to a Cure

The Southern Colorado Office of the Arthritis Foundation Rocky Mountain Chapter is only a few weeks away from our First Annual Commitment to a Cure Luncheon. This year’s lunch is being held at the Crowne Plaza – Colorado Springs on Thursday, March 12 from 12:00pm – 1:00pm. We are anticipating over 150 attendees who will hopefully be inspired to give and help move the Arthritis Foundation mission forward.

This year’s lunch will feature Dr. Ron Royce from Front Range Orthopaedics speaking about how to manage your arthritis and how to know when it might be time for surgery. Also, guests of this event will hear from Kris Harty, a woman living with Arthritis, who likes to tell people despite what she was told growing up after her diagnosis; “she did it anyway.” And last but not least, the group will hear from Kara Gramlich. Kara is a senior at Lewis Palmer High School in Monument, Colorado; she was diagnosed with arthritis when she 10 years old. Her diagnosis did not stop her, but inspired her to move more and reach out to others with Arthritis.

If you have more questions or would like to attend, please contact Cary Bement-Kelly at 719-520-5711 or cbement@arthritis.org.

Springing into Motion

The Arthritis Foundation has launched its movement initiative in tandem with our fundraising Walk-a-Thons nationwide – entitled, Let’s Move Together. Move. Physical. Progressive. Forward. Let’s Move Together. Join us as we launch our first annual Virtual Walk in Bozeman, MT. The first of its kind in the Rocky Mountain Region, the Arthritis Foundation’s Rocky Mountain Chapter has listened to our constituents and is responding to the economic crisis impacting each of us by creating a cost-effective fundraiser in place of it’s more traditional 5k walk. The Bozeman Virtual Walk will open on May 1, 2009 as the nation kicks off National Arthritis Awareness Month.

Participants in the Bozeman (and region) area will simply need to register (as they have done in the past) at www.virtualwalk.kintera.bozeman.org, create their personal fundraising page and begin utilizing the plethora of social media outlets to begin raising much needed money to continue our work to improve lives through leadership in the prevention, control and cure of arthritis and related diseases. Contact Tara Roesener, Director of Event Development for the Rocky Mountain Chapter with any questions, ideas or great fundraising stories!

How is your pain tolerance?

I was diagnosed with a cervical vertebrae that basically has lost all the fluid, deterioration of the bone, and pressing into the spinal cord. I found that analgesics were just not cutting the mustard! I had a flare-up with the injury which led to excruciating pain. I phoned the Neurosurgeon’s office and they in turn prescribed prednisone and a muscle relaxer. Well, try functioning on those two drugs! Ha.. However, the medications worked well enough for me to return to work within a couple of days. I’ve realized from the experience that I really want to be able to function without the use of pain medication and that moist heat and long walks do help the anxiety, which in turn reduces the pain.

I also decided to try an alternative mode of relief. I visited an acupuncturist and let me tell you; I slept ten hours after the treatment and felt like a new person the next day free of pain. I know I will continue to see the acupuncturist as this was the best I’d felt in over a month.

There are so many alternatives to reducing arthritic pain. I think that what works best for one person does not always work for another. I feel that in today’s vast array of medical treatments that sometimes the “old school” of treatment works best.

Plenty of rest, exercise, water, moist heat and perhaps trying an alternative form of treatment as I did could work for you too.

Let me know what your thoughts are and please share with me your experiences.