Realizing the 3 Year Change in My Psoriatic Arthritis

They say time changes things. I guess that is true. Three years ago, I wrote an article entitled “Pushing Yourself Can Be Rewarding.” It was about the birth of my granddaughter and how I was there to witness her come into this world. I remember my body hurting from sitting in those uncomfortable hospital chairs. There was progression even then in the damage that psoriatic arthritis had done to my body. I could feel it. However, as time has gone by, the new pains I feel remind me that time marches on and currently my body is its stomping ground.

How do I know my psoriatic arthritis changed?

How do I know this? This past month, March, my second granddaughter was born. My first granddaughter is now a big sister. Helping to care for them for the past seven weeks has shown me that my psoriatic arthritis has evolved.

How was my disease 3 years ago?

3 years ago, when I helped with my first granddaughter, my body hurt. As I mentioned and I am sure you know hospital chairs are not comfortable. My back would start hurting because the backs on the chairs would grind into them. Once my daughter-in-law and granddaughter were able to go home my back didn’t hurt as bad because it was more comfortable furniture. However, getting up and down, still created pain for me.

How were my knees?

3 years ago, I did not have the problems with my knees that I have endured since the ending of last year. Looking back on the time then I am grateful that my knees where not an issue. I was able to walk with my granddaughter safely tucked in my arms. Once I went home, I had to take time to recover. For the life of me, I don’t remember feeling this pain.

What do today's pain battles look like?

Today, 3 years later, I am sitting here feeling every single ache and pain that has been created by me helping to take care of my granddaughters. The 3-year-old granddaughter is a typical child of that age. She is very active and trying to discover her boundaries. That meant I had to stay on top of her and watch everything she was doing. Get up, sit down, and move around was the daily activity I played with her when she would come home.

What is my granddaughter's routine?

My kids were smart in that they kept her current routine going which meant she went to daycare for a while each day through the week. That helped to take some of the load off my body I would have otherwise experienced. Every other night I spent getting up when my new granddaughter would cry because she needed feeding and changing. This would allow my son and daughter to get some rest. That was a lot for me to endure. My knee is still healing so getting up with her would be challenging. My body was revolting because I was not resting properly. I kept pushing as I have always done.

Does being home help?

Now that I am at home, I am feeling every ounce of what I put my body through. My lower back feels like it is in a vice, and someone is cranking the handle. My shoulders hurt from picking up my granddaughter and having to burp her in between feedings. She is not a typical newborn in that she weighed 9 pounds and 1 ounce when she was born. That’s consistent weight that I would have to pick up and move around. I am in pain. There is no denying that. Would I change it? No. I am grateful I can help, but I can tell by doing so that my psoriatic arthritis has gained more control over my body. PsA sucks but I will not let it defeat me.