Being A Grandparent With Psoriatic Arthritis

For most grandparents, getting to spend time with their grandchildren is priceless. I am no exception to that rule. I have two beautiful grandchildren. I have one grandson that is almost 7 years old. My other is a grandaughter, who just turned 2.

Recently, I got to spend a full week with my granddaughter while her parents spent the time packing for their new home. It was during this week I can truly say I learned what it meant to be a grandparent with a chronic pain condition.

Who is babysitting who?

To say she is a very active 2-year-old may be an understatement. She loves being outdoors as much as I do. So far we have had a very mild winter in Lousiana, making it possible for us to be outside each day while she was staying with me.

Having that time to spend with her has been very special. Given how fast children grow up, I count each of those days as a blessing. However, having psoriatic arthritis played a big part in each of those days as well. By the end of that week, I was definitely cursing psoriatic arthritis.

The added aches and pain

Anyone that has children will tell you when they are small, they are so loving. My precious granddaughter is no exception. She loves to sit in my lap. She does, however, act like a yo-yo in that she is up in my lap and then down on the floor.

Up, down, Up, down is not a good recipe for a back that is riddled with psoriatic arthritis. All the bending and lifting in a single day definitely put me in pain by the end of it. The next day was no different. This was repeated for seven straight days. All I can say is that I was thankful that she went to bed at night at a reasonable hour.

My back took the brunt of it

When she went to sleep it was my chance to relax. However, by this time, my back if it could speak would say "You will be doing anything but relaxing." I would be in so much pain that relaxation was definitely out of the question.

My heating pad was my best friend when she was asleep. I have to admit that I have a tens unit but half the time I forget about having it hence the heating pad. The more the days went by the more my back revolted about the day.

I would not trade that week for anything

By the end of the week, I was definitely in a lot of pain. I'll take the pain. It is a memory that I will always carry with me.

Even though she is too young to remember it I hope she feels my love for her. I do worry that as time goes on my psoriatic arthritis will get to a point that I might not be able to move so well. All I can hope for is that there is an appropriate treatment to make that not be the case.

I hope to one day be the grandmother that is always able to play with her or do things that she likes to do as she ages. It is my dream that one day she looks back on our time together and always thinks of our time spent together as a special treasure.