Sitting With PSA: A Constant Struggle
During a talk with my team, someone brought up a topic and asked if anyone had ever had issues with sitting with PsA. I started laughing as this was an issue I've been dealing with ever since March of 2020.
Pre-pandemic office life
Before the pandemic, I was in an office with about 400 associates, with thousands more that were remote. I have a standing desk, and I always leave it up. You will find me standing at my desk besides eating or taking a break.
Why? I start getting stiff if I sit for more than 20-30 minutes. After an hour, I will need to use the desk or chair to help me up, and when I drive 2 hours to see my kids, I have to kind of slide out of the car, hanging onto the steering wheel and door.
Standing to avoid stiffness
Standing 8 hours doesn't bother me one bit. Standing builds your core as well and helped me in dealing with my 3 herniated discs as well.
Then came the pandemic. We were sent home that dreaded Thursday in March, and at first, we thought we were going home for 2 weeks or so and then going back to the office. So during this time I tried working from the kitchen table; however, that hurt my butt, and needed to sit on pillows.
About a month or so after that, I bought a PC gaming chair, and after an hour, that hurt, too. I then bought a cushion, which helps, but it still hurts.
Added complications
I know that it's common for someone with PsA also to have fibromyalgia, and I do have some of those symptoms. One is called allodynia. I've written about this on my personal blog, but basically, my necklace feels like it weighs 10 pounds. When I remove my socks at the end of the day, it hurts, and my waistbands burn.
I was chatting with someone with fibromyalgia, and she can't sit. She simply has to lie down all the time or stand.
Eventually, I walked around the house as much as possible while working; thankfully, I had brought home my Bluetooth headset. I would be able to sit on conference calls while pacing around my 400 sq foot studio apartment.
Then, as the weather warmed up, I headed outside while on calls and back inside to remote in and fix people's computers. After a year, I was asked to return to the office a bit. No one was there, so I didn't have to worry about getting sick, and I could now stand up without being in pain.
I was then able to see my doctor and describe my issues; we are now treating it as allodynia, and I'm feeling a bit better when I sit; however, I still get very stiff very quickly. Mornings and getting out of bed are also fun, as I need to waddle out of the bedroom until the joints loosen up. I also got a larger car, and I'm ok with the 2-hour drive now, too, as I can slide down and out of the vehicle rather than trying to pull myself up and out.
How about you? Do you encounter the same issues? If so, please comment and let me know how you deal with it.
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