Lupus & Enjoyment

[LouLamb]

Because of my Lupus i developed arthritis which can be really bad in my hands. When it's not bad i really enjoy this art therapy i subscribe to. You can get it in the shops. I was wondering what you lot do to relax or take your mind of Lupus ???!!!

[ac489]

I have pain in my wrists and hands so can't crochet or embroider much at all which I used to enjoy. I mostly listen to music and I read a little but limited on reading because my eyes start to hurt now. Hope you feel better soon.

[LouLamb in reply to ac489]

I can only colour a little now as where before i could colour in a whole picture, can take me up to a week or 2 now.

I'm left handed so when my mum tried to teach me to crochet i could do it

[MargaretGail]

I had to give up knitting and crocheting and took up origami flowers to keep my hands moving. I've done 3 weddings so far

[Barnclown]

Great question❗️

I have several things I can do for enjoyment & distraction from my health stuff now I'm benefitting more from my cocktail of meds: pottering in the garden, photography, walking, writing

but reading has probably given the most enjoyment & distraction, the most reliably & consistently over my 62 decades of infant onset lupus - reading gives the least probability of stirring whichever symptoms up (my most disturbed phases have been when my upper spine/shoulders/arms/hand were so affected I couldn't hold reading matter...this went on for years...tried all sorts of chairs, props & easels....nothing really worked and whatever I experimented with was so laborious that it reminded me of my illness rather than distracting me from it)

Looking forward to following this discussion

🍀🌻. Coco

[ac489 in reply to Barnclown]

I have always loved to read. I would always carry a book or my kindle with me but now with my eyes being affected, I can only read a little at a time so where I used to be able to read a book in 3 or 4 days, now it takes two or three weeks to read or longer. My wrists hurt to hold it too so I have to lean it on night table or arm of chair.

[Barnclown in reply to ac489]

V much feeling for you...am trying not to dread this inevitable phase...but am planning for this sort of eventuality...the usual tricks: audio books, friendly live readers....xo

[johare]

Used to enjoy sketching, playing the clarinet etc. I no listen to more music when brain allows and paint instead of draw. I tend to do things in small bursts and god bless pain killers, saved for the things I like doing.

[Lupyknit]

I can still knit and crochet with pain killers, but not to the same extent as before. On a really bad day, I find doing this and listening to audio books very soothing, then feel I have produced something at the end of it. Very fortunate.