coming out !!!

[_andy_]

ha ha ,, that made you look

i am really not sure about the chris beardshaw ,coming out thing ,, "" ive got arthritis "", i hope im wrong , an it doesnt effect all the hard work lots of people have put in ,, trying to get the message out there to the public that arthritis ,, isnt just something your aunt fanny had ,, just a dodgy knee when the weathers cold .. just wear a copper band " youll be fine " and its something that should be taken serious ..

i feel now the word is out , next time people see him digging up his jersey royals on gardeners world , theyll just think ,, if the lady down the street with her arthritis got off he mobilty scooter and did some work ,, she be ok ,, instead of claiming our taxes ..

chris says in one of the national newspapers , he was told he would`nt be able to walk at 19 ,, but with hard work ,, diet , exercise taking glucosamine supplements and cutting out red meat as kept his arthritis at bay .. i wish he would say what type of arthritis ?? does anyone know ??..

i really do hope i am wrong , and he does do some great work for arthritis research ..

im probably going to get my head bitten off ,, by the chris beardshaw fan club ,,, but i do wish we could get away from the word arthritis and use ,auto-immune disease ,, then maybe people would then start to understand more .. so next time the lady from down the street is on her mobilty scooter , instead of giving her a hard time . people will maybe help her .. not that she`d need it ,, but a smile and a hello ,, wouldnt go a miss ...

well again ,, i hope i am wrong ,,

[Hidden]

Hi Andy, yes good and bad I think, maybe his disease what ever it is well controlled and stable???, maybe he has the best drugs going?.. may be his a" mild" form of some sort of arthritis!", I am specifically using the word "arthritis" as most of us on here have an auto immune disorder!!. He seems like a nice guy though very tasty from a girls point of view.

I cant do heavy gardening. I have a raised bed.small lawn and pots!! mine is Ra friendly!!, I cant do heavy digging, or hoeing and I have tried!!!!

[beauty96]

Like the person who asked my husband when he met a friend and introduced me in the street. I had my three whjeeled walker with me. "Does she understand her name". Oh yes! I gave them a pennyworth. I had just got my PhD in Immunology. "Did not know", she said. I asked her if she thought all deaf and disabeld people were googah!? She walked off and has not spoken to my husband since. Looks at me as if I were a ..... in the street.

[helixhelix]

I'm with you on this one Andy, as I think it's really not going to help at all seeing a young'ish man saying that he's found a way to manage his arthritis using supplements and diet while doing a physical job with no apparent difficulty. The news reports say that he had a juvenile form of RA that has affected his feet badly, and has had his toes fused. But there are some that do burn out, so maybe he had one of them and is now just dealing with the after effects?

I got quite p*^€d off with his comment about wanting the garden to inspire people to take control and manage their condition....as I can't imagine anyone here who doesn't want to do that, but the *€$%#- disease and lack of NHS resources make it impossible! I'm lucky enough to have an RA that so far responds to drugs, exercise and diet, but I couldn't manage without the drugs and I know that's the case for most on here so it's a shame that the variation in in severity of arthritis wasn't made clear. Polly

[_andy_ in reply to helixhelix]

hi polly ... you dont think , someone would use the name arthritis ,, to warm to the hearts of 100s of thousands of fellow suffers do you ? ,, being popular with the public is all good for " celebrities " ,, it keeps them in work and makes them lots n lots of money ,, maybe just saying its arthritis and not one of the many different types means , he warms to a wider audience... coming out ," like he says it " and the chelsea flower show .. would be very good for promoting a new book , which i see he has one "coming out" in spring 2013 ,,,

[helixhelix in reply to _andy_]

Well I'm not buying his book.... and I love gardening...so his coming out as a fellow sufferer didn't work with me. Px

[_andy_ in reply to helixhelix]

i didnt buy it either ,, niether would i buy his book ... x

[Prairie]

It really makes me sad/angry when the word arthritus is mentioned and some people then start comparing others as to what they can and cant do. Its great to hear that there are positives in life for some people who suffer with some form of arthritus and can lead a fairly normal life. We all live in hope that will happen. I would love nothing better if my disease could be controlled with diet and exercise as alot of people would.But unfortunately there are many variations with arthritus and it is a shame at times some of us seem to get labelled the same as others think. Theres never two people suffering the same in any autiommune diseaes. Sadly i hear Comments from people....you look well, but I've heard youve been so poorly? such and such has got what you have but she can do her own shopping cleaning etc etc. Ooooh this does really annoy me....I know I can come on here and share negative and positive comments about myself. We are all different individuals and its the understanding what people should consider not the comparing attitudes. Hope I have clearly wrote how I feel thanks big hugs prairie x :-)))))))))

[Hidden]

You're so right Andy, a lot of people will see what Chris has done and assume those less abled are just not willing to help themselves. I eat healthily and exercise at the gym but no amount of healthy living and glucosamine will make my wrists better and enable me to dig over the vegetable plot! My Mum is always telling me my arthritis is due to refusing to wear a coat and gloves in the cold weather when I was younger even though I tell her over and over that it's an auto immune disorder. I would like to see a media campaign against ignorance of rheumatoid arthritis as this would make a real difference to our lives.

Paula x

[Hidden]

I was just reading that newspaper article, and it made me so cross!

Glucosamine!! As if ...

Oh and red meat too.

Fancy me taking all these drugs, when a simple dietary change would enable me to transform my garden.

Oh well, it was that particular newspaper which is always curing chronic diseases with the latest gel/diet/herbs.

Does the NRAS have a show garden I wonder?

[jeanabelle]

It's the same old same old, isn't it. Once you mention the word arthritis most people just turnoff, compare or basically think " oh, is that all sure so and so has that......blah, blah, blah. It is infuriating isn't it.

From now on we don't have rheumatoid arthritis......we have an auto immune condition called rheumatoid disease. RA no longer exist on this site we have RD...... Pass the word on........

[Hidden]

Hear, hear to all the comments and your blog Andy, and yes the title did get me! I wondered what you were going to say! All I can add is this, (although using capitals will not be shouting just emphasising), IF THE DRUGS WERE NOT REQUIRED AND JUST DIET ALONE IS ALL WE NEED DO YOU THINK THE NHS WOULD GIVE THEM TO US?

Answer: I don't think so, they would make better use of the money,(I'm not saying we not worth it, but you know what I mean), I know that all the time I am on these drugs then I am ok and leave a relatively normal life, but without I am hopeless and forever at the doctors and hospital, wanting priority bookings to get myself sorted and out of the horrendous pain and swelling of my body.

Sorry rant over, caught me on a bad day and it just makes my blood boil to be taken so lightly, anyway whose to know if he's not on any drugs, that are masking his system other than the ones he purports to be using.

[tessintrouble]

I get told "oh you will feel much better now the warm weather's coming" Oh I WISH!!!

I have just posted a blog about weather and RA, I was diagnosed and had some of my worst flare ups while living in a hot country...........

[Hidden]

I do almost completely agree with you Andy. The 1% reserve is just because I find Chris Beardshaw attractive and found myself warming to a positive role model who looks so well despite his arthritis. It made me feel more normal for looking well too and less guilty about being so relatively pain free and healthy looking these days.

But now I've read your blog and the comments of others I'm far more minded to curse him a little for not being more specific about the type of arthritis he has and for failing to emphasise the difference between autoimmune arthritis and OA. But a wee party if me likes trying to push myself away from being a victim, for fighting RA tooth and nail and for winning at times - and I do think its important to take responsibility as far as humanly possible for our health by not smoking, eating or drinking to excess and accepting the part that each of us play in dictating how we deal with what life throws at us.

The thing that makes me mad is the fact that he has been able to do this without the help of our drugs - and presents this to the world as an option. Having recently spent a month off MTX, fuelled by exactly his mindset - I know as a fact that I can't do the things I do without these drugs. And because they make me feel so lousy I really resent this man ponsing about gardening without them - or without admitting that he's actually on them too perhaps. Either way this puts your argument many moons ahead of the one where I've been feeling quite warm about him! And the celebrity point re hedging and using broad sweep of arther is spot on too. I read this to my husband and he said "I think this Andy chap is right - people need to be compassionate in the current climate and this guy could seriously undermine the way disability and RA is viewed by the general public". We also both remembered the other dishy celebrity gardener - Dan something - talking about his SAD and having same thought about how that would feel for people with severe mental health disorders?

So yes Andy - you are right - roll on more honesty and declaration of relative good fortune when its due!

And do please keep coming out - you're really good at it and you've certainly set me straight! X

[Hidden]

Beardshaw isn't my type so he's going to have to be a lot more frank & upfront about his arthritis to impress me. He is a bit cagey but one article did mention Rheumatoid. My greenhouse is coming on so I should be cured in a week or two. xx

[Hidden]

Oh I re read my comment and I didn't mean attractive as in sexy I meant as in seemingly open and pleasant! Love your greenhouse "cure" - tell us when the veg are ready and we will start queuing! X