(Part 2) Top products from r/Thritis

Buy the hip kit from amazon (it has a grabber, sock putter onner, and other things to help dress and undress).

If you don’t have a comfort height toilet, or if he’s super tall, you’ll want to think about a raised toilet seat. (I personally didn’t need one, but I’m also 5’6”.)

You’ll also want to get a seat for the shower, I recommend the kind with no raised handles or anything, like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AEGCUI?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share - this is the one that the hospital had and I loved it.
You also might want to have a stool softener on hand, they’ll provide you with one but I had to add my own into the mix just for the first couple of days.

He’ll also need a sturdy chair (like a dining room chair) to sit in that doesn’t have wheels. It helps to have a cushion here (I just used a pillow 🤷🏻‍♀️).

He’ll need some comfy sweat pants to wear. Your legs can swell quite a bit after surgery so nothing tight fitting.

Also I was super hungry after surgery (like after the first few days passed) so have lots of snack options.

The hospital will send you home with a walker/crutches (whatever they decide) and then most people transition to a cane. I got my cane for $20 on Amazon. The crutches my insurance covered.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I just had my hip done last September. :)

Sounds like RSI. Which, if ignored, can lead to arthritis.

I would recommend two things:

Contrast Baths

Set up two long shallow tubs of water in your bathroom, long and wide enough to fit both arms up above the elbow comfortably. Fill one with cold water, the other with warm water. Extreme cold and extreme heat isn't any more useful - just make sure the cold one is cool, and the warm one is warm enough to stay nice and warm for more than the ten minutes you'll be using it.

Set a time for 1 minute and submerge both arms in the warm one, then a minute in the cold one. Do this for 11 minutes, so that you end with the warm one.

Do this 2-3 times a day, and before your practice. If you empty out the cold one, and let the other sit until it is cold, then the water won't get stale and have things growing in it.

The other thing

Get this book and do the exercises in it:

https://www.amazon.com/Conquering-Carpal-Syndrome-Repetitive-Injuries/dp/1572240393

Good luck.

Yes, exactly this, but for a shorter time. I traveled from UK to Thailand last year with 2 Enbrel pens.

I got myself a small cool bag http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00C9VA8QE

I used 2 of the normal size cool packs
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000OW4CSU

I also used one of the big ice packs the come with my enbrel for delivery. When I get a delivery I put one or two back in the freezer, just in case. They last 24hrs, but I could only fit 1 into my small hand cool bag, but it lasted more than the flight from UK to Phuket, including transfer at Bangkok.

In terms of the flight, I needed a letter from the pharmacy that issues the pens and that was all that was required. Although I allowed an extra hour to get through security with them, I went through normally without much of a problem, an extra 2min check of the letter and verify what it was after x-ray.

In fact while transferring in Bangkok it went through the scanner and there was some commotion, so I started unpacking it to explain, but they were more worried about my bottle of water!

In terms of storage, I used the mini bar in my hotel room. But make sure you have something available. Be careful though, as I've heard of hotels putting medication in the freezer, so if you are using their fridge, ask to put it in yourself to be sure!

If things do go badly, you can keep enbrel at room temperature for up to 14 days, just don't put it back in the fridge.
https://www.enbrel.com/support/storage-and-travel/

Thailand is very modern in Bangkok, so I'm sure you could probably get Enbrel there, but it is very expensive to buy (I've seen the UK costs!), so I would look at taking it with you.

If it's your first time doing any longish travel and you have health concerns, 3 months is probably enough for an initial trip anyway, so you could come back from Asia, head home for a few weeks/month and then hit South America, Europe or go elsewhere...

Traveling is hard work, so make sure you take enough rest in between too! Seriously, it can be tough, lugging your bag about, checking in, flights/bus rides, all the activities, you can get travel burn out, trust me!

Look at ankle-high moccasins. They come usually fur lined so they are super warm and cozy and completely washable on the inside :) Moccasins are also made for wear and tear. You can get ones with good treads on the bottom. I have blue moccasins (yes they even come in pink) and they have lasted me for 3 years so far. The ones I have are slip-in also which is great and I wear them outside if it's cool out, like during fall time, to get the mail or run to the store or go to lectures. Here are some options:


Link1
Link 2

I’ve had RA for more than 25 years (basically my whole life), and coincidentally began playing piano the same year my symptoms appeared. I became a string player about 6 years later. I have recently quit teaching music in public schools. I’m a string player and no matter how independent my kids were I’d always end up tuning a few instruments every day, many of which were crummy “violin shaped objects” that were extremely difficult to tune. I had hand surgery last year and had to learn to do it differently, and it sucked. I adapted in lots of ways, and my singing got a lot more accurate pitch-wise because I would often sing instead of play in class. Between that and having kids demonstrate things when they were doing really well I managed to avoid a lot of playing.

I still gig and teach privately, but I don’t play on days I really hurt. Sometimes there isn’t any amount of technique modification or perfection that can help. Also, if my fingers are swollen enough I find it difficult to play in tune and accurately, not to mention the pain.I’ve read all of the recommended books for avoiding performance injuries in musicians (Janet Horvath and Nancy Taylor are authors you should check out if you haven’t already), and I’ve spent a lot of time working the tension out of my playing. I had a bunch of little nodules pop up on my fingers in the last year and quite frankly they scared the bejeezus out of me. My rheumatologist suggested that one of them might be due to the way I was holding my baton but due to elbow pain I spent a lot of time teaching my kids to play like chamber musicians and I didn’t wave the stick if I didn’t have to. I think it’s more likely from my bow hold, which I spent years working on and is otherwise comfortable at this point so it’s not going to change. My mom’s hands were in terrible shape the last 15 years of her life, and I’d like to preserve the use of mine for as long as I can. I spent a lot of time in therapy for my left hand post-surgery last year, too.

Leaving public schools has helped with the fatigue aspect of the RA, tremendously. It’s important to remember that autoimmune arthritis isn’t solely a disease of the joints. Fatigue, brain fog, etc are all common symptoms that can be difficult to manage. Unfortunately it wasn’t uncommon for me to pull 12-14 hour days multiple days in a row, and sometimes work 6 or 7 days a week. It was exhausting. Teaching is exhausting, period, but being a music teacher is extra exhausting. I’m planning to go back to school in January for something else because I don’t see myself returning to the classroom.

Anyway I’m glad you found so many ways to adapt and continue to pursue your passion. Good luck to you, and check out those authors if you haven’t already. Nancy Taylor is an incredible musician and also a licensed occupational therapist, so she knows what she’s talking about! Janet Horvath’s book is excellent as well.

Nancy Taylor

Janet Horvath

I saw my massage therapist yesterday (who specializes in sports medicine) and he used a gel on my joints that felt great! So today I went a bought some. Biofreeze. I got a roll-on so it doesn't have to be massaged in. Used it on elbows and wrists today!

I've been wanting a paraffin wax bath for a while now and was thinking I could get the wax all the way up my wrists. A great way to keep some heat on the joints! I've heard from others that they love paraffin for their hands.

A nice heating pad is a great idea though! I have this one and I love it!

Seconding this! Mine isn't mobile, but it is divine. I have RA and mild hip dysplasia and that heating pad set right on the hip - sometimes I weigh it down with a bag of rice or something too - is seriously one of the few things that gets me through the day when it is flaring up.

Sometimes I find that sitting or laying with joints at a different angle can help with the pain too - I may sit on a pillow to adjust the height and angle my hips are at or sleep with a pillow between my legs or under my knees.

Staying hydrated helps some too - like I feel less gross and am better able to cope with it?

It may also be worth discussing options with the doctor - sometimes there may be a different NSAID that works better or something.

Best of luck! Does he get a lot of back, neck, and shoulder pain? When it gets cold outside one of these can be a lifesaver.

I use these gloves. I really love them. I wear them whenever I do anything that requires a lot of fine motor skills, like coloring or drawing or writing for extended periods of time. They are, by far, the most comfortable option for typing that I have found. I have also begun wearing them while I sleep and I've noticed a reductoin in day to day aching since starting that routine.

My husband got me this when my arthritis was just starting, perhaps she would feel some relief. Therma care gloves . They are very flexible, I was able to do many task (writing for instance). I think he bought them in Walgreens, or rite aid.

This one is awesome: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X6K9J8

(i mostly use it to open little plastic bottles of apple juice for my daughter)

As far as pain relief goes, heat has actually been one of the most helpful things for me. I got a USB velcro heating wrap, and portable USB charger - so I could essentially walk around with a heating pad wrapped around me. It has been one of the most helpful things for me. I would talk to her first, some people find the pressure of the velcro wraps to be painful, but for me it was a big help.

These are the specific ones I got, but there are several other options and I probably would get a smaller battery if I were doing it again.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002J9P31G
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EA1P8O

Maybe try something like this??

http://www.amazon.com/Playing-Card-Holders-Set-2/dp/B000V7P5FM

I've tried most of the remedies listed above which help to a degree. One thing you didn't list that I use occasionally is a shoulder brace like this. It definitely has a lot of limitations. You don't want to wear a brace like that regularly for long periods of time because it limits your range of motion and which isn't great for your muscles long term. But it's helpful when my pain is bad and I have to do a specific activity where I know my shoulder would cause me a lot of pain. The compression and stabilization it gives can allow me to be active for a few hours without being in complete misery.

I am so bummed to hear you had such a lousy experience with your PTs. It makes me wonder if they had any experience with arthritis. :/
So no pools by you...what about just soaking in a tub for a bit with some epsom salt? I know it sounds hokey (and is totally something my grandparents used to do), but it's relieved some of the ache for me, especially during the wintertime. Another thought is heating pads and those shakey heater thingies? (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007ZF4Q8?ascsubtag=[]st[p]cjcatfjvc00r2mvy6pklgx6ft[i]sYgGPh[d]D[z]m[t]w[r]google.com&tag=thestrategistsite-20) - I shove these in my pockets to help with the ache.
One more suggestion and I promise I'll stop. I dropped 50 pounds about a year before I got my diagnosis, and after my diagnosis I really focused on strengthening my glutes and hamstrings (I worked with a trainer). That has also made a different for me in terms of pain - maybe something to look into?
It's badass that you got the weight off and have KEPT it off, despite dealing with freaking hip OA (seriously, aren't bone spurs the worst? nobody tells you your freaking HIP IS GOING TO GET STUCK with OA. UGH).
Hang in there, man.