It's been a little while since I've written about my arthritis. While the progression and the loss are (thankfully) slow, I'm noticeably worse off with each new year than I was in the previous.
In regards to my art, most of the accommodations I have made (and blogged about here) have minimized the discomfort and allowed me to focus on the creativity rather than managing the pain.
Outside of that, I get aches in my hips, shoulders, knees, and neck now. Deep aches that are easy to be distracted from during the business of the day but hound me at night. There are hot Florida nights where I sleep with a heating pad loosely wrapped around some body part. There are moments when I get up for a drink and hobble like an old man into the kitchen.
Even when playing video games (a hobby I realize I will also, regrettably, someday have to give up), I must adapt to the limitations of my hands and the strength left in my fingers. For example, I find now in many games where a selection of weapons are available I only use automatic weapons where I can just hold down the trigger to fire or high powered weapons like sniper rifles, where one shot does the trick.
I tell myself, "Celebrate. These are still the good years."
