Blog post 4 - Episode 3: The calm before the storm
- jeddison54
- Dec 15, 2021
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 15, 2022
I will take you through the next chapter of my journey following on from recovering after reactive arthritis to the brink of Axial Spondyloarthritis (AS) arriving.
Introduction - bridging the gap from early 2006 to spring 2009, when reactive arthritis came back as AS
This post is going to cover a long period of time, 3 years, with a focus on my lifestyle. It is a critical period in how the full AS journey has developed over time. The lifestyle I lived during this period has impacts on my arthritis battle, mostly indirectly.
It is not a significant period in terms of things happening specifically on my arthritis. For most of this period, I was pain free and thinking I had got over the short-term bout of reactive arthritis.
I went through quite a few significant life events that most people experience. How I went about some of these changes sowed the seeds of my future arthritis and life approach.
Life events and stepping up to responsibility - the significant life events I passed during this time and being elevated to leadership
As is the case for most 21- to 23-year-olds we go through lots of life experiences. At an informative time that guides the directions life takes in the long term, it requires a lot of sound decision making. Obviously at those ages we are not really set up to make them in as informed a manner as required.
Despite the challenges I faced during year 2 of my uni when the arthritis came, in June 2008 I graduated with a 2:1. As usual I did not take a conventional route by switching from Quantity Surveying to Project Management at the end of year 2. A decision basically made due to the boredom of the subject of QS. It in the long term did turn out to be a good one as my career has been within project environments.
As I stayed at home during uni my experience was different to others. I did not live-in halls with strangers suddenly thrust into independence it brings. Many will sink or swim at that point. So, when in September 2008 I moved into a city centre flat alone, that independence quickly overwhelmed me. More on that later.
The other major life event was joining the world of employment. After spending a few weeks in a voluntary estate role, I got a job in the NHS, supporting clinical audit.
I was surprised I got the job as I was distracted for the interview, Dad had suffered a heart attack days before the interview. It can probably be counted as lucky that they saw something in me beyond the performance on the day.
It was this job that enabled the move out of home and independence. My naivety at the time and the excitement at getting paid led me to probably taking on a rent and lifestyle beyond my means.
Also, towards the end of this period I was elevated to cricket club captain. This started well with a fine first half of 2008 but a dreadful second half (followed by an underperformance in 2009). I was given the responsibility to captain due to a reputation as a cricket nut and deep thinker of the game. It was too early though, and my lack of life maturity impacted both my leadership and performance.
Social life - going through the motions of a routine revolved around cricket and drinking
Throughout these years as soon as I was better from an arthritis point of view, I settled back into a cycle and routine. Essentially my life revolved around cricket and drinking. Yes, I was going through uni and getting into adult life of work, but they were secondary really.
The drinking routines were particularly in place during the summer with cricket socials which as I became captain I had to keep up. It became quite monotonous really and every week was the same. The routine got to its worst point once I moved out of home but in honesty had been in place for a while.
Wednesday’s straight after work would be picked up driven to an evening league cricket game, followed by a few hours in the pub, last bus home. Thursday was karaoke night (although I was not there for the singing!) at the local pub, which is now a day nursery having walked past it the other day. Friday night usually started straight off the train into the pub with school friends then out into town to a club with uni friends. Saturday play cricket and then evening in the pub, often into late night bars or town again. Sunday evening a slow couple in the local. Monday & Tuesday a bit of respite before getting back on the same treadmill again.
Often this would result in little sleep then up either for uni or work hungover, Lucozade in hand.
Reflecting on this period I was just going through the motions really; it was just what my life was. I can’t say I particularly relished it and I very often did not do myself justice. Whether that was not being at my best for work and counting down the hours; to underperforming at cricket because of no practice and declining fitness; or doing silly things when drunk. I did not really know how to be around my friends without having a beer in hand, so I was stuck in the cycle.
Deep down I knew I needed to change but didn’t know how or have the drive to do it. A few relationships started but I invariably either deliberately ruined them, or inadvertently messed up in some way. I did not know how to be in a relationship, open myself to it or have the confidence in myself to make it work. These seeds of doubt were sown in the personal struggles I had during the first Arthritis bout on top of being a reserved person in general.
Another issue this lifestyle led to was me frittering away the savings my parents gave me on my 18th birthday. I would use this to supplement my drinking, eating, and facilitating it with taxis etc. Now I just think what a waste!
Health - the arthritis has gone but weight starts to balloon round the comfort blanket of food and Lucozade
The cycle of drinking and reliance on drinking was soon coupled by the natural partner of overeating. I had never been slight, with my ‘tree trunk’ legs, but over this period food became a comfort blanket. In the times of being hungover I would regularly rely on Lucozade as a pick me up, not paying any attention to the health effects. I could often get through 3-4 bottles a day.
When I moved out and had to fend for myself, I got into the habit of cooking large portions, telling myself I would have some for-work lunch next day. Most times the second portion would not see the end of the night.
Regularly being in the pub and drinking also meant a lot of money spent on pub meals and takeaways. Both adding to the impacts of the new habits I was developing. I was in denial or more truthfully, I did not even think about this. Did not own scales so never weighed myself, thinking naively that I was still around the 14 stone mark which I had been since late teens. Over a few years the reality was me piling on a few stone and ultimately nearly 5 stone. I look back now at pictures from the time and do not recognise the person looking back.
For the most part of this time I remember little pain, arthritis what arthritis. That was certainly how I felt and the odd aches and pains I would feel were just normal. The biggest difference could be seen in my cricket where although never athletic or quick, I could now not sustain my batting to make big scores. I became known as the tree for going down in instalments and it was becoming embarrassing me chasing the ball in the field.
The combination of my lifestyle (beer, beer, and more beer), lack of sleep, poor eating (overeating, bad eating) and relying on fizzy Lucozade to function was doing damage in the background and raising issues that would come back later.
So, does weight impact joint pain?
So, it is clear to me now that I have been through the last 16 years, that the weight I put on and the lifestyle affected my joints.
There is no definitive research out there that I have seen that directly links weight gain to arthritis. That said though there is plenty of evidence that losing weight eases pain.
I have no doubt that my weight gain led to some of the joint problems I started to face again from late 2008 (see below).
Arthritis action do state in this article, that ‘Body weight plays a key part to arthritis, especially the three common types’and ‘Excess weight places additional pressure on weight-bearing joints.’ It also refers to ground-breaking research that quantifies the impact of weight on arthritis, ‘one lb of weight-loss lessens four lbs of pressure on the knees, per step’. It concludes that excess weight can prevent chance of achieving remission.
For me this does show that there is a massive link between your weight and joint pain.
A couple of other sources do also link the benefits to arthritis that weight loss gives, such as the Arthritis Foundation and Creakyjoints.org. They also highlight the complex nature of proving any links.
Could this be the arthritis returning?
It was the winter of 2008 when I started to experience some pain again, it was like the pain before but in my back this time. Throughout that winter and into early 2009 the pain got more persistent and troubling me.
There were some mornings waiting for the train for work at 7am with a bitterly biting wind howling through the vacuum of the station. I would really notice the pain on those days. Despite the station being about 5 minutes from my flat, I would have to hobble there.
The pain would ease with some paracetamol and ibuprofen initially. By February 2009 I would have to wake up an hour early take the tablets. It would take the best part of that hour for me to be able to sit up properly and get from bed to the shower.
Obviously, this was my next big chapter in my AS journey, but I was determined to grim and bear it, it would go! Or so I thought, next time I will go through how this progressed through 2009.
Click here to give to my next walking challenge, a 50km hike around the Lake District to raise funds for NASS.
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