Atomic Blonde

Diary of The Atomic Blonde

Osteoarthritis and Osteonecrosis Flare

I’ve been managing my osteoarthritis symptoms well and managing the osteonecrosis pain and try doing all the right things to stay healthy, but one day I wake up and feel like it was all for nothing. My joints ache bad , the worst I  can remember in a long time. It could be an osteoarthritis  flare.
Is my osteoarthritis and osteonecrosis getting worse despite all  my efforts? Im I going to feel like this from now on?
Probably not. Although arthritis is a chronic disease, we can have acute episodes of pain and inflammation, known as flares. While painful and a big pain in the rear and very unpredictable, flares are temporary thank God. 
 They do not signal a failure in our efforts to control arthritis symptoms.

Flares may be seen after infections or after highly stressful situations. 
Often, however, it isn’t clear what triggers a flare. 
You may have long periods of time when your arthritis is quiet, or in a remission. Then, suddenly, the inflammation becomes more active and you have an arthritis flare.
Flares can be alarming, not only because of the pain, but because of their unpredictability. 
When this happens I feel discouraged & afraid of further damage to my joints. I sometimes wonder whether something I did may have caused the flare.

I gave to remember that flares do calm down.  I have to think about how to handle the  “bad days” and flares before i have them. 
The following is a list of some steps you might want to incorporate in your plan of action. Remember, some techniques work better for some people than for others. Try a few of these, and if they don’t work for you, discard them and try others.

Balance periods of activity with periods of rest. Although more rest can help during a flare, you probably don’t need to abandon your regular activities, work or exercise program. 
Spending long periods of time in bed is counterproductive; it usually will prolong your pain. Instead, try to intersperse periods of rest with some light activity.
Have a plan to deal with your obligations. Plan ahead so that you can still get things done. 
If your at work, try to arrange for coverage, work fewer hours per week, or bring work home. Discuss your plan with your supervisors and co-workers ahead of time and assure them of your commitment. At home plan to apportion a few extra jobs among family members, and make sure everyone knows what they are expected to do to keep things running smoothly.

Communicate with your family and friends. The time to let your family and friends know that you may need more help is when things are going well, not when the flare hits. They will understand better what is needed and how they can help when you call to say that you’re having a particularly bad day. If someone volunteers to help you through a flare, give them a specific job to do or else their assistance may go unused.

Apply a hot or cold pack to inflamed joints. I prefer hot Thermacare Heat wraps over cold. 

Different people prefer one or the other. Some people even prefer warm packs for certain joints and cold packs for other joints. You will learn your own preferences through trial and error.

Practice relaxation or mind-diversion techniques. These techniques work best when you practice them on a regular basis. 

Even though relaxation may not directly reduce your pain, it can minimize stress, which is a factor shown to amplify pain.
At the end of the day still take time to be grateful