Interview 02  

Interview 02

Age at Interview: 70
Sex: Female
Age at Diagnosis: 58
Background: Retired journalist/shopkeeper currently studying for an Open University degree. Married with 4 adult children.

Brief outline:Polymyalgia/palindromic arthritis episodes '88-92, RA diagnosed '94 & OA. Daily Voltarol 75mg, Defalzacort 6mg, pain killers & Methotrexate 25mg/wk (folic acid 5/7 days). Some steroid pulses. 2 hips, 2 knees replaced due to OA & shoulder operation proposed.


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Really enjoys studying although her hands do affect her handwriting, but has found using a voice computer has made and enormous difference.

 



But it did seem to me if you, at least my brain, it would have been so much worse if I'd had something that was affecting my brain. So I'm more worried about that going funny, hence the open university degree I decided to do. I did another degree in another subject a little while ago, but that was a, a degree at a university and that was slightly impeded by my well current rheumatoid and osteo rheumatoid troubles at the time but I managed that was fine, that worked very well really I could spread it over two years and it was fine. Because it was a further degree. So, I am sort of addicted to learning, I think probably, it keeps one going. 

And the other inconveniencing thing is my hands. I cannot grasp anything. I can't write for more than say, seven minutes without it hurting quite a lot. My handwriting which was always, not very good  is now worse. It becomes a scrawl after a few, I can do it neatly for a few minutes and then it becomes a scrawl. But I have been very lucky because I am doing an Open University degree and the Open University has given me a voice computer, which makes an enormous difference, which is wonderful. Because you know I can type, I have always used a word processor or a computer, but it, it gets very tiring, I cannot do that either, I used to think well I can do that if I can't write but actually it's again I can't do it for more than about ten minutes it's just my wrists have, they don't look too bad, but they have gone pretty well now.

Rheumatoid arthritis
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