Testimonials

Eleven years ago I had to stop work as a primary school teacher. I was then diagnosed as having rheumatoid arthritis. I was unable to return to work, needed help to get out of a chair, and had no social life. Life was incredibly bleak and lonely. Medication seemed to have a very limited effect.

I saw an ad for a self-management course provided by Arthritis Care and applied at once to attend. I benefited immediately from talking to people who understood exactly what I was going through. Over the six weeks I learned more about my condition and how to organise my life to get the best from it.

Today I am back playing golf, have trained as a walk leader with a group promoting exercise and swim regularly. In return I now deliver self-management courses for Arthritis Care and really enjoy seeing others turn their lives round as I did. So thank you to Arthritis Care for giving me a second chance at life.

I’ve known about my arthritis for four years now. I have recently turned 18 and therefore had to go through my last few years of school and college with arthritis. I am hopefully going to university in September to qualify as a primary school teacher.

I have been to two Positive Future Workshops and both of them have helped me so much. I have met the most amazing people and I can honestly say that they have all helped me in understanding my arthritis.

The workshops consist of us chatting about our arthritis and trying to put it into perspective, we talk about situations where we get treated differently by friends, family and teachers. The nice setting makes everyone feel comfortable; we usually do activities during the day like going for a walk, or making pizza and then in the evening play games, which everyone enjoys.

I have also been on an activity weekend, where we went sailing with the same people. This was really good because none of us had really been sailing before so we all had to help each other – it was a really good laugh as well. Before I went on a workshop I hadn’t met anyone else with arthritis – it was amazing to meet people like me. We talked about our experiences and it made me realise that I wasn’t alone. I found that talking about how people see me and how I see my arthritis, helped me to understand it more because the other young people understood every word that I said. It didn’t feel like I was talking a different language.

The arthritis workshops have had a huge impact on my life, because I now feel that I am not my arthritis, my arthritis is only a small part of me. I think that since the workshops I have become a lot more positive about myself because I don’t feel alone anymore, I know there are people that know exactly what I am going through.

My family and friends understand me more purely because I understand myself more and therefore don’t get as angry. The workshops helped me to talk to my friends and explain how I was feeling – they now know that I can’t walk as fast but still want to be included.

I am hoping to become an Arthritis Care volunteer because I want to help people as much as they have helped me. My outlook on life is more positive. I don’t let my arthritis stop me. I want more people to understand that young people can get it, and how it affects us.

I attended a six-week Challenging Arthritis course in June 2005. I must admit that when I went along to the first meeting I wondered what there could possibly be to talk about for two and a half hours every week for six weeks, thinking it would be a group of people complaining about their aches and pains. How wrong I was.

The course was run by three very inspiring trainers who had arthritis themselves, so they could empathise with us all. The course was very well structured and there was a great rapport between the leaders and participants. Action plans to challenge our arthritis were made each week and this motivated us to try out new suggestions and aims made in class by the following week. There was also an opportunity to discuss our individual situations and to hear how others were coping and managing their arthritis.

I have had rheumatoid arthritis for 15 years and for the first time I felt I was among people who could really understand and empathise with me. When the course ended we decided to keep in touch and continue to support each other. We now meet every eight weeks for lunch or afternoon tea and phone each other in between to swap tips, news and generally cheer each other up. Usually one or two of the lovely, very supportive course leaders come along too. We are a friendly bunch and really look forward to our meetings.

I would recommend the course to anyone given the opportunity or contemplating going on it. It has helped me enormously. Not only have I made some good friends, but I understand so much more about arthritis and how to deal with it.

I have had rheumatoid arthritis since the age of 13. Now, at 19, I am currently on a gap year in which I worked in telesales for six months before travelling to New Zealand and Australia. I am beginning a Geography degree at Nottingham University soon.

I found the Young People’s Project on the internet, through the Arthritis Care website. I actually approached them as I wanted to share the knowledge I had gained planning my trip to New Zealand and Australia with other young people with arthritis. So far, I have attended one workshop at Longleat Centre Parcs. Here I got the chance to hear more about what the Young People’s Project does and what volunteering for them entails. I heard other young people talk about their experiences of living with arthritis and learnt more about the medication I am on from rheumatologists. And I did a presentation myself.

I met other young people with arthritis, one of whom is taking the same medication as me – we swapped email addresses so we can keep in contact. It was invaluable to have time to chat to them and share experiences as so often having arthritis can cause me to feel isolated from my peers.

Having taken part in the workshop, I feel a lot more positive about my condition as I feel I understand my medication regime and the importance of taking my drugs much better – and I feel more connected with other young people with whom I can share my worries and concerns. It showed me that there is a whole support network out there which I can take advantage of. This has made me feel more empowered and able to push for the care I need.

I saw an advertisement for a Challenging Pain workshop in a free local paper. It was ideal for me because I was feeling very down at the time. I am 71 years and have been active all my life, but the pain I was experiencing because of the osteoarthritis in my knee had prevented me from walking far and from doing my usual activities. This had resulted in my putting on weight.

During the workshop we were shown many useful pain management techniques, which were safe and easy to use – and effective. I found the relaxation and breathing exercises very beneficial. The whole workshop helped me a great deal, talking to others who were in the same boat as me, learning how to manage my negativity, deal with stress and to pace myself to prevent tiredness.

Following the workshop I continued at home with many of the exercises from the exercise handout we were given. I found that they were not too strenuous, and many I could do sitting in a chair watching television. I also found that my whole body was feeling better – my health and well-being had improved.

Early this year my GP referred me to a consultant and in June I was admitted to hospital for a knee replacement operation. The physiotherapist and her colleague were very surprised at my flexibility soon after the operation. I told them that I had been doing exercises I had been shown at the workshop and that these had helped especially to keep the muscles strengthened around the joint. The physiotherapists told me to tell others and also Arthritis Care that this was a first-rate service which could be of benefit to so many people in pain, and many like me who were waiting for joint replacement surgery.

I was allowed home from hospital after only five days. I have a friend who is also waiting for a knee replacement operation and I have told her that she should attend a Challenging Pain workshop when one is available in her area.

Thank you, Arthritis Care, for making a difference to my pain and making a difference to my life.

My son was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis when he was nine years old. He is in hospital about three times a year, usually two weeks at a time, for intensive physiotherapy and hydrotherapy. Life is not easy but he is remarkable and just makes the most of the good times and copes bravely with the bad times.

Arthritis Care has helped him greatly, they have given him confidence and he just loves to get away on the workshops with people who are like him and feel like he does. In his words we (his family) cannot understand how he feels. But the youngsters on the weekends understand him. He always returns from these trips and has had an awesome time.

He has also found the pain management that is explained on these weekends very helpful – learning new skills with people who encourage but don’t push the limits. Previously he has been very bad at pacing himself, I feel Arthritis Care have helped a lot with this.

We are so grateful to Arthritis Care. My son is going to train to become a youth volunteer when he turns 18.

I loved going kayaking, it was so much fun. I like water sports so it was great to be able to do this and I really loved meeting all my new friends.

It was nice to be away in a really nice place like Fairthorne Manor, it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, which is nice because you can just be yourself and forget all your problems. There was so much to do and see, I’d love to go there again, and the rooms were really homely.

I have learnt that I am not alone with my condition, and there are other children who feel the same as me about everything, like school life and home life. I’m not the only person who takes my pain out on my mum, who finds it hard when school and friends don’t understand my condition.

The weekend has also taught me that things can get better in time, and I am just the same as everyone else. I have the same qualities as everyone else; I’m fun to be around, I’m happy, I’m strong, and I can see I am the same as someone without arthritis.

I really had a great time and loved being with my new friends. These weekends really mean a lot to me as they give me time away to be myself and not worry about what people think about me. Being with people the same as me also means I can talk to them about how I feel about everyday things, and when they say ‘I know how you feel,’ they really do mean it.

I hope these weekends carry on so they can help other children like me.

I was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia after five years of constant pain following a fall. I had been attending my local Arthritis Care branch for a few months when I heard about the Challenging Arthritis course. At first I wasn't sure whether it was the right course for me, as I didn't know what to expect, but I signed up for it when our chairperson explained a bit more about it. I’m so glad that I did.

The course was very well run by understanding volunteer trainers, who both had arthritis. They showed me that by setting myself a weekly goal I could manage to do things for myself again and gain back some of my independence. This technique gave me the confidence to go out to my local shops by myself for the first time in over five years. It was a wonderful feeling.

I also found that by problem solving in a group you could pass helpful tips and coping strategies to one another – this helped me a great deal. I also learned to take time out for myself for relaxation: reading a good book, taking a bubble bath or using the relaxation techniques learnt on the course. It does make me feel better.

I would definitely recommend the Challenging Arthritis course, at the end of the six weeks I had learnt that I wouldn't let my condition rule my life anymore.

I had been struggling to cope with my rheumatoid arthritis for 16 years. My children are now getting older and less dependant. So I started thinking about going back to work. But what job could I do with my arthritis? I felt I could never be classed as reliable because I have my good days but a lot of bad days too. I applied for a few jobs but didn't get anywhere.

Then I saw a notice in my local paper asking “have you got arthritis? do you want to go back to work?”. I rang the number given straight away as I knew if I didn't I wouldn't bother at all.

When I was given the date to start the Preparing for Work course I was really nervous – I very nearly didn't go but I am so glad I did. John and Lesley, our leaders made us all feel so welcome. As a group, we were all different ages, but we all just clicked really well. It was so nice to be able to spend time with people who are suffering just like me.

The first six weeks of the course were spent learning how to cope with arthritis. The aspect I found really helpful were Pain Management as it teaches you to distract yourself from the pain: just simple exercises and watching what you eat can help and even relaxation. And we were taught to action plan. I was amazed at how well people in my group were motivated by it, including myself.

At the end of the six weeks you get a certificate which was a lovely surprise especially as I haven't had one since school age.

In the final two weeks we looked at going back to work. Some of the things we learnt were how to fill in an application form, how to look for jobs and where to find information on companies you are applying to.

Most job descriptions ask for certain skills and I had thought I didn't have any from being at home for so long. But surprisingly I found I had loads. One of my sons has recently lost his job. It’s a real shame but because I did this course I am able to pass my knowledge to him, which makes me feel great.

‘The [Challenging Your Condition] course was a great success, thanks to the trainers who gave such a professional performance. You organised it perfectly and kept us all on our toes. The other participants were very friendly and comfortable and I enjoyed every minute of it. I am looking forward to the reunion'.

‘I wondered what to expect when I signed on for the course, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. The trainer’s presentation was both exciting and interesting, to say the least. The warmth and friendliness makes us feel part of a family sharing problems, exchanging ideas and views. The whole event was a great success and we look forward to the reunion which is to be organised.’

‘I have recently attended one of your courses. It was very ably run by the trainers. Every session was extremely interesting and informative and I am sorry that it has now ended.’

‘This course has made me much more aware of my condition and how it affects others. Most I already knew but this course put it into perspective. It has helped me to be more tolerant and to be more aware of the help I need and how I can assist my carers. My attitude to life is positive and this has been reinforced by the course. I now have a set time for my regular exercise (minimal though it might be).’

‘The trainers were so supportive and willing to listen. I think this was due to the fact they have chronic conditions themselves – they understood what the participants felt. Everyone really enjoyed it and I personally was sorry that it ended.’

‘This [You Can Break the Pain Cycle] was a very good course covering so many different aspects of arthritis. Thank you very much.’

‘I enjoyed all of it.

‘Keep up the good work. This course made my week.’

‘I thought it was a good course, giving us useful, practical advice.’

‘A useful bringing together of information.’

‘The two trainers were so good making us able to understand our illness.’

‘The course reinforced my knowledge and gave me access to publications.’

‘It was very useful. It has helped me to understand my body better.’

'An excellent presentation [of the Arthritis Awareness course]. Being told to treat arthritis as more than just a "pain disease" and to consider the depression, lifestyle inhibition, anger, frustation, that accompanies it was most useful. I feel I can offer more help to people with arthritis now.'