> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://harewitch.me/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # on taking care of an arthritic body - URL: https://harewitch.me/on-taking-care-of-an-arthritic-body/ - Published: 2026-08-17T18:20:18.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-04T20:34:09.000Z - Author: mel - Tags: field notes, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ra, osteoarthritis, pain management, spoonie life ## Know Your Flare A flare is a period of increased disease activity. It can come on slowly — fatigue and stiffness that build over days — or suddenly, with multiple swollen, painful joints appearing at once. The sooner you recognize it, the sooner you can respond. Not every bad day is a flare. But learning to tell the difference helps you treat each one correctly. Your flares may look differently than mine. I am diagnosed with osteoarthritis and am headed to rheumatology soon for an inflammatory arthritis diagnosis. Note your symptoms - try finding a symptom logger spreadsheet and run through Google Docs/LibreOffice. ## Common Flare Signs - **Increased joint pain and swelling:** joints feel warm, tender, or look red - **Morning stiffness lasting longer than 30 minutes:** the classic RA marker - **Overwhelming fatigue:** the kind that sleep doesn't fix - **Flu-like feelings:** low-grade fever, "sick all over" sensation - **Your pain pattern changes:** different location, intensity, or quality than your usual chronic pain - **Irritability or emotional rawness:** the body often signals before the mind catches up A flare is not a punishment. It's not because you did anything wrong. It's just that your body is talking loudly, and you need to learn to listen to what it's saying. --- ## ✦ TIER 1: MEDICATION & MEDICAL ✦ ### The Chemical Hearth - **Naproxen (Aleve):** current NSAID, OTC or prescribed. Take with food to protect your stomach. It reduces inflammation, not just pain. - **Acetaminophen (Tylenol):** for pain relief if naproxen isn't enough or you can't take it. Safe for stomach, toxic in overdose. - **Topical creams:** Tiger Balm, Icy Hot, or Voltaren. These work locally and can be layered with oral meds. - **Your rheumatologist's number:** keep it somewhere you can find it during a flare. If a flare lasts more than a week despite your usual care, call them. - **Know your stomach protection:** NSAIDs can irritate the stomach lining. Ask the doctor about taking omeprazole or another PPI if you're on NSAIDs regularly. --- ## ✦ TIER 2: HOT & COLD ✦ ### The Temperature Toolbox - **Heat pack:** for chronic back pain and stiff joints. Moist heat (a damp towel in a plastic bag, microwaved) penetrates deeper than dry heat. Use for 15-20 minutes at a time. - **Rice sock:** a clean sock filled with dry rice, knotted at the end. Microwave 1-2 minutes. Molds to your back, neck, or any joint. Reusable. Cheap. I have one shaped like a frog that my partner sewed for me. - **Warm bath:** Epsom salts if you have them, but warm water alone is medicine. The buoyancy takes weight off your joints. - **Cold pack:** for acutely inflamed, hot, swollen joints. A bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel. Use for 10-15 minutes. Never put ice directly on skin. - **Alternating:** heat for chronic ache and stiffness; cold for acute inflammation and swelling. When in doubt, warm is usually safer for RA, though I have a higher need for cool myself. --- ## ✦ TIER 3: THE "CAN'T MOVE" KIT ✦ ### Minimum Viable Day For days when getting out of bed is the only chore. Keep these within arm's reach of your bed or your usual rest spot: - **Water bottle:** large, with a straw so I don't have to sit up to drink - **Snacks that don't need prep:** granola bars, crackers, fruit, nuts, shelf-stable things - **Meds:** in a small container reachable from bed - **Heat pack:** prepped and ready to microwave - **Phone charger:** long cable, within reach - **Something to do that doesn't need hands:** audiobook, podcast, music playlist, something you can listen to with my eyes closed - **A notebook and pen:** for the thoughts that come when I'm still long enough to hear them - **A candle:** even a tea light. Light it. It marks the space as mine, even if I can't move through it. --- ## ✦ TIER 4: REST & SLEEP ✦ ### The Permission Slip - **Plan two rests per day:** 15-30 minutes lying down, morning and afternoon. Rest *before* exhaustion, not after. - **Sleep hygiene matters more now:** same bedtime every night. Cool room (\~18C). Dark room. No screens 30 minutes before bed. - **Body pillow between your knees:** takes pressure off hips and lower back when sleeping on side. - **Satin or silk sheets:** make turning over in bed easier when everything hurts. A satin pillowcase alone helps. Also, I have 3a curls, which helps retain their moisture when I forget to wear my bonnet. - **Warm bath or shower before bed:** the warmth relaxes muscles and signals the body it's time to rest. - **If I can't sleep after 20 minutes, get up.** Read something gentle. Drink herbal tea. Try again. Lying in bed awake trains your body to associate the bed with frustration. --- ## ✦ TIER 5: GENTLE MOVEMENT ✦ ### The Principle: Motion Is Lotion During a flare, rest is primary, but complete stillness stiffens joints further. The goal is not exercise. The goal is *movement without strain.* - **Range of motion:** gently move each affected joint through its full comfortable range once a day. Don't force. Just remind the joint it can still move. - **Finger exercises:** make a fist, open the hands wide. Touch each finger to the thumb. Do this while watching something. - **Ankle circles:** while lying down. Good for circulation, low effort. - **If you can walk:** 5-10 minutes. That's enough. A short walk reduces stiffness and improves sleep. - **If you can't walk:** gentle stretching in bed. Point and flex feet. Roll shoulders. Move what you can. - **Stop before pain.** The motto: "Movement should not hurt." If it hurts, I've done too much. Scale back. --- ## ✦ TIER 6: JOINT PROTECTION ✦ ### Save Your Joints for What Matters - **Use larger joints for small tasks:** Close doors with the hip or shoulder, not with fingers. Carry bags on the forearm, not in your hand. Push items with the palm, not the fingertips. - **Don't grip, let tools do the work.** Built-up handles on utensils, a jar opener, an electric can opener, a long-handled sponge. These aren't luxuries. They're gear. - **Sit when you can.** A stool at the kitchen counter. A chair in the shower. Sitting takes load off the back, hips, knees, and feet. - **Delegate the hard stuff.** Ask someone else to open the jar, carry the groceries, twist the lid. This is not weakness. This is intelligence. - **The cha-cha door close:** use the whole body to close a door - swing your hip into it - rather than reaching with just one hand. - **Break tasks into pieces.** Load the washer today. Fold tomorrow. The laundry doesn't care about timelines. - **Avoid staying in one position too long.** Alternate sitting and standing. Switch tasks every 20-30 minutes. --- ## Who to Call ### ✦ YOUR FLARE CIRCLE ✦ - **The rheumatologist:** if a flare lasts more than a week despite home care, or if you have new symptoms (fever, redness spreading, inability to bear weight on a joint) - **The pharmacist:** can advise on NSAID safety, drug interactions, and OTC options. Use them. - **One person who will just listen:** not fix, not advise, just hear you say "I'm having a bad day." Name them now. --- # What to Actually Do During a Flare ## ✦ THE FLARE PROTOCOL ✦ A step-by-step sequence for when you realize a flare is happening: 1. **Name it.** Say it out loud: "This is a flare. I am having a flare. This will pass." Naming it takes away some of its power. 2. **Take your medication.** Naproxen with food. Set a timer for your next dose if needed. 3. **Apply heat or cold.** Heat for your back and stiff joints. Cold for any hot, swollen joints. 4. **Cancel non-essential commitments.** If you can, clear your schedule. If you can't, do the minimum and forgive yourself for the rest. 5. **Rest.** Lie down. 20 minutes minimum. Your body is fighting itself — it needs energy for that fight. 6. **Light a candle.** Mark the space as yours. The Inn is still open. 7. **Tell one person.** Not to fix you. Just so you're not alone in it. 8. **Eat something, even if you're not hungry.** Your body needs fuel to manage inflammation. Something simple: crackers, soup, toast. 9. **Move gently.** If you can, a few range-of-motion exercises in bed. If you can't, don't. Rest is movement enough. 10. **Remind yourself: this is temporary.** Flares end. They always end. This one will too. > I asked my rheumatologist once: "How will I know when the flare is over?" He said: "You'll wake up one morning and realize you moved without thinking about it first." That moment will come. Wait for it. It always comes. > McNeil, The First Year - Rheumatoid Arthritis ## After the Flare ### ✦ COMING BACK ✦ - **Don't rush back to normal.** The flare may be over, but your body has been through something. Give it a few days of gentle return. - **Note what worked.** In your notebook, jot down: what helped? What didn't? What do you wish you'd had? The Flareside Kit gets smarter every time you use it. - **Thank your body.** It fought itself and kept you alive through it. That's not nothing. - **Thank whoever helped.** A text. A small gift. Whatever you deem appropriate. - **Rest a little longer than you think you need to.** The temptation after a flare is to make up for lost time. Don't. Your body is still recalibrating. --- You are not broken. You are not failing. You are living with a body that works differently than you expected, and you are learning to work with it. That is not defeat. That is the beginning of wisdom.