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Rheumathoid Athritis(?)

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arthoz:
Last year I began to have pains in my knuckle joints. It's difficult for me to open or close my fingers, it's like a rusted hinge. Physiotherapist just told me to soak my fingers in hot water for half an hour daily as the only cure. For the past month the pain is gone but my fingers are sometime stiff. I can't pull bow with the mediterranean draw anymore because of the pain and the swollen joints makes it difficult for me to drive my car. All I could do is the thumb draw where a single joint pain and a swollen thumb is acceptable. Usually the pain goes numb after 50-100 arrow shot. Now I have to relearn shooting arrow with my thumb and it's really frustrating to get the aim right after years of doing it with three fingers.

It's not a serious illness at this point...but annoying because I can't do heavy woodwork anymore....can't go felling trees, can't spend hours shaving staves. I let my cousin borrow most of my woodcarving tools since I'll never be using it anymore. I guess it's one of the things one have to endure with old age....just I got the bad luck having it in early thirties....

I wonder if anyone had to endure similar illness? Is there a cure or is it something that will get worse as we age? I dreamed of someday getting strong enough to use a 80-100 pound warbow. Now all I could manage no more than a 40# bow...all my strength is useless because of the pain in my fingers. Sometimes I feel depressed knowing that I am physically incapable to chase my dreams....

bjrogg:
I feel your pain literally in my left thumb. My other fingers to but not so much as my thumb. So far I just work through it but I'm sure that won't work forever. My doctor gave me a medicine that helps some. I have heard before on this site of people using raisins soaked if I remember right in Rum. Maybe someone will give the recipe. I sure hope you find something that helps. Always been my fear that when I get old enough to have the time to do the stuff I love to do I won't be able to do it.
Bjrogg

AndrewS:
Try  to put every day a little spoonful of mixed  spices to your food: 1/3 ground cumin, 1/3 ground coriander, 1/3 ground nutmeg.

DC:
I have arthritis in both thumbs but fortunately not in my fingers. It hurts to shoot some days and I can't use a cabinet scraper at all but I'm 70 and at some point things have to go down hill. The alternative is to die young and it's already too late for that :D. I take an arthritis strength Tylenol in the morning and evening and that takes the edge off. I made a Torges type scraper so I can still make bows. Other than that just grin and bear it.
Oh, the raisin thing is Sultana raisins, others won't work apparently, and gin. Soak the raisins in the the gin for a week or so and eat 2-3 raisins a day. I've never tried it. I dried out 28 years ago and I don't need the risk. 

bjrogg:
DC congratulations on 28 years. That's a real accomplishment. I wouldn't risk it either but I knew I saw it on this site. You still knock out a lot of nice bows, hopefully you can continue to do so.
Bjrogg

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