(4) Two weeks and counting

Nice to have you back with us :o)
I hope your health problems can be overcome.
A very well made whelping box.
Looking forward to your reporting on lots of baby Shelties :o)

Can't wait for the puppy photos.

I have OA Fleurdemai,
It does make it difficult to do quite a lot, walking is esp. hard for me because my knees are affected the most. It was because of the OA that I started my Square Foot garden on my patio, and how I came to get involved with GOY. I have had artificial cartiledge injections called SynVisc, it is derived from rooster combs. It has helped a lot with mobility, and anti-inflammatory meds. help also. The only other thing I do is to use heat packs and an electric blanket to keep warm at night.

Hi FD great to have you back, exciting about the new arrivals, i loved it when my staffie had pups, but we cried our eyes out when they went, a very sad day in our household :(
Sorry to hear about the OA, i hope the Doctors can give you relief from the pain..Your still young to have OP tho!!!
... Dee..

Welcome back! I hope all goes well with the imminent births (please let us know!) Keep warm - I'm sure that it will help your condition.

Good to be back :o)
youngdaisydee: Apparently it is down to many years of football, cycling, boxing etc and walking up and down ladders at work all day. Too much pressure on the joints
:o(

Wohibuli: I do have heat pads
For anti inflamatories I have to rely on Ibuleve gel as Ibupropen tablets flares up my IBS.
GULP..I'm starting to sound like my grandad......LOL

Dale

I don't have osteo arthriritis, but I found my joints less painful and sleep much easier after buying a 'memory foam' mattress.

Pottygardener: thanks for the suggestion ;o)
we paid a lot of money last year for a mattress with 2,000 individual pocket springs and a memory foam lining so sleeping isn't too bad,
My problems stem from an inability to sit still when I am awake. When my pains go away for an hour I am back outside digging, repairing ,making something or running the dogs, my wife says I'm a cauchemar (thats nightmare in English!)

~ I have it in my hands knees and neck so know what you are going through~one recent suggestion was to fuse the top discs together so that no nerves would be trapped~my right hand gets cramped sometimes.Needless to say that is last on my list of 'to dos"! Do you take Glucosamine~sometimes it helps!
Stay warm and love to your lovely dogs!
Arlene

Thanks Arlene, I'll read up on it

O yeah the memory foam helps a lot, I forgot about that, I can't take Glucosamine, but it is supposed to help. My dog has OA also and she takes that. She and I are just a couple of old ladies. Actually F, my Doctor says that the more active you can be the better. Hope you feel better soon and keep warm!

I too have arthritis but I don't know what type. It affects my hips knees and neck. I have trouble with the discs in my back aswell.
I seem to feel better in the rain. High and low temperatures makes it worse for me.
I find aromatherapy helps a lot. I go every month. The effect isn't immediate but builds up over time.
I have a beanbag I put in the microwave and it helps with the nagging pain, also a hot water bottle.
Like you I'm unable to sit still. I find it boring. I can't sit to watch the tv either. I find that boring aswell. I'd rather look at GOY :o) That's about the only thing I can sit still for.

I have some crocuses coming up in a tub in the front garden. Not long now before the days start to lengthen.

Have a merry Christmas !

I have truly missed your wonderful pictures...I wondered where you were. I wish you lived closer I would love to have a sheltie but I guess there are plenyt of people here who raise them too. I had trouble with pain in my shoulders, neck, thighs and knees for two months (June and July). I hate medication. I decided to start Glucosamine-Chondroitin because many of my relatives are on it. The directions said to take 2 tablets 3 times a day. The stuff is expensive so I took 1 at 12:00 noon every day and within 2 weeks all my pain was gone. It has never come back. I have forgotten to take it several days in a row and those pains start to return so I know it is the medication making the difference and it is not so expensive when you take a lesser dose (as long as that lesser dose works for you)

I have had osteo arthritis for years, not alot you can do about it,i have pain killers & inflamative (if i spelt it right) of my doctor's ho & some movelat gel to rub on which is very good, i also treated myself to a tense machine, you can buy them at lyods chemist, they are brill, it helps brill with the pain, my doctor always say dont give in to it, & do little but often, when i'm in my garden doing things, i will do abit sit have a cupper, then do some more gardening, it may take longer but i manage to do it. As for you Hywel it sounds like you have the same aswell, because you have all the same ailments as me. I know my doctor always says you cant stop it coming but you can prolong it, by not sitting 24-7 feeling sorry for yourself, by keeping active, and resting plenty in between, works wonders, i think he's right as i've had it over 20yrs now.

The American Shelties are heavier-boned and somewhat different to the Shetland Sheepdogs bred in Britain.

Both types make lovely pets, but I prefer the finer-boned Shelties you see in the UK, which are nearer to the original type of dog, worked in the Shetland Isles.

Sorry to hear so many members on this thread have aches and pains. Keep warm. Keep well. :o)

Oh yes, Glucosamine/Chondroitin tablets,also green Lipped mussel extract in both tablet form and a gel to massage in helps! Avoid acetic foods/drinks and include ginger in your diet! Who needs Doctors when you have GOY?!! :)

Hope you soon get some medication sorted to ease your discomfort, you'll need to be well for when you're chasing those puppies around :-)