Missing active hobbies

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diamond

Legendary member
Joined
Sep 18, 2015
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1,548
Reason
DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
01/2008
Country
UK
State
anywhere
Its well into Spring in the UK and the sunshine and longer days have brought mixed emotions this year.

Many of you will know that 9 years into fibro the last 18 months my health has been on a constant decline so that even my old fibro normal is a dim and distant memory.

Prior to this decline at least some of the time i could go for short walks...and do some light gardening and kept up doing my housework on my better days....all now impossible or very minimal.

My main hobby is gardening and now it is so limited and i can no longer use secateurs for trimming plants..my hands and arms are so painful that even pulling dead leaves off plants hurts...sounds crazy i know.

I used to spend so much time pottering about watering...pulling up weeds...planting up hanging baskets even with fibro in small managable bites...and now i have to give that up as well.

So my point is yes i appreciate the warm spring sunshine...looking out of the window...the first flowers ...the birds.....but its more than tinged with sadness that the last bits of me have kind of finally died after fighting for 9 years to keep these vital small bits of 'me' alive.

Any one else had to give up a much loved hobby?
 
So sorry Willow : ' ( I haven't had it as long as you, but it's been deteriorating me at a much faster rate.

At 50, I wasn't as active as I was, but I still would run close to 2mi a day 3-4X a week, and walk a minimum of 2mi a day, everyday on top of that.
Now 1 year later, I walk 1mi, and I can barely make it home. I usually have to call for a ride.

I used to make jewelry, both as a hobby and for profit. Can't work with the tools now. I was doing web design, but I can't spend more than an hour a day looking at the computer, because of this MGD that may be related.

So yes, I empathize. Hopefully we can find something else more manageable and still enjoyable.
 
So sorry :( For me the hardest part of this has been not being able to be as active as I used to be as well. Yesterday I could hardly walk... thankfully today was better. It's funny (and kind of sad), there are days in which i feel almost normal, but then those bad days come and I am reminded I'm not that healthy girl next door. Same with hobbies... I think I am pretty done with marathons and and running in general... I hope I can start walking soon, but you never know. I'm still able to garden a little, but mostly pots. I can still bake, but writing is becoming difficult...

Hang in there, girl! You are not alone :) I still have hope things will get better :D I think that is what keeps me alive and still trying.
 
Thanks you two..yeah walking is out for me now too. I last went out of the house for a car ride lasting about half an hour in October 2015.

Since then the pain and weakness has been too bad so am just indoors mostly in bed or sitting for a while.

Nice you can bake Trellum..reminds me I used to bake nice cakes and cook lovely roasts even with fibro sometimes but at the moment that's off the table too.

Shame too about the jewellery making that sounds a lovely hobby/income maker Sureimsore...

Gosh i wish for things to improve for all of us.
 
Im there with all of you. Willow I didn't become almost deabilitated until last fall, dry weather has brought some relief but there are days I wouldn't even think about pulling weeds nor can I close a clasp on a necklace let alone make one. I can not imagine nine years like my last two.
I fight constantly on a "good day" not to embark on anything that I can't finish or would require follow up. I don't do things I want to because I'm afraid of the consiquences.
I had not really thought of spring being bitter sweet, but how right you are.
 
Do u like reading .i do find it take me away from my real life for a time which really helps.
Fish I no u will laugh. But I started off with a small tank , I now have a 20gl tank .i keep minors and plattys there small but hardy.i even have babys now.
I've had to read a lot of husbandry and love to spends hours at night watching them when the tank light is on.id of never though seeing one of my fish pregnant was so exciting .
I also collect orchids .very little to do but lovely to look at and grow,
Most ppl don't like tarantulas but I find my girl is very easy .she can go 6 months without food not that she ever has. But she don't eat a lot .this could be a nice hobbie for some ppl ,not everyone scared of spiders.and because she is very dialect u have to be gentle which means holding her is very relaxing.
There's ton of hobbies out there . Many most ppl don't even think of trying . All oh my hobbies have not been expensive but like most hobbies u blind it up as u go.
Also card making .lots of fun and more personal x
 
Fish tank sound nice Forgetmenot...i think nature...watching animals, pets, fish whatever eat, grow, and have babies is heartwarming..i guess gardening is the same you plant nurture nourish and see the fruits of your labour as beautiful flowers.

We all get a kind of mental picture of each other from what we write or maybe even the pen names we use and i didn't have you down as a tarantula kind of girl Forgetmenot! It made me smile. I love animals but don't think holding a Tarantula is something i could do!!!!

I do find it hard to concentrate to read much at a time and love the outdoors....i will have to try and think of something....it's hard to stay enthusiastic unless you are passionate about something.

I have a huge garden and live in what was originally a woodland so many trees that are a couple of hundred years old and tons of leaves to clear before the lawns can be cut....i am reminising now as i used to do it all myself and cut the big hedges and take all the debris to the local rubbish tip (dump).

Thanks for all the replies its an insight into what others do.
 
I sympathise with your predicament willow. Your post can break even a strong heart. That we share the same hobby of gardening and you seem to have lost it is sad indeed. Is the pain emanating from your fingers? I believe that determination can clear oceans and flatten mountains. I would advise you to resume your hobby in small steps at a time and as you exercise and become conditioned, you would find it easier to do what you love with time. You can also develop a new hobby, something dear to your heart that you can accommodate if the above fails. Best regards.
 
I really enjoy my animals. We have dogs, fish and chickens. We just got roommates who brought a cat and a bunny into the mix.

The chickens are especially soothing. They really like us because we spoil them rotten :) Whenever I go out in the backyard with them, they gather round and make soft, friendly little sounds. Very relaxing!
 
Ah that sounds lovely DK.

Hi remnant no sadly it isn't just my fingers its my whole body....standing, walking, bending reaching have all become too painful. I can only sit in my soft armchair propped up with cushions and hot water bottles strategically placed in my back and across my shoulders and on my stomach...a bit of a sad old state really!!
 
Yea, I love cycling but my FM makes it impossible. Especially, when spring comes it just breaks my heart watching other people ride their bikes knowing I can't and just wishing I could. I know the feeling all too well, it's terrible.
 
Readjusting life it's a must with this disease. Sure, we will miss everything from our old life, but as soon as we get over that, the best for us.
 
Hi opporosanto...i agree we have to adjust.... my point is i adjusted to the restrictions and difficulties of fibro back in 2007...well it took me a year or so to reach acceptance of my new limitations.

I am not really comparing to my old life as in pre fibro days i'm comparing to the fibro 'normal' i had come to accept with all its ups and downs.

What i didn't anticipate was that more and more symptoms would arrive year on year and that in the last year or two my fibro has changed so much so that the things i could still do in small bite size chunks ...and even then still only on good days....have also become impossible all the time.

Anyway yes I agree no use moaning.

I can understand you miss cycling Destiny...it's lovely to be out in the fresh air on a bike isn't it. So sorry you miss it so much.
 
From reading the above posts, it sounds as if for most of you, the negative changes (deterioration in abilities, and physical condition) has been steady, but in my experience, I have a lot of flares, then more normal times. It's often difficult for me to gauge what I will be capable of on a particular day or time, which makes planning ahead difficult. Because of that, I've become a bit more spontaneous. I used to plan everything out in detail, but since I'm unable to predict how I'll be feeling, I now will wait until the day itself to decide whether or not I'm able to do something.

I've given up a lot of hobbies and activities over the years, as well. I do have two aquariums that are sitting empty right now. Cost is one reason, as well as it being difficult for me to reach all the way to the bottom of my larger tank, and having the energy to clean and otherwise maintain it. Even if I give that up, I would really like to keep the smaller tank, since it's a bit shallower, and therefore easier for me to maintain. Even if I can't do that for now, I plan to get at least one betta fish. At one point, I had 4 aquariums and 4 betta tanks, and loved seeing the colorful fish swimming around. It was also enjoyable to see the cats getting excited when the fish were particularly active.

I haven't been able to go for a walk for a while now, and I really miss it. I enjoy taking my camera out and getting some nature shots, and sharing them with friends. I always feel better when I can walk. I used to swim a lot, but don't have access to a pool here. Although I do have a local beach, I don't go down there that much, since there are always people there, and I'm not feeling up to socializing much these days. I have never been much of an ocean swimmer, preferring the safety of pools, where I can see the bottom, and there are no undertows.

Like @Trellum, I enjoy cooking and baking, but haven't been able to do much of it these days.

I'm always hopeful that things will improve, and am always looking for small ways to add a little enjoyment back into my life, even if it's just a short visit to the neighbor's house, or spending a little time on the balcony with the cats.
 
Nice to hear about your life and the pleasures you still find Warrior Princess.
 
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