Showing posts with label orthopedic shoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label orthopedic shoes. Show all posts

Wednesday, 5 June 2013

Diagnosis and Compliance Mostly

My first GP always said "if it's not broke, don't fix it" so my oldest son has an odd toe that has not caused him any trouble in his whole life.  But this is the same man who I blame for the slow diagnosis of my RA, so I don't fully agree with that philosophy.  "Broke" needs a definition to be useful.
                                 kootation.com

If I were as good at applying make-up as I am with eye drops and eye gel I would be stunning.
                                  merledress.com
My friend says: "The worst news that I have to date, is that going forward, there are no devilishly beautiful high heels ever again, and probably not even semi-attractive flats. Can a woman nearing seventy ever find happiness again wearing orthopedic running shoes?

Answer: Yes if she can happily walk around Italy and pretend the shoes on her feet have nothing to do with her."

In a recent study of ethnically diverse and economically disadvantaged patients with rheumatoid arthritis on oral therapy, the result was that only 21% had took their DMARDS at least 80% of the time.  This led to many headlines about RA patients not being compliant and following treatment plans.

My thoughts: 
Could money have been a factor? Even if they were given medications for this study might they have decided to save some doses and make it last longer into the future.

Those with better mental health were more likely to follow directions.  

Online I read frequently about the struggles people have in reducing their prednisone use. There are a lot of well known drawbacks to prednisone that lead many to attempt to reduce their dosage.
All of these DMARDS were oral. Methotrexate by mouth has gastrointestinal side effects. I can easily imagine circumstances that would lead to a skipped or mis-timed dose.

And chiefly: Why does a study of 107 diverse and disadvantaged patients in Texas lead to generalization in online medical resources about RA patients taking medications?

Here's another study about the medication adherence in RA.  
This one is a review of literature on the topic.  
I like the concept of concordance where two people are involved in the decision.

"In the mid 1990s, the concept of ‘concordance’ was born. The term ‘concordance’ relates to a process of the consultation in which prescribing is based on partnership. In this process, healthcare professionals recognize the primacy of the patient’s decision about taking the recommended medication, and the patient’s expertise and beliefs are fully valued"


Monday, 21 January 2013

Heartbreak: Shoes and RA

The whole truth is that I have given up on cool sexy shoes and now concentrate on comfort and being able to walk in a way that looks normal.  It has taken a long time for me to become so philosophic about this issue.  It often felt like the main limiting factor in my professional life was my footwear.  I used to cringe at my overall "look" in a full length mirror, even though I don't think most people look at your feet when you are talking business in a room full of colleagues.  But we all know the people with "good" shoes check yours out. It's a ranking system for them.


                                          Greg Blackstock Shoes

How many of the shoes above can you still wear? Are you trapped with ugly shoes?

I almost walked right out of the store years ago when a salesperson suggested I get shoes like this (really I almost cried):
They were unthinkable as a shoe choice!! I got some cool lace up blue leather boots instead.

Imagine these on your feet: 



Of course these shoes would take too much money out of our drug and pain rub budget as well as torturing feet, but can you imagine?!  That's all I can do - imagine.  I could wear them in a wheelchair - maybe.

I'm glad to see there are more sensible choices now that do not look so bad these days. 
ComfortShoes

I couldn't wear the shoes above but I bet many people with RA could.
I just stick with my trusty New Balance 926s. 


They have a rollbar that does part of the walking for me and a lot of cushioning built in. 

Wishing for the feet of a baby.