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In all Its Glory Ten

This is what I wake up to every morning: Spiderman hand. To celebrate that, here are:

Ten Positive Things About Having Arthritic Hands

Arm-wrestling challenges are never made to me.

For Halloween I really can dress up as Spiderman, and I'll look very authentic.

I always get a pass for not having a proper manicure.

I don't have to do anything that requires the wearing of gloves for the rest of my life.

People who know me never try to shake my hand. People who don't try, stop when they actually see my hand, look horribly embarrassed, and then apologize profusely.

Picking out what rings to wear is not a problem (can't slip any past the swollen joints.)

Polite applause is never expected of me.

The Asian guy in the mall who tries to wheedle passing people into his massage salon only grimaces at me.

The impulse to give people who drive badly the finger remains just an impulse.

When my guy and I are out he doesn't try to hold my hand. He keeps an arm around me (sweet) or tucks his hand in the back pocket of my jeans (sexy.)

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Comments

nightsmusic said…
Your hand actually looks better than I thought it would. We have a friend who's fingers aren't only gnarled terribly, but they point at a 90 degree from their hands, both, rather than straight off. My fingers are twisting but so far, hanging in there. I'm really sorry you're going through this. The sweetest thing in this post is your guy walking with his hand in the back pocket of your jeans (and yes, it's sexy!)
September 17, 2020 at 8:07 AM
Maria Zannini said…
You don't have rheumatoid arthritis, do you? A friend of mine (very young) has a hand/wrist that looks just like that. It's bad enough when people our age get it, but I hate to see young people get it. Think of the decades ahead of them like this.

At least I've done enough dumb things in my life that merits having gnarled fingers and dislocated joints.
September 17, 2020 at 3:00 PM
the author said…
I've had rheumatoid arthritis since I was 28, unfortunately. It mostly affected my hands, feet and (oddly) one knee. Just in the last couple of years I've also developed osteoarthritis in my neck, shoulders, one arm and three fingers. :( So it's going to get interesting now.
September 18, 2020 at 11:06 PM
the author said…
I've had three surgeries on this particular hand, but the scars are mostly on the other side so it doesn't look so bad from this angle. I am blessed so far not to have the gnarling, although in a couple of years I'll likely be dealing with that, too. Never a dull moment with my joints. :)
September 18, 2020 at 11:08 PM
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