Me and My arthritis - GOPO 10 Week Update

As of last week, it has been 10 weeks since I started taking the GOPO rosehip supplement to see if it would help improve the symptoms of arthritis in my hip and back in particular.

I have been keeping a diary to help keep track of how things have been. What I find is that unless I keep notes, then if I'm having a bad day, I can only foresee bad days and I can't imagine the pain improving and I struggle to remember the pain free days. Whereas if I'm having a good day, I forget just how bad things can get. So keeping a diary has really helped keep an accurate record.

I have also noted factors like the weather and taking notice of what shoes I'm wearing as a result of keeping the diary. That has helped me identify that even flat seemingly comfy sandals can cause back-pain for me and so I have just ordered a pair of sports sandals and a new pair of crocs to help with that additional cushioning and reducing the impact on my back.

 The weather has largely been good during the time I've been taking GOPO so that makes it harder to assess the impact. It will be interesting to see how things change over the winter months. However, even taking the weather into account, I have had a lot less pain and stiffness in my back this summer than last summer.

It has meant that I've been able to get out in the garden with the children.

And enjoy cooking with the kids too.

These might seem like simple things to enjoy, but when my back seizes up with stiffness I cannot even do simple tasks like getting dressed unaided, washing up, or preparing meals. So this really is a mega big difference. I plan to continue taking GOPO.

I saw my consultant earlier in the week and he has mentioned it is probably worth taking a vitamin D supplement over the winter months and right through to April as that helps bone health.

D is also still under investigation having had blood tests and x-rays to help identify whether his hip pain could be early signs of arthritis. At the moment, his consultant pediatrician is hopeful that it is hypermobility rather than arthritis.

I will be writing a further post at the end of the 12 week trial.

You can find my previous posts about GOPO as follows:
Starting the trial (with more information about GOPO and the science behind it)
4 week update
8 week update

Disclosure: I have been sent a 12 week supply of GOPO capsules to trial and then describe how I get on.