Introducing the Tin Mom

Meet blogger Annette Beach

By Annette Beach

Hi and thank you for checking out my blog! This is my first time hosting a blog and I'm excited! With your help, I hope to make this a successful journey.

Although I have an extensive history with arthritis and this is an arthritis site, I'm not going to focus entirely on arthritis-related issues. I'm sure we'll address the subject often, but I spend enough time struggling with limited range of motion, pain, stiffness and the side effects that come with this disease; I'm not going to let it dominate my blog.

Given my medical history (32 operations including 13 joint replacements and multiple reconstructions), I've often said, "Arthritis is my life." But the truth is, it's not! (And I really need to stop saying that!) Arthritis is a beast living inside of my body, feeding off of my joints and interfering with my plans; but it is not my life. My life is: my God, my family and my friends!

Arthritis is an obstacle and a daily challenge – one that I've faced daily for almost 23 years. As many of you know, it can be tough – very tough on so many levels! It is more than achy fingers and it often takes more than an over-the-counter pill to get through a day. But it is not my life and I do not want it to be my identity! If people were to describe me using one word and they would use the word "arthritis," then I've been doing something wrong.

Have you ever wondered what single word would be used to describe you? If 25 people were asked to use one word to describe you, would most people use the same word or do you think it would be a variety of words? Now for the scary question: would the word be positive or negative?