Real life Volunteering helps me focus on others understanding his condition and becoming a course tutor made a real difference to stan mellings arthritis Words: Stan melling pHoTo: chriS taylor I had been in the pub game for about 14 years when I started experiencing back pain. I was regularly lifting barrels in the pubs cellar, and it was becoming too much. As my back continued to deteriorate, I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my early 40s and I had to take early retirement. Having arthritis also meant my wife Carol and I had to find somewhere new to live, so we moved to Trunch, near North Walsham, in Norfolk. I developed arthritis in my back, spine, shoulder, knees and, more recently, my foot. After the move, I had knee replacement surgery. I do exercises every day to relieve my pain and I use information found in Arthritis Cares Exercise and Arthritis booklet, plus exercises that the physiotherapists have given me. Carol was very concerned, because having to retire early affected me quite badly. Luckily, she discovered the Expert Patient Programme (EPP), which is a sixweek course for anyone with a long-term health condition. Irealised that I needed to take control of my arthritis, and the EPP course taught me how to self-manage mycondition. The course instructor asked if I would be interested in becoming an EPP tutor. He said they were looking for someone like me a readycommunicator, good at listening to people. Soon, I was running courses across Norfolk. When these came to an end, Carol spotted an Arthritis Care advert asking for volunteers to run Challenging Arthritis courses in Norfolk. I applied to become a volunteer and, because of my experience as an EPP tutor, was told I was a good fit for the role. I attended a three-day residential training session, then started volunteering with Arthritis Care. I ran courses for about five years. Im able to understand what others are going through, and relate to their thought processes and emotions Understanding others When the Challenging Arthritis courses stopped, I joined the local Arthritis Care branch in North Walsham. The chairman asked me to become a committee member and to take on the role of treasurer and Im still doing the job now. I enjoy volunteering, as I like helping other people. Im able to understand what others are going through, and relate to their thought processes and emotions. Volunteering also takes my mind off my own pain, while I focus on helping others. I would tell people who have been newly diagnosed with arthritis to ask their doctor about the type of arthritis they have. So many people I speak to at Living Well with Arthritis drop-in sessions dont know enough about their condition. I would also encourage people to urge their GPto refer them to a specialist, who canprovide them with more information about their arthritis and theappropriate treatment. If it werent for Arthritis Care, a lotof people would not get the help they need.