Opinion A whole new door has just opened Making a list of positive things in your life can help you cope with lifes challenges Keith Richards, guitarist with the Rolling Stones, is 79. Thats a fact that made me sit up and think... just before I sat back and felt significantly older. A definite how did that happen? moment. I mention him because in the course of a radio interview not one that I had the chance to conduct, sadly, but one I listened to he mentioned his arthritis. I dont have any pain, its a sort of benign version, he said. He had no doubt that his condition had affected his playing, but he was wonderfully positive about it. Heres the quote that stayed with me: When Im like, I cant quite do that anymore, the guitar will show me theres another way of doing this. Some finger will go one space different and theres a whole new door just opened. The release of a new Rolling Stones album would suggest that hes coping very well with the challenges he faces. I found an interview Keith did three years ago. In it he outlined some of the factors he attributed to his longevity in playing the guitar, despite having osteoarthritis. They included: Healthy diet No carrying of heavy loads He does not smoke Julian Worricker is a BBC TV and radio presenter, and journalist. He has psoriatic arthritis Continuous practising Stays active Engaging in activities such as watering the garden Time for friends and family. They made for a pleasing list, I thought. None is particularly revelatory, but that sense of finding ways to look after himself came through clearly. It reminded me of my own interests in music. Ive written before about the fact that Ive played the piano since the age of five, and how difficult it was when my psoriatic arthritis was at its worst to contemplate a life when it hurt to hit the bass notes with the little finger of my left hand. It meant that something which was supposed to be pleasurable no longer was. Ive forgotten, though, about my years of playing the oboe, something which has long since fallen by the wayside. Looking back, I wonder if there were early clues of the arthritis that was going to catch up with me further down the line. When holding the instrument, most of the weight was carried by the underside of my right thumb. Over the years, the joint of that thumb became swollen and inflexible. To this day Im not able to bend it. The oboe is a thing of the past, but the piano remains a hobby I treasure. Thankfully my anti-TNF drugs have rendered my arthritis as being in remission, so the bass notes can be played with confidence. Im not sure the neighbours always appreciate it, but for sure I do. Did you know? Research funded by Versus Arthritis supporters led to the development of a new class of drugs, known as biologics (including anti-TNF), which have transformed the lives of two million people worldwide with inflammatory arthritis. 11 versusarthritis.org PP11_Inspire_Winter 2023_Column.indd 11 14/11/2023 11:44