Thanks for all the advice. Iām really grateful for the time taken to share experiences and offer suggestions.
Even if some tips appear āobviousā they are all useful and worth remembering.
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I agree with you. I thought learning guitar was a low risk hobby 
.
On the positive side, there is a great community here with lots of people sharing experiences and offering useful advice.
Now I just need to keep practicing (and resting my thumb) !
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Hopefully the doctor will get you back on track and you will be able to carry on playing for many years come 
Iām hoping that is the case, thank you.
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Yeh, I worked in Shipbuilding for many years, if you have worked offshore youāll know that chances of serious injury or worse are ever present. So I had no fear riding motorbikes. And as you say I thought starting to relearn the guitar was a low risk hobby. Funnily enough when I first started playing electric guitar I suffered what I thought were chest pains. Had it checked by doctor. Turned out it was muscle pain caused by the strap around my neck holding a much heavier guitar 
. Thankfully it went away pretty quick, so hope with the advice on here you get your thumb sorted soon. Take care.
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I must admit that I started with an electric guitar but quickly realised that the songs I wanted to play were with an acoustic guitar. Now when I pick the electric one up, it ways a ton, but it is easier on the fingers.
Well, I had a whole battery of blood tests along with a physical. The good news is that Iām in surprisingly good shape for a 72 year old. The bad news is that the swelling, pain and stiffness in my hands is rheumatoid arthritis and the medications typically used for treatment arenāt great for the rest of your body. I was treated with steroids three weeks ago and, so far, Iām symtom free and can play guitar. It wonāt last though, maybe another three to five weeks. At some point Iāll have to decide which nasty drug to take on a regular basis.
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Sorry to hear that Greg, as it sounds you have a tricky choice to make regarding the guitar playing. The good news is that you are in generally good shape so that is a massive positive 
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How disappointing, Greg. My mom has been living with RA since her 40s. The encouraging thing I can say is that the meds now available are much more effective than 40 years ago. Not to minimize the side effects. I hope your symptoms remain manageable.
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