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Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) - Introduce yourself and meet others
Autoimmune Diseases | Last Active: 2 days ago | Replies (835)Comment receiving replies
I am very grateful to find this. There's a lot I'm processing after my diagnosis, and my awesome Rheumatologist is doing her best to get my treatment plan working for me.
That said, I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the diagnosis, and am dealing w the mental stigmas of having scoliosis, fibromyalgia, and RA.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I do take walks, use a yoga trapeze, and do massage and heat on my joints. It feels like a vicious cycle at times. I appear healthy, so no one understands the pain involved. Any encouragement or suggestions would be amazing.
Replies to "I am very grateful to find this. There's a lot I'm processing after my diagnosis, and..."
@onetowatchst I certainly understand your not being able get your head around your diagnosis. I have a different AD diagnosis and I just couldn’t accept it. I think a few years went be before I admitted it to myself. And, yes, you appear healthy so no one knows what’s going on. Whenever I went for walks, I was sure everyone thought I looked drunk. Now, I just say “who cares what people think!” I also wear a pin that says ‘fighting invisible diseases’. 🙂
It’s great that you are being active! I wonder if warm water exercises would help by reducing the stress on your joints.
Can you ask your doctor about better pain management? Pain just makes everything else so difficult!
Please stay in touch with me!
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Educate yourself. You need to read articles from legitimate sources; Mayo Clinic, Arthritis Today, Arthritis Foundation, NIH, and Web MD. There is so much quackery floating around. Be careful.
RA deals with inflammation. Please stop using heat. It is like putting fuel on the fire. Heat is soothing for fibromyalgia, but not RA.
I have had RA for 41 years. The drug therapies available today are fantastic with few side effects. The hardest part for me is the emotional battle. Antidepressants have helped tremendously. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Most RA patients need help in this arena; talk therapy is wonderful.
I was once “disabled” but now lead a very active life. I wish you well.