Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms Don't Rule My Aud Life

When I was first diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2005, I didn’t know anyone else with this condition. I was overwhelmed, a bit frightened and felt very alone. I thought RA was a disease that only affected the elderly and had no idea how I was going to cope with it.

Immediately I started researching and educating myself, not only wanting to find relief from the pain but to understand why this was happening to me. I found that age has nothing to do with it which made me think that there may be others, my age and station in life, going through the same thing.

No one in my little corner of the world, except a neighbor I see occasionally while I’m walking the dog, is dealing with Rheumatoid Arthritis pain. It wasn’t until I started getting involved in some forums that I found people in the same situation.  A whole new world opened up, there were people who really understood what it is like to live day to day with arthritis and Marfan’s Syndrome.

Living with chronic pain can make a person feel isolated, especially if they are the only one in their family and network of friends going through this. It’s comforting being able to ask questions, give advice and share what you’re going through. Somehow it seems to relieve some of the discomfort and it definitely helps with the stress.

I personally have had a lot of positive experiences with being involved in a few forums, coming away with a satisfaction of being a part of a community I can fully participate in! When I’m feeling down, maybe tired, in pain, or even if I’m having an amazing day, it’s a place I can unload.

What support do you have in dealing with your arthritis pain? Good experiences or bad? Let me know!

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Last summer, as I sat on the deck over looking Lake Superior, I saw a dark thick cloud bank rolling in from the west. It had been a beautiful clear and sunny day, but as I saw the new weather charging in, I knew pain was coming along with it.

Cooler temperatures and humidity are often not an arthritis sufferers friends. At least that’s the way it is for me; but that’s not always the case for others. Some claim the opposite, low pressure weather systems have a positive affect on their Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms.

Many tests and experiments have been made to find exact reasons for this cause and effect; and while there are definite implications, doctors note that it’s not the same results for everyone across the board and have no explanation as to why that is. Sunny, warm and clear skies which make me feel wonderful can have the opposite reaction to some one else suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis.

So what’s to be done? The best thing is to be well informed. Know your triggers and keep an eye on your environment. I myself, check the weather reports at least twice a day to see what’s coming up, and if I see some low pressure, cool weather approaching, I get ready for it.

Sometimes it’s as simple as keeping myself warm with extra clothes. Other times I need to take it easy and spend some quality time with my heating pad in bed. It definitely pays off to be well aware of what’s going on around me.

How does the weather affect your Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms?

To go off on a tangent… I thought I’d put some more pictures up from my vacation to Niagara Falls. It’s a great place to have a ton of fun!

The gentle belugas getting a snack at Marine Land.

“Mel Gibson” and I at the wax works museum.

Mr. Buffalo with a cracker stuck on his nose. He was not happy when my husband put it there!

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One way to get my mind off the troubles of arthritis is leaving home and going on vacation, which is just what I’m doing right now. I’m sitting in my cousin’s living room down in beautiful Ridgeway, Ontario just minutes away from Niagara Falls. It’s a lovely, soft evening outside and we’ve just returned from a fun packed day at the Falls.

We decided last week to take a quick trip down to visit family who have a son that our girls have a blast with. Wandering down through Michigan took a bit of Friday afternoon, and we stopped off for the evening outside of Flint where I knew a Red Lobster could be found. It’s been a year since my last crab leg meal and I was ready for another - even though shell fish cause flare ups. I had brought my Tylenol 3’s and dug in with my shell cracker and melted butter. It was so worth it!!

Within 20 minutes I could feel my wrists and elbows start, by the time we returned to the hotel, my knees were yelping, but I wasn’t going to say a word. I promised myself I wouldn’t make a peep and I didn’t! Fortunately it wasn’t too bad, I guess I over estimated the pain  (and that rarely happens).

On the road again the next morning after we found a Tim Horton’s (and in Michigan at that!) With my ‘large with milk’ and my husband’s ‘large with a double’ (that’s Canadian for 2 large coffees, one with milk and one with two creams), it was back to the Ontario border and into heavy traffic.

Today was fabulous! I got to take a long 5 mile walk through the quaint town of Ridgeway this morning. It was perfect, the air was sweet and warm, it was peaceful with birds singing and the occasional passerby saying, “Good Morning!”

The kids were scooped up and it was off to see one of the world’s wonders. They were very impressed and had almost as much fun as us  adults in the wax museums, arcades and other tourist magnets.

I’m having too much fun to been too concerned about the aches and pains. A vacation is a pretty effective Rheumatoid Arthritis treatment for me!

Tomorrow it’s Marine Land, I might even pet a beluga! How cool is that?!

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I think that one of the most frustrating things about my Rheumatoid Arthritis treatments has been my health care. I have other health issues besides my RA, and really should have a family doctor, let alone a few specialists- but I don’t.

I moved from Ontario in 2001 to Michigan, and left behind doctors I’d had for years. When I moved back in 2006 and notified their offices, they were full and were not taking any new patients. When I told them I wasn’t new, just returning, I was told that I had been away over 2 years and was not considered a patient of theirs any longer and so I was put on a 5 year waiting list (I have 3 years to go).

The city I live in is one of many Ontario centers where there is a lack of doctors, which is very unfortunate. When a blood test or prescription is needed, I go to the doctor on call at the walk-in clinic and wait for several hours with other people who do not have a family doctor as well.

Just a couple weeks ago I wrote a post that included my 7 hour wait with my daughter at the clinic just to have a blood test! I was so stressed that my arthritis flared.

I had a wonderful doctor and Rheumatologist in Michigan and I am thankful for the loads of information they gave me, and because of their encouragement, I sought out other avenues of pain relief and prevention of the damage of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

I looked into Naturopath/holistic healing and therapy. I was very, very skeptical at first and wasn’t too keen on the idea. A few years ago my husband tried to get me to try holistic healing, but at the time I was newly diagnosed and really didn’t know a thing about it. But with more research under my belt, along with being exasperated with my symptoms, I booked an appointment and was happy and very satisfied with my results. It did take time, good things always do, but it was worth it and has continued to be a part of my daily life and routine.

I still need to make a trip down to the walk-in clinic at least once a month to have blood tests for coagulation, prescriptions filled, or one of the kids needs medical attention, but I don’t have the angst and concern that I had a year ago. 2 prescriptions, methotrexate and plaquenil, have been eliminated from my list because I have been dealing with the arthritis differently and no longer need to take them for my Rheumatoid Arthritis treatment.

Finding a good, knowledgeable, compassionate doctor is so important to the life of a patient dealing with a serious disease. For me that’s a luxury I don’t have at the moment, but that’s okay because I have a wonderful Naturopath therapist who is doing a fine job filling in.

So you know how I feel about my health care situation, how’s yours?

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Living with constant, chronic pain can leave a person exhausted both physically and emotionally. Not being able to ’see the light at the end of the tunnel’ can really take a toll and most often leads to depression.

A downward spiral begins of ‘pain & depression’ because of the pain you get depressed and this leads to more aches and pains this in turn leads to a deeper depression… and ARGHHH make it stop!

I’ve gone through this a few times, especially at the beginning of my diagnosis with Rheumatoid Arthritis. It’s not only hard for the person who is faced with pain and depression, but also on their close family and friends.

My first step was recognizing the symptoms of depression. I was experiencing more fatigue than usual, losing interest in doing anything let alone the things I really loved doing. I couldn’t concentrate very well, I was very irritable, I didn’t want to do anything, see anyone, I was just plain miserable. This had to be depression.

Great! I have constant aches and pain from Rheumatoid Arthritis and now depression. The cause though, was the way I was relating to the pain of the arthritis. I felt defeated, it was unfair, I felt alone and frustrated. If I felt and thought that way, of course it was going to become reality to me. So, the first step was to change my way of thinking and to find some help.

I accept the fact that I have RA but I do not accept the fact that RA has me. Yeah, it sucks, but why shouldn’t it happen to me? It’s what I have been dealt in life, and I will make the best of it and do what it takes to make my life as full as possible. What’s next?

I went to a Naturopath doctor for some advice on how I was feeling and she gave a lot of great tools and information. First was the fact that common depression is not the cause of a chemical imbalance. Low serotonin (the ‘happy’ chemical) levels are a result, not a cause, of depression. Exercise gets the serotonin pumping, so I walked, and then walked even more. Vitamin D was a major role too. Since I found that winter was tougher than any other season- and who gets a lot of sun light in the winter?- I boosted my Vitamin D intake, which helped immediately. With my energy up, it took very little time to get my feet back underneath me and the depression crept back under it’s rock.

It’s easy to say I’ve got a handle on depression right now, it’s August, I’ve just spent 8 hours in the warm sunshine. But, I know how to recognize it and have the weapons now to send it packing. I’ve made future plans for the Fall and Winter to keep physically active with a close friend, take extra Vitamin D, use my husband’s daylight lamp and even take a sunny vacation. If those things don’t quite fit the bill, I’ll head back to the Naturopath doctor.

If you feel that you suffer from depression, I urge you to talk with a doctor as soon as possible, especially if you have thoughts of suicide. There is a lot of help and information for you. You’re not alone in this.

Do you have any experience or information to add? Please feel free…

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