Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms Don't Rule My Aud Life

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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I came across this article and found it very interesting…

A study was done, involving 2,750 participants in Sweden on how alcohol can affect arthritis. For those who drank approximately 5 glasses of wine each week, the risk was cut in half of developing Rheumatoid Arthritis. Those who smoked showed a very significant risk factor.

Alcohol ‘cuts risk of arthritis’
…Researcher Dr Henrik Kallberg stressed the most important finding of the study was that smoking was a very significant risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis, reinforcing findings from previous studies.
However, he added: “In addition, it is important to know that moderate alcohol consumption is not deleterious and may in some contexts be beneficial concerning risk for future onset of rheumatoid arthritis.”
There are known to be links between moderate alcohol consumption and a reduced risk of other inflammatory processes, such as cardiovascular disease. However, the reason for this is still unclear.
Professor Robert Moots, from the Arthritis Research Campaign, said it was possible that drinking alcohol may have a protective effect against rheumatoid arthritis.

But he said the study was not conclusive and any protective effect was not properly understood.
He said: “There is no doubt that drinking too much is very bad for our health in many ways and these risks by far outweigh any potential benefit for reducing the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, which this study points to, without being conclusive.

“We must also remember that drinking alcohol in excess can be especially dangerous in patients taking some anti-rheumatoid drugs that may cause liver damage.

“There are many modifiable lifestyle risk factors for developing rheumatoid arthritis and, as this study also points out, smoking is by far the greatest.”

A spokesman for Arthritis Care said: “It’s too early to say what these findings may mean, so people with rheumatoid arthritis should continue to work in partnership with their health professionals to address their specific health needs.”

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h…th/7435002.stm

I myself like to enjoy a glass of white wine every evening- just one. I’ve found that I feel better the next day. If I’ve missed a few days, I feel it. I do encourage that before anyone launches into this therapy, they discuss the implications with their Doctor because of possible interactions with other medications, or if there is a history of substance abuse/dependency.

Cheers!

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For most people food and drink are more than ways of keeping ourselves alive. They’re comforts and celebrations, at least that’s how I feel about what I eat. I like to eat what I want when I feel like it, but that’s not always the best idea.

When I was first diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2005, I seemed to scramble at every type of relief I came across. My husband found a book on Amazon, about a woman who overcame her debilitating pain by fasting. I thought, “I’m in a lot of pain, maybe this is for me!” We ordered the book and I dove in. She explained how the digestive tract is crucial to the immune system and that when she fasted she was able to do all kinds of the things that hadn’t been able to do in years. She had been in a wheelchair and now rides a bike. The book suggested enemas and a diet of raw vegetable juice. We bought a juicer and a lot of veggies. I am 5′11″ and weigh 120 lbs, I need to gain weight instead of losing it and drinking nothing but vegetable juice for a week isn’t going to be the best for that. After the first 24, I was begging to have anything else but juice. I was so hungry and miserable. I was ready to accept the pain of arthritis, if I could just eat what I wanted to.

A few days after my attempt at this new diet, I had an appointment with my Rheumatologist and I told him about this juice diet I was attempting. He was quite alarmed and told me to stop it right away. “Yes sir!!” I had no problem with that! There were other routes to take for me, not that the diet wasn’t a good idea, it just wasn’t right for me, because of how slender I am. I need energy for my body to help itself and my metabolism is too high to use this method of reducing pain.

He sent me home with a bunch of reading to do. Information of how to test different foods to see how I react with them. That was very helpful and I noticed that after consuming red peppers and red wine, I would have a flare up within minutes. I removed those from my list of foods to eat. I hadn’t realized how often I had red peppers and enjoyed a glass of red wine. But I miss them less than I miss the flare ups!

When we moved back to Canada I began to see a wonderful Naturopath/holistic doctor. I found that to be a major help in controlling pain. We discussed the medications I take, my conditions with Marfans and bloodthinners, my body weight, energy and activity levels. She reaffirmed the fact that the digestive tract is the big role in the immune system, but there are good ways of cleansing it and repairing it. For 4 weeks I was put on a cleansing diet- no dairy, no red meat or pork, no salt, no gluten, no sugar, no wheat, no corn- no fun! It was something I didn’t want to do- at all. But I thought, “Four weeks, that’s it and then I can reintroduce other foods back in. It’ll be worth and it’ll teach me some self-discipline as well.” The first two weeks were fine, I found a lot of great recipes off the internet, and good food in the health food section at the grocery stores. But by the 3rd week, I could’ve eaten a stick of butter and 7 lbs of chocolate!!

Week number four was done and I was back in the doctor’s office, very proud, and pretty much pain free! We started reintroducing one type of food back in at a time and I took down a lot of notes. Red meat and pork, were things I was bummed out to find that I reacted badly to them. Shell fish was a major trigger for flare-ups, but most of everything else was not a problem. I don’t think I eat enough wheat from day to day to notice any problem and I make sure sugar is is a low quantity.

There are foods that are aids for me as well as triggers. White wine has seemed to help quite a bit. I have one glass in the evening and the next day is a good day, I notice it when I haven’t had any white wine for a week or so, I’m a bit more stiff. Probiotic yogurt is a plus too, it seems to help my body fight off those viruses and bugs that my kids bring home with them from school. I don’t get as sick as often as I was even 6 months ago!

I’m going to go grab a snack- see you tomorrow!

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How better to get to know someone than to go through a day with them! If you would like to get to know me a bit more- you’re invited to join me in a typical day!

I’m a morning person, being the first one up at 6am is a good way to start. I’m usually awakened by my cat licking my eyelids, wanting her few ounces of milk every morning. But first things first- the coffee gets started! It takes a few minutes to make it down to the kitchen because of the stiff joints (Frankenstein’s monster comes to mind!) Lurch, groan, shuffle…

Once the cat is happy and the coffee perked, the dog and I head to the front porch and my rocking chair! I sit curled up with my steamy mug, the dog stretched out and snoring again, and watch and listen.

Unless it’s too damp and chilly, that’s where I start my day. There’s something wonderful about watching everything wake up. The birds are busy and singing their hearts out, people walking their dogs, sun peaking over the trees and the air is so fresh. Right now, there are three baby sparrows in a shrub 8 feet away from my chair!

Once I feel rejuvenated, it’s head first into the day. I bring up a cup of coffee to my husband and wake my girls for their day. And thank goodness for the first hour of quiet solitude because the next is crazy. More often than not there are a few squabbles between my two girls (they aren’t morning people). “She’s looking at me.” “It’s my turn to use the bathroom” “She was spitting on my toothbrush!” Sometimes I understand why some wild animals eat their young! But that’s usually only during the school year, right now it’s the summer holidays and they’re much more content and cheery. I still head for the vitamin D and take 1,000 IU to give me energy for the day. I’ve found that Rheumatoid Arthritis has robbed me of so much of my energy, and vitamin D has been my saving grace for a boost and aide with my bones.

After sending off my husband to his office with a kiss and his lunch, the girls and I have “school”. I’ve painted with water colors, taken sketching and graphics courses since I was 18, and I’m now teaching Gayle and Jillian how to paint. I am not a very good or patient teacher, but we’re having fun and the girls show a lot of promise and interest in their own creations! It’s very therapeutic to to be painting, even to talk about this passion seems like I’m winning a small battle in this war against Rheumatoid Arthritis.

It takes a couple hours to set up, paint and instruct and then clean up and put away, so by the time it’s all finished it’s lunch time and the girls are ready to get away from “Master Mom”. After a quick bite, they’re into the pool, weather permitting. I have found that cold water does excruciating things to my joints, especially my knees, feet and elbows, so unless it’s above 80oF, I’m the sun soaking observer. But the hot tub is another subject. What a wonderful tool to aid in pain fighting. So comforting and soothing as the heat penetrates soar joints and jets work at knotted muscles. Even through the winter, our spa gets thorough use.

I get as much done around the house and garden as my body and kids allow me to. Every Tuesday, I have a cleaning lady come in for a few hours to get the big jobs done. It’s hard to get down on my hands and knees to properly scrub bathtubs and lug the vacuum up 2 flights of stairs. Before my husband hired her, I was miserable. By 4pm, I would be tired and very sore from trying to get the house clean and in order, the kids would come home from school and explode all their stuff and have crumbs and papers everywhere, then I would explode! I was becoming a major nag and thorn in my family’s side. Now, of course my girls are a bit older and understand the concept of picking up after themselves a bit better and I’m not worn out, in pain and cranky from routinely scrubbing the house everyday!

I’m also able to get some exercise in during the day. I’ve found that 3 different types of leg stretches and muscle building routines have changed my mobility to a great level. When I was first diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis I was walking with extreme difficulty, sometimes needing a cane, now, I’m taking 2 stairs at a time! And I love taking the dog for a walk. I put my I Pod on to some heavy tunes and we’re gone for at least a half hour, if not more every day. I make sure I’m drinking 4 large glasses of water to keep me hydrated.

After all this, it’s usually time to start supper. Cooking is something I really enjoy and I think I’m a fairly good at at it. My husband says he looks forward every day to coming home to one of my meals. By the end of dinner, I’m tuckered and then it’s “dad’s” turn to entertain the girls.  Sometimes a family activity is done, walks, bike riding (if I’m up to it), playing in the backyard or watching a movie. By 9pm, I’m often ready to drop and start getting the girls prepared to head to bed.

Medications are taken and once in bed, it’s another favorite time of day! I curl under the covers with a good book, right now I’m in the middle of a Dostoyevsky novel, and most often don’t get too far before I wake up to 6am once again.

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