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Reply: Beyond gentle exercise

The thing I like the best about this workout is that it starts out slow but quickly...

Posted by MyVoice

11 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Beyond gentle exercise The thing I like the best about this workout is that it starts out slow but quickly...

Reply: Beyond gentle exercise

It is very hard but worth it to get back in shape. Try using the Royal Canadian Air Force...

Posted by MyVoice

11 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Beyond gentle exercise It is very hard but worth it to get back in shape. Try using the Royal Canadian Air Force...

Includes Expert Content

Reply: New symptoms and concerns

The MD's suggestions are excellent. Meanwhile, I suggest the following based on my...

Posted by MyVoice

14 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:New symptoms and concerns The MD's suggestions are excellent. Meanwhile, I suggest the following based on my...

Reply: Hard to understand

While it is nice to have support from family and friends, sometimes they also be just...

Posted by MyVoice

11 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Hard to understand While it is nice to have support from family and friends, sometimes they also be just...

Reply: im only 30 and i have RA how did that happen ?

This is the error I've received 5 times in the last 20 minutes when trying to post: We're...

Posted by MyVoice

13 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:im only 30 and i have RA how did that happen ? This is the error I've received 5 times in the last 20 minutes when trying to post: We're...

Reply: Really Scared

Kristen, I was 30 when I was diagnosed with a 10 year old and a 6 year old. I saw 3-5...

Posted by MyVoice

Kristen,
I was 30 when I was diagnosed with a 10 year old and a 6 year old. I saw 3-5 doctors in the first couple of months. They all said the same thing: I would be in a wheel chair in 5 years; I would not be able to play or roller skate with my kids; I was handicapped and would never work again; I would be on thousands of $s of Rx per month; the RA would cut my life expectancy by 10 years.

Yes, it does feel like you have a death sentence. Even blinking my eyes hurt and everything made me cry. I was all but paralyzed for 6 months. All I could do was rest, everything else was simply too much. Then I got angry.

It took me awhile but I found the right Dr. Now, my GP handles my RA management. Because that's what it is - management. It will take you some time to find the right Doctor and the right Rx cocktail.

Today, 24 years later, I'm not in a wheel chair and I don't use a cane. I own 2 businesses and still do not consider myself handicapped. Ok, I don't roller skate with my kids but I do a lot of other things.

Here's some tips:

#1 - The more you think about the pain, the more you'll hurt. It's a vicious cycle. Accept that you're doing everything you can to manage your RA and get back to your life.

#2 - Put your head somewhere (anywhere) else. Look at favorite pictures that make you happy, climb into a book and get lost, blow bubbles with your kids. Change your immediate environment meaning that if you're laying down, get up. If you're up, go lay down for 20 min. If you're inside, go outside. Shake up your environment and then get your head somewhere else.

#3 - Accept it. Some days are diamonds, some days suck. Embrace the diamonds and give yourself a break when the day sucks. Don't beat yourself up, that's another vicious cycle.

#5 - Crying isn't all bad, it releases endorphins. But give yourself a limit like 20 minutes. Keep it in the shower and turn a radio on too. Because hearing / seeing you cry will upset your kids which will upset you. Vicious cycles, avoid them.

#6 - Keep learning and trying things. Not the snake oil "remedies" or stuff that your head says are silly and costly. Track what you eat and what triggers a flare. I will flare in 20 min if I drink a glass of milk, you probably have triggers too. Find out what exercise is comfortable for you and keep doing it. Pool walking is almost no resistance and yet you'll feel better. And accept that sometimes, you just flare.

Life can be really good, just different. Take a deep breath and tell yourself you CAN handle this. It's hard, of course it is. But you CAN do it!

Hang in there!View Thread

Posted byMyVoice

20 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Really Scared Kristen, I was 30 when I was diagnosed with a 10 year old and a 6 year old. I saw 3-5...

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