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Rheumatoid Arthritis Community

Reply: Symptoms and work. Am I chickening out?

How long have you had RA? How severe is your RA? I was diagnosed October of last...

Posted by Born_to_be_blonde

6 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Symptoms and work. Am I chickening out? How long have you had RA? How severe is your RA? I was diagnosed October of last...

Reply: Fashion & RA?

Eek... sorry about all the spelling errors above.... I was on a rant and...

Posted by Born_to_be_blonde

4 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Fashion & RA? Eek... sorry about all the spelling errors above.... I was on a rant and...

Fashion & RA?

I am 27 and was recently diagnosed with agressive RA. I have noticed an...

Posted by Born_to_be_blonde

4 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Fashion & RA? I am 27 and was recently diagnosed with agressive RA. I have noticed an...

Reply: Arthritis Handbag Discussion

Its great that you are designing an accessory for us with arthritus. Arthritus...

Posted by Born_to_be_blonde

10 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Arthritis Handbag Discussion Its great that you are designing an accessory for us with arthritus. Arthritus...

Reply: RA

Im so sorry you are going through this at such a young age. I am 27 and was...

Posted by Born_to_be_blonde

1 Reply | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:RA Im so sorry you are going through this at such a young age. I am 27 and was...

Reply: Mental Health after being diagnosed with RA

Oh Stephanie, I am so sorry about you having to go through this. I have always...

Posted by Born_to_be_blonde

Oh Stephanie, I am so sorry about you having to go through this. I have always had an issue with depression and was already on medication before I was diagnosed with RA in October '12 (Just like you!). I take Effexor and Buspar and they work great together. I have many of the same exact symptoms/side effects from all my medications. I take MTX (15 mg), folic acid, vitamin D, vitamin A, tramadol, loritabs, ativan, effexor & buspar. I have also lost quite a bit of hair, the awful awful nausea and acid reflux, no appetite, headaches, anxiety, night sweats, fevers, muscle pain, blah blah blah. So, now that that is out of the way this is what I have been doing to deal with all this stupid crap we have to deal with.

For starters, if your low on energy, which I was/am and drinking things with caffine increase your nausea and/or acid reflux try asking your doctor for an appetite suppressent such as phentermine. I know it sounds silly since we already dont have an appetite but it gives you lots of energy without the jittery feeling. Having my energy back makes me feel better and since it increases my blood flow it seems that my pain medication works better. The better I feel equals the less depressed I feel.

My MTX has just now started to kick in to reduce my pain and swelling (THANK THE LORD!!!!) and Im starting to feel normal. I was already diagnosed with MDD, major depressive disorder, so I was on medication for depression. I would HIGHLY recommend you get on something quick for your depression. The medication that you will be perscribed will take some time to work. I would suggest to make sure whatever the doctor perscribes you is an extended release. This seems to help with my nausea because the medication is released throughout the day and not all at once. If you are having ANY feeling of depression you NEED to get on something asap as well as start doing things that make you happy.

Okay, now that the depression medication talk is out of the way, these are the other things to keep my mind occupied and happy.

- Talk to friends, call them, instant message them, do whatever it takes for you to keep in touch. Listen to their problems. Make plans to hang out, even if it's just lounging on their couch watching a movie.

-take this time to start learning about the things you have always wanted to learn about. Since holding a book or kindle can be difficult, rent an audio book. It lets your mind escape reality and your body rest.

- Start pampering yourself. Depression can lead to getting lazy on your appearance, especially when you are suffering from depression and pain. Start doing your nails often, search for new easy ideas for fixing your hair and investigate new tricks to better application for makeup. We dont have control over how our body feels on the inside but we can dominate how awesome we look on the outside.

- Do yoga or stretch everyday. You dont need to go to a class to relax and clear your mind. It helps reduce the stiffness and pain in your body. It also seems to increase your energy.

- Make your bed an ultimate luxury zone. Since we dont feel good we are bound to spending lots of time here. Buy super soft sheets, a fluffy comforter and perfectly soft pillows. I like to spray the eculuptis spearment (bad spellling!) fabric spray from Bath & Body works. The spearment seems to reduce my nausea.

- Create list of things you want to get done and try to get one done a day. This helps you not feel so overwhelmed.

- Take up a hobby. It doesnt matter what it is as long as it refocuses your mind off of being sick and hurting. Watch a season or show that you have always wanted to watch but never have had the time. Start a blog. Learn to cook something new. Anything.

- Relax and know that there are a lot of other people out there who understand. I talk with another lady who has RA thru email and it helps alot. My email is maggiemizar@yahoo.com if you want to talk and/or blow off steam with someone who actually gets it.View Thread

Posted byBorn_to_be_blonde

5 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Mental Health after being diagnosed with RA Oh Stephanie, I am so sorry about you having to go through this. I have always...

Reply: Please help with info

ive been on mtx for a little over 3 months and I am just now experiencing the...

Posted by Born_to_be_blonde

3 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Please help with info ive been on mtx for a little over 3 months and I am just now experiencing the...

Reply: Had to cope at times

People that dont have RA cannot grasp the amount of pain we go thru every single...

Posted by Born_to_be_blonde

3 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Had to cope at times People that dont have RA cannot grasp the amount of pain we go thru every single...

Reply: Feeling ill

I agree with KimRAno - you want to stick with the Methotrexate. Im 27 and was...

Posted by Born_to_be_blonde

2 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Feeling ill I agree with KimRAno - you want to stick with the Methotrexate. Im 27 and was...

Reply: Holiday Shopping

I like to shop online for a lot of people. One of my favorite websites is...

Posted by Born_to_be_blonde

2 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Holiday Shopping I like to shop online for a lot of people. One of my favorite websites is...

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