How Rheumatoid Arthritis Changes My Daily Life

By: Cateyevisionvisionfamilyblog

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Lifestyle Suggestions

Rheumatoid arthritis causes swelling and pain in the joints, as well as decreased mobility and physical weakness. Other common symptoms include general tiredness, difficulty sleeping, and fatigue. All of these symptoms can have a significant impact on your daily life and overall health. It’s not always easy to live with rheumatoid arthritis.
Every day can be difficult for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In some cases, it begins even before the morning, as the disease’s pain and stiffness can make sleeping difficult or impossible. While there is still no cure for RA, the right drug regimen will help. Adjusting to medication after the prescription is a part of life in this country. It entails determining whether the symptoms you’re experiencing are a side effect of your treatment or a symptom of your illness or comorbidity that comes with it. It covers hours spent in waiting rooms and appointments with doctors and experts I’d never heard of before. It means having no idea how to describe RA to people who don’t have it or have never heard of it.

What Is It Like to Have Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Living with RA is like running a marathon while you are sick with the flu and having an
existential crisis, that is my best description I’ve come up with.
Treatment for RA necessitates a variety of drugs, each with its own set of side effects. These drugs aim to calm your immune system so that it doesn’t attack your joints. After experimenting with a variety of drugs and drug combinations,

Rheumatoid Arthritis Mornings

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis wake up stiff and achy. Pain and stiffness are exacerbated by sleeping too deeply without moving. And, even though our exhaustion causes us to beg for more sleep, no matter how much sleep we get, we do not feel refreshed when we wake up. I have a hard time sleeping past 5 or 6 a.m. without being awakened by pain and stiffness. I can’t sleep in any longer, no matter how tired I am.

I normally spend the first few hours of the day sipping coffee, reading, writing, and trying to shake off the flu-like symptoms that RA causes. It’ll never really go away.

Heat Pad

According to Harvard Health, “heat improves your pain tolerance and relaxes muscles, both of which can help reduce the pain of rheumatoid arthritis.” “Heat treatment is still a common practice among physical therapists.” There are also methods for warming up at home. A long, hot shower in the morning, as well as a heating pad, may be beneficial. According to Harvard Health, wet heat is more effective than dry heat, so heating a damp towel in the microwave could be particularly effective.

My sister who also have RA recommends using the heavy artillery: heated blankets, on the more difficult days.

Self-Care First Thing in the Morning

On days when I am unable to exercise, a hot shower and gentle stretching help me get
ready in the morning. I also find it difficult to eat breakfast because I don’t have an appetite. For energy, I usually eat a light breakfast of toast or a smoothie. I force myself to eat healthy all day because it may help with the inflammation caused by my RA. When I’m feeling up to it, After that, I feel my best and can handle the rest of the day.

Afternoons with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Some days I need a nap or a moment of rest in the afternoon, especially if I struggled to sleep the night before or did too much at some point. But naps are tricky; they can often be a double-edged sword. If I am not active enough during the day, I may either pay for it — or benefit from it. This causes great anxiety when I have a lot to tackle in a day. How much exercise do I need? How much rest do I need? Too much of each can have a major negative impact on my day or a few days later.

I have to be careful not to over-schedule. A too-busy day will often result in an increase in pain during the evening and require a rest day or two after. (By rest days I mean hardly doing anything; those are days when even a shower seems impossible or I need to rest after taking one.) A busy day would be a day when I have more than two or three things to do,, a doctor’s visit,, plans with a friend, or play with my cats. A busy day for me might be a regular day, or even a light day, for someone otherwise healthy. The simplest of tasks or stress can feel like climbing a mountain and wipe me out.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Evenings

Because of my weakened immune system, I am very tired at night. It’s almost as if my body begins to shut down as soon as I realize we’ve made it through another day: “Thank you, I’m done!” The more severe my flares become, the sooner I must retire to bed. As a result of my medication wearing off, I’m finding myself having to go to bed sooner. An illness, a hectic day, or stress are all factors that can cause an early crash.

Evening Time for Self-Care

I try to make my nightly routine a ritual by washing my face, brushing my teeth, and taking any medications I may need. But there are nights when exhaustion takes over and I can’t be bothered to do anything.

With RA : Every Day Is Different

Rheumatoid arthritis is a complicated disease to manage. After 6 months of living with this enigmatic illness, I’ve learned to help assess my energy and fatigue, but still, it catches me off guard on occasion. On certain days, the fatigue is too much for me to function, and I have to crash, canceling most of my plans. My disease is the flake, not me. Living with RA necessitates meticulous planning. I’m a huge fan of making lists to help me manage my day-to-day life, but I also recognize that no matter how prepared I am each day, RA always wins. I can’t be too hard on myself for what I can’t do.

I’m also learning to pay attention to my body’s cues about what it requires. The most difficult symptom of RA to live with for me is often not only joint pain, but fatigue and the emotional toll the disease takes on my life. Dealing with depression and anxiety caused by RA appears to be my greatest challenge on some days. There’s a lot more to RA than just joint pain that can range from mild to moderate and severe. Sometimes it can feel like a broken bone and some areas of my body may even be painful to the touch

However, this has become my new normal. As much as I miss my old life, I have to keep going forward and realize what it means to live with autoimmune arthritis daily. I don’t want to just survive; I want to live.