Fatigued

Hi...when you say pain in your feet..where about...toes...ankles??

Also what pain relief do you take.??

Maybe a trip back to see your consultant. ..might need to review your medication ....

Andrew,

I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis and painful feet. I was diagnosed 3 years ago at age 53. After the initial shock of my diagnosis, I have been on 2 medications that keep my disease at bay for the most part. I was told that fatigue is part of the disease and the best way to get through it is rest. I have had to make adjustments in my life so I can nap if I need to, and I have found that it is very important that I take extra good care of myself when I am in a flare-up. Stress is a trigger for my disease, so I try to stay calm and not get too upset by life's circumstances.  Sometimes this is impossible, but I have found that I do have flares when I am very stressed. On a positive note, I am fairly fit, I walk an average of 3 miles daily and I am able to do my job, which is teaching pottery classes and making pottery in my studio. I wish you the best.

Hi Andrew, I was diagnosed with RA almost 8 yrs ago and I would say I am still getting to grips with it now. I had always been active getting stuck into things without a second thought so coming to terms with the extreme tiredness has been really hard. I have learnt the hard way and now realise that I have to pace myself. Its very tempting to overdo things when you are having a good day. I a have done this many times only to be really quite bad for the next few days. Resting when you need to is really important although I still struggle to stop feeling lazy whenever I have to. I drive my husband nuts as he knows I'm not and says I shouldn't worry about what anyone else thinks. You have to do what's right and best for you and really learn to understand how your body works. My advice to coping with the fatigue is to pace yourself and rest whenever you need to. Sometimes when I've been completely zonked I've had no choice but to lie down and sleep, sometimes just an hour or so has helped and then I can carry on with the rest of the day. I have retired from work (not life!) now so its easier for me. Its obviously more difficult if you have a job to go to but good luck and I hope you find a way.

Hi Andrew

I am 36 and was diagnosed with RA 3 years ago. I too was very active, going to the gym etc. and have had to slow down alot (which is very difficult to come to terms with!) I get very tired and it is frustrating but I have Vitamin B12 injections every 3 months, at my doctors. They do take a while to get into your system but I find they help alot. Ask your doctor about them. Since having these injections, I have heard of lots of people having them! Good Luck :-)

Hi Andrew 

I find the fatigue is greater when the disease is more active, which makes me wonder if you should contact your rheumy nurse or consultant to see if they can improve on your medication as your feet are so painful and it's important you stay in work. 

I was diagnosed with RA just over a year ago and I found the fatigue really difficult to deal with, in some ways even harder than the pain. I went to a nutritionist immunologist and went on an anti inflammatory diet that cut out grains, legumes, dairy and the nightshade vegetables. I've stuck to the diet for almost a year now and the fatigue is completely gone - my energy levels are better than they have been for the past 20 years! I found that desperation gave me the will to try anything - the diet was a hard one to start with but I've got used to it now and I'll stay on it until I have no RA left. 

All the best of luck with your journey

Hi the same three months into eliminating all grains,dairy and caffiene, oranges and tomatoes. No pain within ten days . Yes if you have one piece of grain before the 30 days cleanse of the gut then the symptoms can come back and need to start again. Worth it to have no pain and medicine. Priobotic and omega taken for four months too .hope this helps

It helped with joints and fatigue.

 

Hi, You could check if you are anaemic as apparently this is common with RA and makes you feel exhausted. The same with Vitamin D deficiency.

Apart from that I can only advise really pushing for the right medication and as much of it as possible!  after a recent steroid injection which dampened down the RA, I feel almost normal although I realise the effects will only last a few weeks. Before that I had been really struggling gor a few months as I have no choice but to work full time.  I was getting home from work and going to bed  2 hours later but the 'rest' was never refreshing and my painful  feet/ toes would wake me up frequently.

Good luck!