Emotional Numbness | Arthritis Information

 

Anyone else struggling with emotional numbness?  I'm not sure if it's the RA or the MTX, but I'm so tired and in such a zombie-ish state that it's like I can't feel anything....joy, sorrow, anger....nothing.  It's driving me crazy and it's really starting to affect my relationships. 

I'm just so frustrated Fatigue is the biggest RA problem for me as well... sometimes I just have to go to bed for a day or more.  A medrol dosepack can break the fatigue for me, but of course it always comes back in a few months. Hi Kate, I am the same, just to be extra vigilant, ask your Dr to test your iron stores and your Thyroid.  Best of luck Janie. kind of-

I'm with those of you who are fatigued. hi kateothewest   i get burnt out very easy now.. much more than my early
years of ra..

Boney

I just keep pushing myself and pushing myself.....Completely normal. Tired, frustrated, worried and overwhelmed by what this illness does to you, you just shut down. This is a natural depression which is the way of your mind trying to protect you. It's actually ok, but you need to talk to your doctor about it. An inexpensive antidepressant will help you rest/sleep better and cope with this illness. Takes a couple weeks to work fully. I'm very happy with mine so far. You don't have to take it, but it's much harder and longer to struggle without it. And you risk becoming clinically depressed which is something you really don't want. One battle is better than two.
Mike
[QUOTE=janiefx]Hi Kate, I am the same, just to be extra vigilant, ask your Dr to test your iron stores and your Thyroid.  Best of luck Janie. [/QUOTE]
Good advice..

I have found that over time things do settle down.
I was a mess in this department but the last six months have seen big improvement.
DXed in october 06

Fatigue is still a problem - not sure if it causes emotional numbness, but sure causes me to re-think which battles are worth the bother.   Mostly at work as I have a boss that while asking for input, it really is her way or no way.  Kind of gets me going sometimes as I know in some cases her way is inefficient, but when I'm tired it just really doesn't matter and I just want to finish the day and go home.

I am glad this post didn't get lost yesterday. I saw it but didn't have time to sit down and answer so I was glad to see more people had answered today.

I think emotional numbness and fatigue are connected. If you have no energy you feel numb. I think this is all very 'normal' for us. Lol.

When you are that tired, who can feel anything or think. You just can't.

And there is no real solution except to keep balancing rest and activity. It's a real key to RA that balance. Rest, if you need too. One really doesn't have a choice with this disease. I find fatigue is goes in patches and if you are going through a big patch of it then that's where you are at.

I wish I had a magic wand to give you but there just isn't one.
hi kateofthewest   i understand all of the above.   i do think the numbness is a protective thing our body does.  i want to disappear personally when i feel this way.   i have had much better times with this disease and i am counting on them again.   but i can not handle any stressful situations at all when i have the fatigue and emotional numbness.   it really helps as you get your disease under control, but the problem with this RA is it is hard to keep it under control.   one dumb little pill i can not take anymore has thrown mine to hell.  wonderwoman Yes RA fatigue is really bad. I still think a blood test would not hurt. When ever something is worse than usual i think you should let your doctor know. I can certainly remember days when all i could do was stare out into space hoping the prednisone would kick in. Other times i was just asleep. Well it stinks that you feel this way. This may be able to be treated with Prednisone or Provigil. I got best results with the Depo Medrol shot for fatigue. It did make me gain a bit of wieght.
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