forget about RA | Arthritis Information

 

I've only had it for 10 months but not a day goes by that I don't think- damn I have RA. I'm a little sick of myself thinking about it so much.

I get up after sitting for awhile and my legs take awhile to get moving right and it hurts a little and in my head I say- oh- there's my RA. I throw a rib on the floor at dinner time instead of lifting it to my mouth and in my mind I say there goes those clumsy RA hands.

I don't talk about having it much at home or at work, etc. but I'm here every day.

I'm thinking maybe I am focusing on it too much. Yes I have a chronic condition but I'm carrying on my life pretty much as I was before working, etc. I have pain and fatigue but it's not stopping me from doing what I have to do.

Maybe it's time to accept that this is how life is now and forget about RA. Is it possible to put it out of your mind?

 

But there are those little nigglings that remind us as you described.

if you're carrying on w/ your life as before ... I'd say you're handling it pretty well, wantto!!

 

I think after a while you just accept it as part of who you are.

 

I used to think about my RA every single day.  I think it's because I never felt completely well.  Even when I wasn't flaring, I still had achey and stiff wrists and knuckles along with low energy.  I always felt like I was on the verge of getting sick.

 

Once I started Enbrel, that all changed.  I still have some bad days, but they are very few and haven't even been bad enough for predisone.  What's great is that on those good days I have absolutely no sign of RA.  No achey wrists or knuckles.  No fatigue.  I find on those days, my RA never crosses my mind unless I'm visiting AI and talking with all my RA friends.  [QUOTE=kweenb]WTBRAF, I sometimes forget I have RA so no I don't think about it all the time.  There have even been times when I forget to take my medication which is not a good thing. My outlook is not to dwell on having RA.  I do the best I can and forget I have it.  In fact, at work, I do not mention I have it--I don't want a backlash from it.  I have a postive attitude on it and do not feel sorry for myself.  I do have bad days but again I try not to dwell on it.  I have, however, given up some of my more risky hobbies--such as my downhill skiing--thinking I really should not be 14,000 feet on a mountain top slidding down the mountain!  However, I am glad I did it before.  To me--I always try- to look at things like the glass is half full.I look forward to the days that I can forget that I have RA. I agree Catnip, I do not dwell on it, or feel sorry for myself. In fact, many people do not know that I have it, as well as fibro, unless I tell them. They don't understand, and when I explain it to them, they are like "how do you do it, I never realized you were sick and in pain." I tell them that it is what it is, and I deal with it. Yeah, some days are worse than others but I can change it. But like Catnip said, attitude is everything. I think it depends on the severity of it. I have mild to moderate so it is easier for me to put it out of my mind. I manage to use distraction to forget about it. Distraction works great for me. But for some who have severe disease, it would be very hard to forget it even for a while. Every movement is an indicator that the disease is forever present. Mornings are very hard for me. I cannot lay in bed once awake as I'm just too stiff. I went off my plaq about 3 weeks ago. I just cannot do the side effects. I'm a bit more stiff every morning and I'm not sure what is going to happen with my disease now that I don't take the med. Time will tell. Hi, WanttobeRAfree and all the others---Well, here's my experience with this chronic disease that just stinks!!!!  I'm 63 and was diagnosed with RA 3 years ago, OA 10 + years before that. It's in the moderate-severe range and not a day goes by that I don't know I have it. There's always some symptom or another manifesting itself daily. I try to distract myself with activities and not dwell on it and my motto is "I have RA but I refuse to let it have me!". Easier said than done but I think it is important to work at staying positive. But who can put it totally out of their mind when you have constant reminders in so many parts of your body? The most frustrating part sometimes is the fact that this is not curable and we will have it for life. That has brought me to tears more than once in my battle with this wretched disease. I try to stay as active as I can, but, as we all know, it isn't always possible and that's frustrating in itself. Accepting this is another challenge. Here's my regimen and I know it has helped me somewhat but certainly not to be completely free of symptoms and pain. I take my meds religiously (MTX weekly, Enbrel injection weekly, daily folic acid, vitamin, calcium, glucosimine chondroitin). Because my knees are bad withOA I find it difficult to take long walks but I do go to an Arthritis Foundation sponsored water fitness class 3 days a week for an hour each time. That has been a real Godsend for me because I can do exercises in the heated pool that there is no way I can do on land. I think it helps with core strength and keeping my muscles from turning to mush. I hate to even think about what would happen if I didn't take my meds and have my water class.  Good luck to everyone--it does help to have this forum to vent occasionally since people without RA just don't seem to understand--I get a lot of "You should exercise more and it would get better"---that too is frustrating and we need to be kind to ourselves. Well, I didn't mean this to get so long but I figure if it helps even one person, I'm glad.  Let's all hang in there!!!   P.s. For me, faith in God is a huge plus in handling my thoughts about RA but I realize it might not be for others.  Linda
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