RA and Stress | Arthritis Information

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Has anyone noticed since their RA has started, if stress affects you differently now physically than it use to?  Stressful situations, confrontions, healthy debates, having a really busy day? 

 
Today is one of those days.  I feel so awful. I've noticed things I used to be able to deal with that I never thought twice about , the smallest things that a normal person deals with , it makes me physically weak, shaky, not feel well and hits me fast. It doesn't have to be a bad stress, just being super busy at work, or discussing a topic with a friend that you have different opinions on, or your son's teacher calling and having a discussion with them.
 
I just wonder if the disease or the meds affect our bodies more now when stress is involved. It's like my body cant handle ANY kind of stress anymore. There's got to be something to it and wonder if this happens to anyone else?
 
 
Every thing you mention has and does affect me.
So much so on occasion that I feel as if I have lost it.

Have mentioned this to docs and they just sweep it away saying that it is not the meds or RA.
Brain scan reveals nothing.

Like you, the slightest bit of stress affects me. Get the tremors and visible shakes in the hands.
 Drives me nuts but after 4 years I have come to except that this is the way it is now.
For the first two years I felt as if I was walking sideways as well. (Off Balance)
Just thought I'd mention that in case others reading might be experiencing the same.

I put it down to a combination of meds and RA.
Bodak2011-03-15 16:37:50Thanks Bodak. I've mentioned this to my drs as well but haven't had any good answers either. Like you said , just have to adjust your life to what it is now , though it is hard for others to understand why you can't babysit kids very long , help someone move, stay up past 9 pm etc...   just hearing people around me in my office having debates gets me shaky. That NEVER happened prior to RA...This crazy disease and it's meds! Ughh! It makes me wonder if our nervous system or somethings being affected??Hi Klynn141,
 
Thanks for this post! This is one of the reasons I really enjoy this forum...I get to meet people that "understand" what I'm going through!
 
Thanks again.
HiKlynn 141, this is such a common problem, I felt like I am no longer competent in social situations and people that knew me before find that very hard to believe.  I have lost so much self esteem and confidence, its very sad that the disease/meds can do this to us  I am so nervous now in certain situations and don't feel confident going places at all let alone on my own/ don't be too strict on yourself re anxiety meds, I have found mine to be very useful and also for nerve pain, they definitely help me in social situations now.  All the best, Janie.

Edited by me to add extra.

I often think of Stephen, (Bodak) as he had terrible problems similar to mine but worse I think, hope you don't mind me saying that Stephen, if I am rightly remembering he had to take meds and they have helped him heaps too. janiefx12011-03-16 06:14:32RA and Stress seem to go together for me.  I don't know if it's because I'm physically tired and in pain from the Ra, so I just can't seem to handle it(like having a short fuse), or if stress itself causes the RA to be worse.  Either way, it's no fun.I think an RD who doesn't address that stress and anxiety affects us.. is not doing us justice.. I complete a questionnaire every visit to the doctor and two surveys I participate in .. that always ask about how I feel regarding stress... and do I handle it well.. or not..
 
When you feel better in regard to the RA... you may feel less anxious.. It doesn't go away.. and I am still affected in a greater degree than I was pre-flare of 2007..  but not nearly as much as I was when in major flare...
 
Our diseases are so complicated... involving hormones.. stress reactors.. injury.. virus... all kinds of triggers.... who can discredit your feelings in regard to anxiety??  I am sorry if any of your doctors just refer you to another med ... another bandaid..  just what we need.  Stress is a huge trigger for me. I am in the middle of a financial end of year at work and a flare has been building for the last couple of weeks. I have reached the 'i can only use my hands for 10 mins in a go' stage, roll on the end of march! What i find amazing is that we all obviously have low levels of stress running through the body all the time, its only when your system is compromised that you realise just how much the outside world and its 24/7 patterns are affecting you. The only other thing which gives me such a bad time with my joints is sugar. Nothing will make it better
but rest and getting out of the stressful situation if you can.

When I worked my last full-time job I slowly became what I felt was incompetent - this was just prior to finally being diagnosed with RA.  I had worked since I was 16 and took my job very seriously and did well through the years.  My mind was sharp, I could multi-task, and worked 40+ hours a week in a stressful job but I always seemed to thrive with some stress.  However all of that changed and I knew it was time to leave that job - I just didn't realize why I couldn't seem to handle working anymore.  After 6 months away from work, I took a part-time job that was more physical and eventually pain, etc. caused me to quit that job. 

I constantly  have to be mindful of seeking no-stress situations in my life now.  Sometimes family issues cause me to get caught up in their stressful problems and then I don't feel well.  Some people may think I am lazy since I seek a no or low stress life now.  But, we have to do what we have to do to live with this crazy disease.  Until reading this post I always wondered whether RA is affected by stress, but now I'm sure of it.  At times my hands shake so much I am embarrased.  Had no idea RA might be causing those tremors.  I've also become dizzy lately - guess that's RA too.   Geez!

I've noticed a difference in myself over the last few years. I don't handle stress well. I tend to get so impatient and edgy. One of my sons is having personal problems and that along with my mother's alzhiemer's disease is enough to send me over the cliff some days. The other day on the way to my parent's house I had to pull off the freeway and stop I was crying so hard I couldn't see. I surprised even myself! I have to tell myself to take deep breaths and relax. I pray alot. It helps me. Take care of yourself. Treat yourself gently.

GwenYes, this is a good  thread to learn that others are having similar problems.  Gone are the days when I could cope with anything 24/7.  Hub's TV going most of day/evening stresses me now; I much prefer somewhere quiet.  Am retired from work, early, was a stressful office and what with pain, fatigue, and the fact that my hands didn't work  too well on the keyboard any more, all meant that what was once a challenging job became too much.  Have no kids; don't know how some parents with RA/PA and young kids to rear manage to do it all. 
  Gwen, your situation is tough; I know a couple of people with no health problems who find that coping with a parent or spouse with Alzheimers is so very difficult; and in the end they have no choice but to have their loved one placed in a special nursing home.  They still visit frequently - often nearly every day to assist with feeding and to just be there to give love and companionship even if the person no longer knows who they are.  Accept any help you are offered in this situation.  
   
  
 
lorrie2011-03-25 18:24:16 [QUOTE=babs10] I think an RD who doesn't address that stress and anxiety affects us.. is not doing us justice.. I complete a questionnaire every visit to the doctor and two surveys I participate in .. that always ask about how I feel regarding stress... and do I handle it well.. or not..



[/QUOTE]

BABS IF YOU COULD LEARN TO PUSH YOURSELF AWAY FROM THE TABLE YOU WOULD FEEL BETTER AND NOT LOOK SO MUCH LIKE LIKE A LARD ASS PIG.

For most people with RA, the disease’s effects extend far beyond pain and inflammation in the joints. Living with a painful chronic disease can also lead to symptoms of depression and psychological and emotional distress. A new study shows Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), can help.

 

MBSR therapy is a meditation program that teaches participants to relate differently to thoughts and emotions and to continually focus the mind on the present moment. In a study of 63 adult RA patients, those who received eight weeks of intensive MSBR followed by a four-month maintenance program were found to experience significant improvement long-term in depressive, psychological, and emotional symptoms compared to a control group.

 

Despite this improvement, the therapy had no impact on RA disease activity itself.  Yet, investigator Elizabeth Pradhan, PhD., believes MBSR has a role in arthritis treatment. “For doctors wishing to offer patients a complement to medical management, mindfulness meditation may offer hope for improving psychological distress and strengthening well-being in patients with RA,” she says.

 

Study was published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research.  10/1/07

http://www.arthritis.org/meditation-program-eases-stress-ra.phpYes Lorrie, this is a good thread and I am a little relieved to find that others experience similar things with relation to before and after getting RA.

Just yesterday some friends dropped in for a coffee and I could not wait untill they left.
They are having some personal problems and I could feel the stress levels going up by the minute. I simply just don't want to know what they are up to.
I was up at 3 this morning going over what they were doing or not doing.
Feel like a piece of dirt today.

I also have a wedding to shoot at end of April which I want to concentrate on, no room for other problems any more.
lorrie and snow owl, thank you for your encouragement. Right now my dad is the primary care-giver and my mom isn't at the point where she needs to be in a home yet. She is very easy going and so thankful for any little thing we do for her. She dresses herself and doesn't need help in the bathroom. But I realize things can go down hill fast and it's something that my siblings and I have talked about. It won't be easy and I hope it never has to come to that. Thank you again for your kind words.
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