I was wondering if the majority of us feel the same. On top of all of my symptoms, I have major depression too. Besides being depressed and not having much motivation, I am stiff and hurting already when I open my eyes, especially in my hands.
Hi DeltaElise,
In summer I wake up fine in winter my hands and feet hurt really bad. My hands feel so cramped and it hurts to do my girls hair for school.
Its strange I never feel tired unless of course I have had no sleep due to pain, and I dont feel depressed as I am constantly doing things to make myself feel better, but every now and then I have my moments.
Yes Jewel-ee, I find that being busy helps :)I'm stiff and sore before I get up. Sometimes I wake up earlier and take some tylenol and then go back to bed. That helps me move when I get up.
I don't depressed unless I get really worn down. Then, I feel sad. If my prednisone is very high (over 20 mg), I cry at the drop of a hat.
They can give you something mild to help with the depression. I take Nortripline and Clonazepam for the Restless legs. Nortripline is a mild anti-depressant and Clonazepam is an anti-axiety. They are supposed to keep my legs from jerking during the night, but have the nice side effect of lifting my mood.
Depression is often a side effect of dealing with chronic pain and disease.
I think we all pretty much have the stiffness when we first get up. I think the depression causes us to have no motivation. I was on Lexapro for a year while I was going though problems at home and the demands of a highly stressful job, and it made things much easier to handle. I had more drive to do stuff. Since I stopped working and things at home have gotten better I came off it, thinking I did'nt need it anymore. It took about 2 weeks and then I guess depression set in. I never realized I had depression until then. I had no motivation to do anything, and got worked up over the littlest things. I've since gone back on the Lexapro and see a big change. I still have the constant fatigue but in between naps I can get things done, and don't feel so hopeless.
I don't know if your on anything for the depression but it might be a good time to talk to your Dr. about it. Just my thoughs.
Hope you feel better soon.
It ranges all the way from hit by a train to slight stiffness. Every day and every morning is different and unpredictable. I really never know how bad or good I may feel each day.Right now I'm on good treatment and my RA is fairly well controled. I have however learned to get up slowly and not rush to jump out of bed. Often I'll try to do that and end up right back on the end of the bed trying to give my knees a chance to catch up with my mind. I need to stretch and give my joints and muscles a chance to wake up. No matter what treatment you are on you'll have some days that are better than others. Some months that are better than others....and even some years that are better than others.
I'm not depressed though. Yes; there's been times during my 12 year battle that there were those "Why me
...Like I want to go back to sleep
Getting back to RA. I still don't have good sleep habits and go to bed most nights around midnight or 1
Lack of sleep, chronic pain and fatigue all add up to depression
I'm with arizonra, it's either mild or a trainwreck or anywhere in between and cold and dampness are the worst
I had the depression almost condstantly and was put on zoloft. started with 50 and upped to 100 so it's not so bad now. Tried to go off it and was a totally weepy basketcase and felt guilty and worthless due to the RA. Lack of sleep was not helping anything, but, without meds, which make me sleepy or exhausted, I can't sleep at all. Insomnia or zombie??For me, I know how I'm going to be once my feet hit the floor. If I can slide into my slippers without wincing, it's a good day. If I can make it to the kitchen without hobbling too much, it's a GREAT day. I live for the great days, and I pretty much know how my day's going to be just by standing up.
I hurt every morning in my feet, knees and hands/wrists and sometimes shoulders, lower back and neck. I am on prednisone, lots of methotrexate, celebrex and ultram for pain. I eat breakfast, take my pills and about 3hours later i can move ok enough to do what i need and go through the same thing again the next day. The hotter the better. Scortching heat makes me feel great but then i get too hot and my body fights itself. I wonder if I have more OA than RA. The past couple of nights I have been waking up because of the stiffness and pain everywhere anyone had this? Having chronic pain causes the depression along with no sleep and the pills you take might have something to do with mood changes. Every morning, I wake up and have to go down a flight of stairs to my bathroom to get ready for work. It is really hard. I am very stiff. Mostly in my knees and ankles. My wrists are stiff too, but they loosen up while I drive to work. The more I move the better it is, so by mid morning I am doing better. For me, the pain is mostly at night. When I finally stop moving (I work is 8 hours on my feet on concrete floors), I really start to feel the pain and swell. What I don't understand is why I swell mostly during the night. My ankles and knees swell a bit while at work, but in the morning is when they are at their worst. As far as depression, every once in a while I feel like, "why can't I feel like I use too". But then I thank God that I'm still alive , and still getting around. About 7 yrs. ago I lost my dad. It was the most traumatic thing that had ever happened to me. It was 2 yrs. after that I finally broke. My Dr. put me on Zoloft. I don't take any pain medication or tranquilizers. I was on 50 mg. for awhile & then it was increased to 100mg. That drug has been a blessing in my life. Since I was diagnosed in March and have all this pain & not knowing what to expect next, I'm so glad that I take Zoloft. Heaven only knows what I would be like without it. Trisha Pat I get up during the night to take my Advil. If I don't, then I will have a very hard time getting up and out of the bed. I'm always stiff when I get up. Thank God that the bathroom is across from my bedroom. I hang on to the doorway as I slowly make my way into the bathroom hoping that I don't trip over one of my cats. Have to take one of my meds first thing. Then I quickly rub the cat and by then I can start my day. When I'm really bad, I have to hang on to the chairs as I make my way into the living room to open the drapes, turn on the heat, if it's cold out, and finally go outside to pick up my paper. Most mornings, after about an hour, I finally start to feel the meds work and I can go about my day.
How do you feel when you first wake up? Like I got hit by a bus in my sleep!
MarisaOMG some days, just the sheets and blankets on my feet are a killer!! Even thinking about getting out of bed is a chore, but I must, as I am the sole income in my family. Then to drive to work, walk a full city block to the flight of stairs I must climb to get to my first class room is agony!! I honestly can't wait until my other medical problems are under control, so I can start on the RA meds... life seems to throw us all a lot of curve balls! I was talking to my father this weekend and asked him when does it get easier???? He said never...
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