I was doing so well on the Arava and Prednisone and then could not believe how things turned on a dime. All of a sudden a flare in my feet. And since then I have had muscle pain in my arms, shoulders and thighs (no strength as well) and it has been hard to sit up for any period of time. My Internest sent me to a Neurologist to make sure I didn't have MS as well as RA. But the Neurologist said this weakness and muscle pain is from my RA. I went from getting things done which felt wonderful, to sitting in a chair and wishing I was getting things done! Do you have problems with extreme fatigue too?
Yes Suelee I do. I have Fibro along with the RA and those symptoms sound a lot like it. You might ask your rheumy as they can diagnose Fibro.
Take care,
Bonny...I don't have pressure points so they said I don't have fibro. but I do get his fatigue in my muscles that keep me from getting around, lifting my arms and sitting up for any period of time. Not always, but especially during and after a flare.
I get it every flare and personally, I find the fatigue more disabling than the pain or joint destruction. I can treat the pain, I learn new ways of doing things if a joint doesn't work anymore. For fatigue there's nothing. I can hardly get a Rheumy to acknowledge it, let alone talk about it. It's very frustrating.
Extreme fatigue and malaise from a flare is common. Ever have the flu? I don't mean a cold but the real thing, influenza (or any serious infection) - you're tired, achy, lightheaded, you can barely make it out of bed, you're muscles feel like they're made of jello?
Those symptoms aren't caused by the infection! They're caused by your own immune system fighting the infection. All your energy is being poured into making T cells to fight the good fight.
Unfortunatly, the same thing happens when our immune systems mistake joints for "enemy" invaders. It's friendly fire.
You can feel that tired just from RA. But that means your disease is not under control no matter what your bloodwork says. This needs to be addressed by your Rheumy. He's not doing the full job. If he won't address it then either go back to your Primary or get a second opinion from another Rheumy.
Also, fatigue is something that you can learn to manage. You have to rest. Schedule your rest times. You have to find some kind of exercise that you can do. If you cannot exercise at this point which it sound like you where you are, then insist on them sending you to PT. PT will help those muscles support your joints and make it easier for you to move. Over time, it will also help you build your strength again.
If you have access to either a heated pool or jacuzzi, they are great places to help you build your body back up. If you can get it, ask for water physical therapy. I got to the point of not being able to walk before and that is what I did and it really helped me. I also used a fitness trainer for a year to build up my leg muscles. A lot of people have great success with yoga or even walking.
Also, when I get really fatigued, I eat fruit and high protein. This helps raise and stablize your blood sugar.
There are so many things that people here have done. Glad you are here. Try posting a separate topic, "Coping with fatigue" and I bet you will get some wonderful suggestions.
Lynk..So glad to get your message. It is so perfect...just the way I feel. Thanks for making the obvious so clear! Hope you are doing well.I sure hope that this too shall pass, but I am not counting on it.
Good to hear from all of you. I though, don't feel sleepy, I just feel like I cannot move. No strength and pain in the shoulders is the hard part. As for the Arava, I guess I didn't explain well. I felt wonderful the first 4 months. Just like a new person. And then all of a sudden I felt the muscle pain, weakness and an ankle flare. The doctor said he cannot cure me, only try to help me. Sticking to the Arava and increasing the prednisone did help the flare, just not my muscle strength nor my shoulder pain. Hopefully that be better soon. I am a little disapointed in the Arava because I thought it would hang in there longer. But maybe I just have to be patient and I will feel good again soon. Hope you all do too!