Are there emotional stages to RA? I was Diagnosed a year ago. Today I am so depressed and ANGRY that I think I'm trying to kill myself with FOOD! I have gained 50 pounds on Pred. which I have been told I will not be able to go below 5mg. ever. I got down to 2.5 and had a raging flare! I want to cry and scream all the time. I am having a major pity party for myself, which is not like me. Actually nothing about me is like "me". I don't recongnise myself in the mirror. Do we go through the stages as in a loss of life? Grief, denial, anger, sadness??? I have kept a postive attitude up until this last flare and I can't seem to find my way back. I know so many of you have been going through this for years, so please forgive my whining, I just don't know who else to talk to.
Whine on my friend. Although I have yet to be diagnosed with RA I have all the symptoms. Two years ago Dr told me I 'might' have it. Did you say denial?
Nothing until 2006 and then I could not get out of bed.
Emotional symptoms?
Angry enough to slap a stranger, that is if I could raise my arms.
Sad enough to think about the afterlife.
Grieving for the last dance I might dance.
I'm a newbie I know, but darling, whine all you want..you're entitled.
It is really hard to get off the pred. It still works better at relieving RA pain than anything else for me. The emotional symptoms you are describing is exactly how I get on 5mg a day after about 90 days. Besides all it other side effects - it can make you nutty too (anger/crying flipping back and forth between the 2 for no good reason). I believe you can kick the pred if you go off very slowly - reduce only .5 at a time. You can stay at the same dosage a month or two before trying to reduce again, if you need to.
When you are off the pred you won't feel as good as when you are on, but you won't be such an emotional wreck.
That 50 lb weight gain is enough to make a person miserable all by itself. I know all about that 1st hand.
I'm sorry you are feeling bad. I have gone thru many of the stages of this diseases. Sadly, I revisit many of those stages often. For me, I wish I would just get to the end of the stages and move on. But it seems, I grieve for what I have yet to lose? That doesn't even make sense as I type it. Some days are better than others, that is for sure. I find that If I rest and sleep, I am much more even keeled. Hang in there. Well, my heart was supposed to go here, but it ended up by your name and I don't have the energy to change it. Phats That's what this forum is all about, support, information, caring about each other. You get to whine!! I've been home most of the day waiting for the doctor's office to call and tell me whether or not I get more Remicade. They set it up for Thursday morning. Can't believe I WANT MORE of these huge meds, but I know I must get over this dumb 'flare'....it is taking so much more than I thought. My dear doctor somehow convinced the medicade people that I NEED treatment, I'm so lucky to have him stick up for me!! I'll be looking for your posts, it's a good place to vent, explain, understand thse drugs, read about other people and their lives, ......Off for a walk on the waterfront, by the bay,sarah this is why i came to this forum, I'm new too. I think venting is good for the soul.. and yeah emotionally.. well its rough.. there are days, i'm so so and others ok. The more that I accept that this is how it is , the better it seems to go. It doesn't mean giving up, but I Allow myself to sleep as much as I need, I don't overdo.. for me, the most frustrating thing is I really never know on a day to day basis, how much I can do.. I may be able to walk around.. and feel fine.. but then pay for it for 2 days.. so i'm really careful. It sucks, coming here seeeing how others are dealing w/ it and that i'm not alone, helps alot. Yeah, the weight thing, its impossible to lose weight, when you can barely walk and it hurts to exercise. Very frustrating. What does help, hmm list 5 things, you're grateful for, every day before you go to sleep.. even if its just a nice day out, a hot bath, etc.. Simple things. I wish you the best and all of us!! Its a very frustrating disease! but having HOPE.. is good. Hi Rain, You don't know me, but I remember your posts. You haven't been here for a while, have you? I'm so sorry to hear that you are feeling so down. You know you can always come here. There is always someone hanging around. That's what we do, just try to help each other through this. Are you on any anti-depressants? I have taken quite a few different ones over the years. I am now on Effexor, which seems to be helping at a higher dose than last time I tried it. I know several of our friends here are now on Cymbalta. I used that for about a year, but it really didn't work as advertised for me. Anyway, if you are not taking anything, maybe you should speak to your doc about your depression. A good doctor would not want you to be suffering like you are. This disease is difficult enough without having to be depressed all the time. I would bet that at least 60% of RA patients are on anti-depressants. And the rest probably need them. By the way, I think we all whine from time to time. It's part of the language of RA. So don't ever suffer without checking here, if you need someone to talk to. Take care, Sweetie. Gentle Hugs, Nini
Yes, there are emotional stages to having RA and they are similar to the emotional stages of grief. Very similar. I have done a ton of research into this. It is not only us that go thru the stages of grief, but our spouses and/or significant others as well. We have to grieve this or any chronic illness that we have. It is like your past life has passed away and you have to start all over in some very unfamiliar life of pain, docs (good or bad ones), medications, and all sorts of new unfamiliar things with your health and emotional state etc. After talking with lots of people with RA, I did find that the Kubler-Ross 7 stages of grief really applies for us. http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kuble r_ross/kubler_ross.htm That is a really easy to understand website regarding the stages of grief and how they apply to a chronic illness.
moods are reflected in my posts as I look back on things. And I think others
here can relate to that. Just try to take it one day at a time and enjoy the
good days and take good care of yourself on all of the days. Keep posting. I
think it has helped me.Thank you all so much. I have been up watching the news this morning about VA tech and realizing how devastated the families must be, RA really pales in the face of all this. I really liked the sugesstion about writing 5 things I am grateful for. And I will talk to my doctor about added a new med. I have been coming off of 40 mg. of pred over the last 3 weeks and I am down to 25mg. today. We never know what will unite us, I am grateful for your support. Have a "good" day, thanks, Rain
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