When first diagnosed with my Rheumatoid Arthritis, I felt as though, YES! I finally have validation. I finally have a reason as to why I am in so much pain and I finally know why I am always so tired. Those were the very two symptoms that I suffered from the most from 2010 to 2015. Five years of always thinking I am just a boring person, who never wants to do anything. I felt as though that I am just meant to be in pain and always be tired which was going to be my new normal. This post is to tell you that being in pain not normal and I will offer some tips and help so you can better manage your disease!
Since my diagnosis, it has been a huge learning curve. There is so much to learn about the disease and how to best manage the disease. First of all, autoimmune diseases in general are not a one size fits all and everyone experiences things differently. Because of this, there are lots of trial and error throughout this learning process. Somethings may work for you and other things may not. You just have to at least try and see. I will disclose that you must always consult with a physician before trying anything. Always be safe!
So You Have A New RA Diagnosis?
- Learn as much as you can about your disease. There is so much scientific research out there and thousands of people like me that want to help others going through the same thing. The best thing is that you are DEFINITELY not alone. The one thing I can tell you is to please use credible resources. There are many very awesome helpful people out there so go out there and find them.
- Pay attention to your symptoms and really listen to what your body is trying to tell you. It is constantly giving you cues as to what is going on, you just have to stay silent, think about it and listen to the cues. Writing things down is always helpful too. There are several apps available to track symptoms, or you can just use a journal or calendar. Use what works BEST for you.
- Learn your triggers that cause exacerbation of your disease. Stay away from your triggers and you stay away from flares. Maintaining a journal or tracking your symptoms in an app, can help you identify your triggers. It can really be eye-opening once start tracking.
- Medications: There will always be the gold standard for treatment. Many times this will include medications that have been around for 50 years. These medications can be scary to take and much thought must be taken in deciding what will be best for you. Learn about the medications being discussed and identify if it is the right thing for you. Be the informed patient. Do not just take something because your doctor says too.
- Make sure you have a doctor that will listen to you. I just chose a rheumatologist when I decided I needed to go. I didn’t do research on her, I just wanted to be seen. But, wow, did I get the jackpot with her. She always listened to me and how I wanted to manage my disease. She allowed me to cautiously start treatment the way I wanted. I wanted the least threatening treatment to start and as I progressed through my disease, I have had to advance my medications to better treat my illness. It was inevitable that I would be on these medications, but at least I got to start small.
How to manage the chronic pain
Being in constant pain is extremely difficult and very taxing on the body and your mental state. Like I said before, you begin to think that this is your new normal. But I promise you, that the human body is not meant to be in constant pain. It actually takes MORE energy to be in pain than it does to not be in pain. So what can you do to manage your pain?
Working out
Working out offers so many benefits, both physicial, mental and emotional. Are all workouts amazing? Definitely not, but it is important to stay active. Always work within your body’s limitations. It is okay to push yourself at times, but just pay attention to how you feel. Do what makes your body feel good. Now this is where you have to listen to your body and where people differ, I will provide an example for you.
I have fibromyalgia and there is still not much understood about the disease. When first diagnosed, it was take these pills and lets see how you feel! In doing my own research, I found that cardiovascular exercise is actually the best thing for you in the treatment of symptom management of fibromyalgia. Now, there is no cure for this, you can only manage the symptoms and disease. So, I tried it and to much of my surprise, my fibromyalgia pain went away! So, I always make sure that I stay active.
I then have my friend who also has a fibromyalgia diagnosis, however, her flares are induced by any type of exercise. Her flares are so severe, that it takes her out for days at a time. It took her a long time to discover this, but she is now able to listen to her body and she now understands her triggers. So here, we are, two people with the same diagnosis but react very differently to a potential treatment option.
Yoga is an ideal way to stretch the muscles in the body so it doesn’t feel so cramped. One of the things that can make the joints ache so bad, are the cramped muscles around the joints. Yoga enables the lengthening and stretching of the muscles away from the joints so you can have pain relief from these disease processes. Hot yoga can be quite challenging but also gives you a great detox. You feel amazing afterwards.
Self-Care
In my opinion, working out is a form of self-care but there are many other things that can help manage your pain as well, especially if you do not feel up to working out. We have those days, it happens. Whether it is my fibromyalgia or RA, I do my best to give the self-care that it needs and deserves. For the following self-care activities, you can find local therapeutic spas in your area. Any great place will have infrared sauna, whole body cryotherapy and Normatec boots.
The Infrared Sauna is an amazing way to help detox the pain out of your body. On several occasions, I have walked in with pain and walked out Pain-Free. The sauna gets to be a dry 125 – 150 degrees and you are in there for approximately 45 minutes. You sweat out the toxins in the body and feel amazing. It is relatively inexpensive at $30 a session and the peaceful mind and pain-free body that you walk out with is absolutely worth it.
Whole Body Cryotherapy is another form of pain relief that I utilize to help with my pain. Here you jump into the Cryo booth and the air is cooled to about -200 degrees. The less clothes you wear into the booth the better coverage you will get and greater anti-inflammation impact. Even though the -200 sounds frightful, it is only for 3 minutes. It does take your breath away but it is awesome too. Depending on the machine, each session is about $60.
The Normatec Boots are something that is awesome to use for tired legs. Being a nurse, having fibro pain and RA pain, my legs take a beating every week. With these boots, your legs will be placed in sleeves and compressed for 30-60 minutes. The pressure of the compression varies throughout the session. Your legs feel amazingly rested after this session. A 30-minutes session is about $20.
Epsom salt baths are another strategy that I use to calm my muscles and joints. This is a great way to have some me-time and to relax from the daily stresses of life. Epsom Salts are comprised of magnesium sulfate which is a smooth muscle relaxer and which is why it helps the body. Doing this at least once a week is ideal. Mr. Teals is my favorite brand of Epsom Salt and comes in all different scents and essential oils.
I know you have heard this a million times, but adequate sleep is essential to a healthy management of your disease. So getting at least 7 hours of sleep is ideal. For me, I need 8-9 hours of sleep. Any less than that, then I risk riding the struggle bus the next day and lots of pain until I am able to catch up.
Meditation is a great way to get your head straight so you can get through difficult times. You can use a mix of visualization, noting and deep breathing exercises to get through health obstacles. There are many free meditations that you can use via YouTube.com or you can use an app. I use the HeadSpace App and it can be found on both IOS and Android. You can check it out here, https://hdsp.co/e/z8AphrMjfY . They have so many different meditations to help you and this is my goto for meditation. It helped me get through a very difficult time in my life and I know if would be able to do the same for you! Check it out!
Keeping Energy Levels Up
When you have chronic disease, autoimmune disease, your energy levels just plummet. They plummet for several reasons.
- The physical and mental toll the disease(s) takes on the body
- The medications that you take to treat your disease(s)
- The stresses of daily life
- Lack of sleep
Here are somethings that can help you manage your energy levels. We have already discussed adequate sleep. That is a no brainer, just remember that you are important too and when you need rest, you rest. I hope that you have support at home that enables you to do that. Now what if you are in the situation where, support is not there? A conversation will need to take place to make your family aware of what your needs are and the importance of their support. If they want you to be present then they will need to know what they need to do to have you at your best!
We also already discussed working out. That also helps your energy levels because as they always say, working out makes endorphins and endorphins make you happy!
The other thing that I try to do is be very diligent with my supplements. Of course I try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables but at times, still need some help. Again, I have done a lot of research to see what can be done for this. In the past everything I have tried, has been unsuccessful, until now. I have a new regimen. You can check this out for yourself, but here it is:
Get your B12 and Vitamin D3 levels checked. I started diligent supplementation with both B12 and D3. It has brought my serum levels up to where they need to be and the energy increase I experience has been noticeable. Is it stellar, no, but it has improved. I will take what I can get. However, I was still having that 3 pm crash. I went back online to research what else I can take. Now, you should always check with a physician before doing anything, but I found Magnesium Citrate. Research has shown that magnesium citrate taken once or twice a day can be beneficial for energy levels. I have been taking this for the last 2 weeks and I have found to be an even more noticeable difference while taking this! I think I finally found my magic ticket. Vitamins B12, D3 and magnesium citrate. Check them out and see if it works for you!
In the end, your chronic disease can be managed and you can have days where you can live a full life. Yes you may still have some rough days but you will begin to learn about your disease and what works best for you. Remember, everyone is different and what works for one may not necessarily work for others. You are not alone in this battle. There are people everywhere going through the same struggles as you. When you have good days, maximize them. When your days are a struggle, listen to your body and rest.
If you have questions about anything I discussed, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I am very accessible and always happy to help you with anything you may need.
Have a great day and always take care of yourself!
Till Next Time!
