Fatigue the Great RA Equalizer
Managing RA fatigue is the #RABlog week day 2 topic. Specifically the prompt asks: We all know that fatigue is a big part of many of our lives. How do you manage that fatigue? Perhaps you like a warm cup of tea or a hot bath. We all have our coping strategies. Describe anything you do to help with fatigue.
Sources of Fatigue
This blog really hits home. I take so many drugs to suppress and manipulate my body that it is difficult to know the difference between RA fatigue and medicine fatigue. I have tried all the things I can think of to overcome fatigue.
Before I had RA, I would of course get tired. But that tired is nothing compared to RA tired. RA tired, literally grips your body and makes you a bystander in life.
Dealing with fatigue
So the question presented is how do I deal with it? First I press through. I know that seems ridiculous to people who share RA. But it is in my make up to keep going, pressing, and trying to overcome anything that might slow me down. Pressing forward seldom works well.
The second thing I do is bargain. I am a good bargainer when it comes to people, I have no such skill for RA. At best RA is a one way losing bargain.
The best way to deal with this oppressive fatigue? In my case the best way is to sit down and breathe. My wife says I am not a very good breather. So when I am feeling like things are difficult she advises I need to breathe. It takes little effort to breathe well, but sometimes even that seems difficult. Oh if you are wondering, no that does not work either.
What works?
So what works? A good night’s sleep works miracles. Doing everything I can to spend the night in bed is the best thing I can do for the fatigue I had RA. But as I said at the start of this essay that usually requires medication and that produces a whole different kind of fatigue.
This leads to the second part of my blog and that is about where I apply my energy. With RA, I have to select the things I wish to expend energy on. Does my energy expenditure benefit me, my family, and my community or is it just wasted energy?
Steamroller
I can say I have never been a bundle of careless energy, but more like a steamroller, tough to get started, difficult to stop once started. RA made is even more so. Choosing what I do is the biggest lesson I have had to learn and even after 15 years I am not there as yet.
I have pressed on and tried to overcome. Sometimes that works other times well not so much. Sitting down is just not me. At least it did not use to be me. Press forward was my motto. Keep going.
Applied energy
That is what I want to do more than anything. So today I select where I apply my energy. I do the things I love, like walking with Sheryl, if I am not too slow, or riding my bicycle. All measured, and controlled to make sure I can finish, endure and have fun. I avoid news, I do not watch my beloved Indiana Hoosiers play basketball or the Colts play football, I get too worked up to do it.
So if I have found any answer it is to invest my energy where it pays off not sucks me dry.
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rick
Thanks for this article. I am out on medical leave and trying to develop some endurance. I am walking almost every day but then fall asleep for 4- 6 hrs . It’s not the same RA fatigue that was like “walking through quicksand”it’s more like just sleepiness and inertia. When I’m working it’s much worse.RA has affected my heart and lungs. Pulmonary hypertension, chest pain and diastolic dysfunction .it”s critical to keep moving anyway I can. step by step. I haven’t come up with any magic. prayer,exercise ,primarily vegan diet .and learn mindfulness now.coffee and green tea! Gratitude that I can walk ,have a place to rest ,etc ann
Ann:
I know when I was first off work applying for disability, it was very difficult. I felt the twin issues of fatigue and upset about not being able to work. I wish you the very best and thank you for your comment.
rick
Oh – the meds induced fatigue…THAT is the pits. I missed that one in my post! When you’re flaring and have to up the pain meds and that awful weight of too much analgesia lands on us….that one just has to be waited out really… Love this post!
Karen, I think I endure more med fatigue these days, then fatigue from RA. Ugh, I hate that I really do. This feeling of not being present until he drugs wear off. It seems like Arava is the pits. But maybe it is just me, I know some folks like it, I cannot say I am a big fan, but what do I know? LOL After all, ‘Your RA may vary” is a the label I am putting on everything I own. Thanks for your kind comment.
rick
“bystander in life” That’s big for me. Really explains how I feel. Too tired to have conversations, too tired to try to engage…it’s sad and isolating. But, you make such a good point about selecting where to apply your energy. I make sure I laugh with my kids and try to be there for them, even if I’m struggling. So glad you organized this blog week Rick!
Molly, we are taught as kids to never be pushy, fit in etc. Then we get RA or diabetes and we need a new skill set. I have yet to figure out the best way to be pushy enough to get included with my limitations and polite enough to not upset others. I suppose there is a fine line, gosh, it should be easier.
rick
“Applied energy”–sounds familiar! This is a strategy I’ve been employing (or eventually learned to employ) after I was diagnosed with JRA 9 years ago. I often find that it’s difficult to do, especially when you live with friends/roommates, because we don’t live in a culture where we are taught to conserve ourselves. Is in our culture, student culture in particular, to give all we have and eventually crash and burn. We’ve all hear the phrases, “work hard, play hard,” and “go hard or go home.” However, these mottos simply run you into more fatigue and pain when you have RA. When it comes to medicine fatigue, I believe I have found a miracle solution. Medical marijuana provides the same degree of pain relief as traditional pain killers, without the hangover, fatigue, and digestive side effects. Certainly the last thing you need when you have RA is more fatigue! I whole-heartedly recommend looking into medical marijuana as part of your regimen. Political and social stigmas and preconceptions are a lot easier to conquer than RA.