Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
I know there are many articles about how weather affects RA. Some doctors think it's hooey and other doctors who have been doing the RA thing for years believe it because they listen to their patients. When all these patients say I hurt when it's cooler in the morning, you'd think they'd have a clue. No one knows the science behind it.
I live in Southern California where the weather is beautiful 365 a year but taxes suck! lol. I live in the high desert. Last couple of weeks I been feeling it in the morning. A little of the "background pain"....feet and hands still and sore. By mid morning and afternoon as it warms up I feel 100% better. And the house is usually about 68-72 in the AM. I been taking a small portable heater in the restroom with me for showers. Today is my "MTX Hangover day" and I felt it BAD today. I woke up sore everywhere, feet, ankles, knees, hands, wrists horrible nausea. These are the days I can cry at the drop of a hat. Watched a terrible news story at 6 AM this morning about a dog being thrown over a cliff by the owner, neighbor caught it on video. Luckily dog lived, was just a puppy. I cried like a baby. Then sat there on the couch and sporatically cried on and off without anyone noticing it. I didn't want them to notice. Cried about the pain. Cried again about the dog. Cried while watching my African Cichlid tank where one female finally spit out her babies in her mouth and the tank was a disaster when all the other fish chased them everywhere and devoured them while we were camping. Circle of life. Felt so sad for her....do fish know they're moms? Who knows. Well, I know many of you know those days.....cry and cry for just about anything. **sigh**
How does the weather affect you? Especially those in snow states.
What's weird is that I typically feel the best in the morning & then right around 8pm until i go to bed is when I start to really feel the little "pings & dings" in my fingers & sometimes in my toes.
oceans11....we're the opposite. I am worse in the morning and as the morning moves on I feel better but not today. I'm really in a funk. I think it's a bit depression over feeling so icky. I've always been one of those people who get depressed if a cold holds on too long. Now this. Lately I just want to go hide and cry. hate it.
I think the morning blues is pretty typical for us RA sufferers. I used to be like that early on in my RA. I woke up to the stiffness, swelling pain ect. After doing some reading I think what I'm experiencing a combination of maybe some nerve pain partially from RA & partially from the gym. Which would explain why I feel better in the morning when at night asleep whatever inflammation I have has a chance to reduce on its own & then as the day progresses it affects my nerves a bit.
Yeah, I always tell my husband my mornings are rough. We are self-employed and he leaves about 8 AM Mon-Fri so he never really sees I perk up. In November it will be a year since diagnosed and medicated. I had actually been in remission and pain free up until 3 weeks ago. Hired our first employee and I'm now doing more work than ever and no breaks. I also have consistent panic attacks due to stress.
I wake up at 4:45 am weekdays and I go out and feed/clean our horses and that always started my day. The fresh air, warmth of the animals and love of them. My Zen. I'm in bed by 9 pm most nights and exhausted. But due to the recent flare I've had the mild flu-like symptoms and depression. I sat outside this morning on the porch in the sun with phone in hand debating on calling my psychiatrist. But THANKS TO YOU.....just venting/talking to others who can relate my spirits are lifting. Emotions and mental stress play a huge part in RA.
But I am severe, so little things like weather don't add up to much. I like rain much better than snow and cold, especially -40C, like we had every year in Edmonton. We moved to the BC interior, and the weather is so much better. But again, when we moved here in Jan. 2015, my meds were still working, and the cold didn't bother me, any more than the -40 we had to move in. (It did kill all my house plants, just getting them to the car)
But in Feb. last year, Simponi failed, and I was bed ridden, even though the weather was better.
Right now, mornings are terrible, till I take prednisone and pain killers and they work. I hope one day, that will stop again. I don't do anything first thing in the morning and for hours later. Some days I do nothing.
Well, I can't imagine have issues in California, but we are all different with this disease. Nothing ever effects me, except meds working or not! Sigh! (I took an extra 3 mg prednisone, this morning I was so bad last night and today. Orencia is definitely failing. I am not supposed to take 8 mg, because that is the point it starts affecting the adrenal gland, which I have some delusions about maybe I will get off prednisone one day, and it will start working on its own!)
I swear, next time I have a really bad day, I am just going to take 15 mg and be done with it. Right now, I cannot ride my bike my hands are so bad. But my house cleaners came today, and they are all good! My house is spotless! I should have done that a long, long time ago - so much less stress having a spotless house!
I don't tend to ruminate on stuff I can't do anything about. the great thing about new england weather is is changes so frequently and with such ferocity that you actually have to read the weather as opposed to seeing the monotony of 10 days of the same. as to its affect on my RA - I am afraid to comment. I have this weird thing that talking about weather is equivalent to nursing home material - you know i associate it with the super elderly and being a curmudgeon (laughing) really :) - i don't even like when folks in my neighborhood obsess about northeasters. the reality of this weather is that change is constant. the reality of RA is that I want to treat it with healthy living and ra meds. I don't care about the weather accept to embrace its vagaries and admit it is pretty sometimes, ugly sometimes, a lot of work sometimes, and capricious. I know weird. :) thanks for putting up with me.
depot