Recently diagnosed with RA and exhausted 24/7. Any suggestion to help this?

[crossling]

[Tillytop]

Hello Crossling.

I am so sorry that you have been diagnosed with RA and are struggling so much with the exhaustion. Severe, unrelenting fatigue can, unfortunately, be par for the course with RA, when the inflammation is not well controlled. I don't where you are in terms of rheumatologist appointments and drugs at this point but hopefully, if you can get started on a drug, or combination of drugs, which starts to helps your RA, the fatigue will improve as well. In the meantime, the best advice I can offer is to try to pace yourself as much as you possibly can and allow yourself as much time to rest, physically, as you possibly can. Even if, as tends to happen, you find you are not sleeping well because of your RA, periods of complete physical rest can be helpful. I know it's sometimes hard to get the balance right between sitting for too long and then finding you are very stiff, but over time you will find what works for you.

I really do hope things start to improve for you sooner rather than later.

Tillyx

[crossling in reply to Tillytop]

Thanks Tilly I take MTX but seem to have had a bad flare up last few weeks. Hopefully I'll get it under control soon. Pat

[binlid]

i used to suffer really bad with fatigue buthave been on meds since jan and in last 2 monthsthat has subsided though i still get tired not the fatigue episodeds good luck

[helixhelix]

It does get better, but it can take a long while until you get the inflammation under control and start to feel a bit more energetic. I find that making sure I eat properly, and get a bit of exercise even if it's just gentle stretches, means that I sleep better and that helps. But I do need to sleep more than I used to pre-RA, so do try to get enough rest especially at the beginning. Polly

[milcomas]

The exhaustion is such a difficult part of having this disease. I've had RA for 8 years now and I'm still working on trying to sit down when I'm tired and not do too much. I've learned to give myself a break on the weekends and don't make plans as much as I used to. Also, I've learned to just be honest with people close to me about RA and what I'm experiencing.

Best of luck to you and take good care of yourself! Hang in there!!!