another visit to local gp today as im been regularly monitored for high blood pressure/panic attacks and generally feeling unwell.all i want to do is sleep at the moment and stay indoors,so the dr as now said i have depression and im not coping with RA mentally.now going back to the drs even more often,think the next visit is to measure me up for me straight jacket lol.
Beer time me thinks.
stuart
Can leave you feeling rather flat this disease. Usually 6 to. 8 weeks on medication. Gives a ood result.
Once we get out heads around the disease we have, we start to feel better and want to go out. It will take time, just allow yourself to wallow at the moment, you will get there. Take care. xx
Hi Stuart,
i can recognise a lot of the symptoms you are saying cos I had them too. I went to the gp too cos i knew i was struggling to come to terms with having RA. He advised me to go to a counsellor and I laughed and refused. But then when I thought about it ok i wasnt in a deep depression, but i know i wasnt coping well, or accepting what was happening to me very well or the consequences of the illness with work or the famiy. So i decided to go to the counsellor who did cbt with me and for me unexpectedly, cos i must have been one of her more skeptical patients, it started to help cos she pointed out everything i thought and showed me how wrong i was.
Antidepressants can help too as Watson says a couple of month you tend to know you still have the same problems but somehow you can just cope with them, there are loads of types so get one that suits you, if you choose to go down this path.
But if you need a straight jacket I think there are specialist websites hhhmmm lol
Also when your ra meds kick in the fatigue from that should lessen and the fatigue from the depression lessens it should help you.
Thinking of you, it is hard work having this illness with SO many appointments !! xx
Hi bigstu I know how you feel my GP has said since I was diagnosed with RA and IPF in Jan that he thought I was a bit depressed which I totally ignored, 6 months down the line and it's possible he was right I have the best support from my family and friends in the NRAS, but at this stage I feel I need to talk to a professional it cant do any harm but have refused GP's anti/depress, a glass of wine does the same job well maybe a bottle. Hope you feel better soon, mattcass
thanks for the replys,i was diagnosed with RA almost 4 years ago and would have thought by now i would be able to cope with it,but when you start to feel good it knocks you back down again.
just going too look for a straight jacket with a pint glass holder with a straw so im still able to drink lol.
all the best
stuart
Oh heck I'm hoping that in a few more years I'll have come to terms but relate to your feeling very much Stuart. Hope the doc is sympathetic and gives you proper help. Tilda xx
Ditto to all you guys, just when you think you are coping it knocks you down again. I have found It very hard to deal with the emotional side of this illness, I feel sometimes it is harder to deal with than the pain, but hang on in there Stu we are all there with you. Hope you will feel better very soon.
Hi Stuart,
I hide away when I'm feeling bad / low so everyone thinks I cope really well ha ha! But things I struggle with on my own are easier to ignore than stuff that is glaringly obvious to all. I'm beginning to admit that I do get depressed and actually it's not surprising is it? This disease does your head in. I've never taken anti-depressants or had counselling but I'm trying to see those things as options that I'll grab with both hands if I really need them (personally I think I'd be happier about counselling than pills, though).
At the risk of being sexist, men are perhaps more likely than women to bottle things up & I hope you don't do that too much. I know the reference to the strait jacket is light-hearted but there is a world of difference between feeling unhappy because of having a *&^% disease like RA & getting taken away by the men in white coats!
All the best to you. Luce x
Hi Stuart, if your GP has acknowledged that you are not coping mentally, it might worth asking if they can refer you for a course of CBT. In many areas you can do it online if face-to-face or group sessions aren't your thing. Hope you soon start feeling a bit better/stronger in yourself. Think many of us here have been through the anxiety, BP, depression cycle - they all seem to feed off each other so you don't know which is the chicken and which the egg. A very understanding OT suggested I try mindfulness CDs and I've found them helpful (have to admit though than when I'm feeling particularly down I forget to play them!). Take care x
Know what you are saying, have been diagnosed now nearly 3 years and still trying to convince myself i haven't got anything wrong. But every now and then I hit the wall about one year ago i got put on antidepressants which certainly helped and then last month they increased the dose which certainly helped that little bit more.
Did you sleep well last night?
Hi,
didnt sleep well at all last night as Dr told me to not have painkillers,but i was in so much pain by 2.30am and had still not slept i gave in and had some painkillers and finally got to sleep at 3.30 ish then up again at 6.30.
im still want to believe there is nothing wrong with me,i always thought illness/health problems were for other people and i would be ok.
im convinced im not depressed but i do worry what is in store for me around the corner.
anyway its dark and possibly sleep time.
hope you all sleep well pain free.
stuart
What next?
Methotrexate not working so what next? 
What Next
What next.
What next?
