any tips on how to get round flares??

Hi is it best to go to bed for 2/3 weeks or carry on.., any words of advice from you experienced ladies and gents welcome... think i havent been listening to my body.. have been trying to keep active as steroids have lled to 8lb weight gain in 3 weeks...

[zimmie]

I think its best to rest as much as you can, but to carry on as normal whatever normal is at the time. The rest will help reduce fatigue but try not to sleep to much. i like to listen to white noise whilst resting this help me relax so much more. I don't like steroids at all apart from the weight gain they tend to make me uptight and thats putting it mildly.

[Hidden]

yep 30mg makes me ratty im on 20MG thats ok. will go down to 15MG as soon as able..,maybe in a week...

[abednegomonkey]

I tend to rest far more than normal - but make sure I don't actually sleep in the day. I was told not to exercise swollen joints. I still potter about and walk a little so I keep the joints moving. I go to hydrotherapy and do very gentle exercises in the lovely warm water (£6 a week for an hour in a private healthcare pool). Coffee with friends is a good distraction technique too!

I'm on steriods too at the moment - but have managed to do 'slimming world' at the same time... so have actually lost 1 stone over the last 3 months (with 15 mg dose). I was aiming not to gain any weight so have been quite pleased.

I also get the family to do the lifting jobs (washing) and chopping things for meals - so I am not straining my wrists.

When I was first ill, I sat down the family and explained I needed help and what jobs would they like to take on. To my surprise one wanted to clean the bathroom, one do all the hoovering and one was happy shifting the washing around (tumble drier in garage). I'd have probably done them a rota.... but they chose the ones they preferred which worked out really well. Sadly two have now left home, so I only have the 'washing one' left!!!

I must admit, I now have a cleaner once a week! I decided it was worth it as it alleviates me getting stressed from a dirty house!

[Hidden in reply to abednegomonkey]

going to get a friend to do some hooovering today... I live on my own x

[emandedmum]

Oh my goodness, I have to rest, let the boy play with whatever and stick my feet up. Don't sleep in the day though unless I've had a really, really terrible night (and am child free) for I need the energy for the afternoon and evening when I've got to referee two adorable children on my own! Steroids make me cranky and affect my sleep too (bad dreams) and make me hungry so resting and munching is not good either. I don't have a lot of choice but to carry on as normal until my OH gets home from work. I'm hoping he'll be early tonight, doing nothing all day in the sunshine makes me so tired

Hope you get over your flare soon, take care xx

[Hidden in reply to emandedmum]

thank you a friend just carried my hoover upstairs for me and did my bedroom for me feel so useless and a bit guilty

[emandedmum in reply to Hidden]

Just got to go with the ride sometimes Alison! At least you'll feel better now it's clean and tidy xx

[Hidden]

its looks nice x

[Hidden]

Rest but gentle mobilisation. Maintain pain control regime to the optimum level. Do not go to bed, it really won't help and you will end up stiffer than ever and end up over stressing joints. Painful joints use wheat bags to soothe, hot swollen joints use wrapped ice for no more than 10-15 minutes a time. Keep occupied by reading etc., anything you can do to take your mind off the RA. The brain is easily confused so if you concentrate on something you really enjoy such as a good book, film, jigsaw (whatever floats your boat) the RA distress should disappear into the background. If it lasts, uncontrolled, for more than a couple of weeks seek medical advice!

Hope you feel better soon

Lyn x

[Hidden]

Everyone above has pretty much said it all

I agree that you need to rest but try not to sleep in the day. I like Lyn's suggestions about occupying and distracting the brain from the RA with activities you enjoy.

Hope your flare settles down soon.

Ann

x

[Hidden]

thank you x

[Gina_K]

Hi summer, see your post and hope u bit better this eve, don't worry too much weight gain, try keep steroids under 7.5 mg sometimes you need steroids until meds take effect. I just got off mine finally at Xmas only suffered weight gain not crankiness, but am on cymbalta so maybe that helps my perspective. I reduced by 1 mg a month very slow process! Now losing weight as am moreactive.

[Gina_K]

Just thinking funny tv shows distracted me in my darkest days in fact I watched every episode of Fraser over a 6 month period, my family used to go mad, it was like an obsession, it just made me happy! It was therapy, now my dogs distract me in bad days, not too many at moment ( fi gees crossed)

[Gina_K]

Sorry fingers crossed damn iPad!

[Hidden]

aag was awake at 1.40 still too much pain to sleep, mad thoughts of changing my female sheep dog... this is a test... who am I talking about...?. is a male dog better than a bitch..., shall I pay to get a new one.., or shall I look for fresh stock else were..., weres that phone number for the private one... god, that will be £150-200 for a chat halp.. cant get fingers to go.. cant wrap round toothbrush....

[zimmie]

Get an electric toothbrush easy to hold if you wrap some tape around it.

[Hidden]

thanks zimmie

[sylvi]

know exactly how you feel. In agony myself. I can't concentrate, so i read magazines, they don't take the pain away but i wish i could wear some of the clothes and shoes, at least i can dream!!!! I've had three days in hospital last weekend having steroid infusions. Came out monday night, best nights sleep i'd had for ages. Shame its gone downhill since then, struggling to move, hands, knees and my eyes are affected. Hope you feel better tomorrow.

[Penguin]

Hi Alison, Have you ever tried a TENS machine? I was lucky enough to be given two (passed one on to my bro, who also suffers from aches and pains though apparently not RA) and I find it hugely beneficial. The only thing is that some of the modern ones only run for 15 mins and then switch off ... and my physio says that's daft. To get a long-term beneficial effect they need to run for 2 hours or more ... but I find that the moment I switch it on, the pain in that area is blocked ... and stays blocked as long as I'm 'plugged in'. If I do run it for several hours, and I do when I'm having what for me is a bad flare, then the effects do last beyond actually having the machine on.

It's NOT any kind of cure - purely a non-invasive pain blocker - but for me it works. (There's more on my blog if you want to look - you know where it is ...)

[Hidden]

thanks penguin i have one not using it a moment as pain is generailised, used it when first diagnosed as spine wa particulalry bad, will drag it out.. joints are hot and swollen

[Hidden]

have dusted off the tens machine... ready for tomorrow night..

[Hidden]

thought i was better so i overdid it yesterday,, have vowed not to do that today