Tiredness

[dobsey]

Just seen some posts here on exhaustion

Now I realise it is the RA It is so horrible. Why don't they tell us about this

Just started the anti TNF drugs HUMIRA lets hope it works as the pains are getting worse getting harder to do things now since last year

Dropping things a lot, dies anybody experience and memory loss more than they used to

How does everyone feel after a year say on meds. Do you feel it gets worse as time goes on or is it getting better since taking the meds

Any feedback would be great as you then feel that it's just not you so to speak and the docs tell you little

David

[Angela123]

My RA is definitely better after a year of MTX. I still have fatigue, but not all the time. Very little pain. I've always had a terrible memory so there's no change there, except for the day after I take my MTX when fuzzy headedness makes me absent minded. Angela.

[RobbieM]

Hi David

I often say that the fatigue can hit you like a sunami wave and leave you feeling quite drained for some time. I have found that a diet high in protein with no red meat or dairy products has definitely helped with my energy levels but appreciate that everyone is different. I was diagnosed in 2012 and I am now on enbrel and steroids. It seems to be helping although I still am suffering with sore feet, finger and knee swelling but not as bad as before. Try and stay as positive as you can.

[farm123]

Once you can get this disease under control things do generally get better. Unfortunately it can take some time to find the right combination of drugs to achieve this and the first ones may not be the right ones for you. Hope humira works for you. Farm

[sylvi]

I have Ra/fibro and cfs and exhaustion is all part of what is wrong with me. I am becoming unable to do anything and when i do god do i suffer. I have had RA for 12 yrs and fibro for 2 yrs and cfs for a year now and i don't feel i am getting anywhere with it. So hugs for you.xxx

[nomoreheels]

I increasingly consider it's somewhat part & parcel David. Uncontrolled RD is painful so little surprise our brains have difficult memory wise. It's odd though, I can remember words to songs no problem but ask me about a conversation from last week & I'm struggling to be precise. Maybe it's things we learn by rote, don't really know but short term memory on the whole is shot in my case. I've got used to being very careful as I drop things so easily but I have little grip so hardly surprising, just got used to taking extra care. Dressing the tree was a nightmare until last year because I lived abroad & had tiled f!oors. Lost so many precious glass baubles (well precious to me, all told a story as I buy a new one each year, oddly can remember where I bought them & the circumstances surrounding each purchase!). Last year was doddle now we have carpets again, this year will be when we get the tree in the house lol!

I think it all gets easier to cope with the more controlled you become, not necessarily normal but my kind of normal, more acceptable. We have this thing & adapt best we can & carry on. It'll get easier for you too, you'll find you suddenly have your normal as well. You'll have blips too, I think we can all say that but again you'll just accept it happens, all part of the disease.

I feel for you, where you are at the mo so take care & if you need any help or support going through the recognition period just pop on, we'll probably relate to anything!

[Jora]

Oh yes, I can relate to the immense fatigue and I'm still not clear what percentage of this is due to the RA itself, and what percentage is a side effect of the drugs. I find steroids the worst, as they make me hyper-active 24 /7, but I am still exhausted. A weird dycotomy.

As for memory, mine is markedly worse, but it would have been declining with age, in any case. When I go to the theatre, I have an enduring memory of my response to a play, but Without remembering what it was about.

I'm over a year on meds, but I'm also a year older.

The most important thing I find is to remember that I can't rely on my memory like I used to! I have to make notes - and then remember that I've done do! Jo

[grandy]

I am injecting 25ml MTX and taking Hydroxychloroquine and I started Humira 14 weeks ago which has made a significant difference to how I feel. I still get very tired and I am always dropping things which I find irritating (and embarrassing when I am out) but if I compare these small things with how I have felt over the past 2 years then I have nothing to moan about......... xx