Reduced stress - is this help enough for RA remission?

[prairiegirl]

should also have mentioned going through a separation with spouse - he has had multiple chronic illnesses for years - ongoing stressors for over a decade - it has taken a toll on my own health I believe - I am wondering if once I am alone if this disease will settle and mthx is not necessary - on the other had I am likely looking for reason to not take it. Has anyone had experience with still manageable RA pain and taking Methotrexate early to get remission?

If anyone in the Regina area whom has lived through this on here - I would love to connect

[helixhelix]

Left uncontrolled this disease can be way more scary than the drugs. Yes if you change your lifestyle in terms of stress, diet, exercise, weight etc etc it can help get control, but that's not guaranteed either. It could make little difference to the disease even tho' you'll probably feel a bit more energetic.

My disease hit me like a train, so for me there was no question about whether or not to take the drugs. And I've been on them for years now with no side effects and I have my life back so am extremely pleased at how well they've worked. Generally I'm in remission now. Many of the people who post here are those who have more problems, and people like me rarely post so you can get a distorted picture.

And remember starting them doesn't mean you have to stay on them. If they don't suit or they don't work for you, you can stop.

[Angels-delight]

I went through a devorce whilst suffering with migraine headaches and having up to 18 injections in my head. A real numb skull ha ha. But they did help until my husband at the time stressed me out which is why I got devorced and I no longer had migraines or stress after a while. I do have a number of health problems even though I am on my own which I guess I can't totally blame on him as I probably would have them anyway.

I am on a lot of medications and biological injections and wouldn't like to think what my life would be like without them.

Good luck, take care. Sue

[Hidden]

Hello Pairiegirl. oh i too did wish that once my stress level went down, then my RA would disapear. Sadly it didn't happen, but one can dream eh?

i was told by my rheumy that once mtx got my disease undercontol, for at least a year, then we would slowly decrease the amount of mtx. i will never be able to be drug free, and i am now finally ok with that, as i never want to feel the ravanges of RA again.

i assume you live in Regina,Sask?

[prairiegirl in reply to Hidden]

Yes in the area of Regina.my rheumy told me same thing... you will always be on it. Thanks for your comments. Well stress reduction is needed regardless. I laugh out loud as I am so easily adopting the lingo on here... my rheumy...

[Hidden in reply to prairiegirl]

So I'm assuming there aren't any RA support groups in Regina, nor are there any in Vancouver, Maybe we can meet up in Calgary for a cup of coffee?? lol.... Frusterating isn't it? It would be nice to talk to someone face to face over a cup of coffee....sigh

[Victoria-NRAS Partner Moderator NRAS]

I'm so sorry to hear that. Unfortunately in the majority of cases remission is drug-induced and you often need to stay on the drug to keep the RA in remission, though it is often possible to reduce the dose and in some cases you can get it down gradually and may have a period off of it entirely. RA in remission is like a dormant volcano though, so can come back at any time; meaning that the period of remission might be short-lived. Probably better if possible to try to come to terms with the idea of staying on medication, but see any periods where dose can be lowered or the drug stopped in remission as a real positive, but not the norm.

I think Regina is in Canada? As this site is moderated by us (NRAS), a UK based charity, most people on here are from the UK, though I know we have people from other countries, including Canada. Might also be worth contacting 'The Arthritis Society' in Canada if you haven't already, to see if they can help you to make contact with people near you: arthritis.ca/.

[Gnarli]

Like You, Prairiegirl, I was scared of most things about this nasty disease. The drugs, the pain, the possibility of deformity, the loss of the future I thought I had planned for etc etc etc. I rapidly came to the conclusion that the drugs HAD to be the better option than leaving the disease to run riot in my system. Things may very well improve with drug therapy. I doubt my health would improve without them.

[prairiegirl in reply to Gnarli]

Thank you for your comment.