I'll try keep this short ...I returned to work this January after being off for 11 months .i work as a flight attendant 👩✈️.My job entails long hours , different time zones and pushing trolleys
I've had to call in sick yesterday after a particularly arduous work month (6 long haul flights )
I'm wiped out exhausted feeling faint .
Went to see GP they don't really have the knowledge and suggested I contact the hospital clinic ..no luck
I thought I might be anemic as I'm completely drained , I wake up tired and have to nap in the afternoon. I went for a blood test yesterday, am waiting results
I'm on leflunomide and rituximab infusions ( due next month )
Anybody else had this ?
I also think I have plantar fasciitis...another thing to add to the list grrrrrr
Any advice pls ?
I'm so disappointed as I was doing so so well
I know I can't work full time anymore
My employer has offered me part time which begins in September
Thanks guys
Fiona
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Fifi2
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I am supposed to be on Leflunomide but due to reactions I am struggling to take it. I still have a job and know exactly what you mean about the exhaustion as I get that by about three every afternoon. It is good that you have reduced your hours and gone part time.
Hi Fiona....I was long haul cabin crew for 20+ years & my GP always said he was very surprised I didn't catch more than I did with all the contact I had with different bugs around the world.
Luckily I didn't get diagnosed with RA until I had retired...at 55....but no way could I have coped with flying in today's conditions....especially with your immune system being compromised you can pick up all sorts of nasties.
Believe me you won't be bored without flying! There is a whole new world you can enjoy without living with a suitcase at the end of your bed 24/7. Don't misunderstand, I loved flying...but knowing the pain & joint damage RA can inflict ......I'd think really hard about continuing.
Don't rush...try part time....but I honestly feel the more you push yourself with 3am pick ups,& 12hr+ plus duty days the less likely you are to feel the benefit of the meds you are on.I too am on RTX......refused to have either Lfl or Mtx in the mix as I was very ill on both of them.
I do get very tired & the thought of HAVING to put on a uniform & walk to LA horrifies me. I now sit back & watch crews work, & thank my lucky stars it's not me.
Good Luck whatever you decide, but don't make yourself worse by overdoing things flying. Is there a possibility of a ground job? I think there is some sort of rule you should be offered am alternative position if needed due to health issues. Have a word with your Rheumy Nurses, they are very knowledgable......alternatively have a word with your Citizen's Advice Bureau!
You are absolute correct no point killing myself doing the job .
Going 75%sept and if need be drop to 50% then 33%
Going to rheumy nurse tomorrow morn and ask to stop leflunomide and see if that does the trick ( haven't taken it all this week )
Long haul flying is punishing ..2 x EZE 2 night stops and JFK back to back ! All in one month .Think that's what tipped me over the edge ....utterly exhausted 😩 even if I were normal I would be tired after that
Last year I seriously thought of jacking it all in but wanted to give it one more go .
Will have to put my thinking cap on and maybe think of an alternative career path but at 54 not sure what .
Flying is all I know but I'm sure there must be something out there
Something to make you smile...I flew before the advent of trolleys& & I swear my wonky osteoarthritic right forefinger is the result of carrying those heavy coffee pots!!
Golden Years? Carrying 250 lunch trays twice a day on the JFK/BDA shuttle .....all on a plate of chips & a chocolate milkshake?
Ha!Ha!
I know what you mean...I was lucky & quit before it got too bad.I was lucky enough to have a couple of years on RTW's, three weeks on, two weeks off. Thought I'd died & gone to heaven!
Hope everything goes well for you....just know there is life after flying.
I am also on Rituximab, but refused to take leflunomide along with it because the fatigue was so great that I could have slept 24/7. Still tired for a couple of days of Rituximab infusion and suffer permanent fatigue but much better without the leflunomide. Don't envy you all those long haul flights! If you Rheumy thinks you needs something to go with the Rituximab maybe then can suggest something else, but I'm happy with just the Rituximab. I also suffer badly with foot problems, can't wear heals anymore and have just had surgery on a toe, and have corns on the ball of my foot which I never had before RA. I imagine the amount of time you spend on your feet during flights makes things worse for you. Good luck. xo
Hi Fifi2. Wow, you're a bit of a hero! Just watching flight attendants in action makes me tired lol! I would imagine that long haul flights can constitute a very taxing working environment for any body, healthy or otherwise.
Inflammatory arthritis does make us less resilient, I think that's just how it is because the disease puts the body under some degree of physical stress. But the fatigue component can be tackled and reduced, I hope rituximab does that for you. Is is your first biologic?
Much as we aim to live full lives, sometimes something has to give to make that possible. I hope you're okay with going part-time and that it makes a big difference to your well-being.
I know what your saying about no retiring yet but there comes a time when your body tells you it's had enough, could you go part time as your job is demanding mentally and physically, I struggled for a couple off years then made a decision that I couldn't go on working and took early retirement, I'm 52 and I've never looked back I go swimming and to fitness classes most days and I can pace myself at a tempo I'm happy with and financially I'm not any worse off, I've got RA and am on methetrexate and Benepali, hope you get the help you need
Hi Fiona,
Your job sounds exhausting for a healthy person, let alone for one with RA. It's not an easy job either - both physically and mentally. I actually wanted to do it as it looks fun but I know a couple of flight attendants who say it's not as glamorous as I've assumed. Anyway, I've rambled sorry! I'm wondering if the fatigue is due to uncontrolled RA. How do you think things are for you - bloods wise and swollen joints wise? For some people, the extreme fatigue is a good sign that things aren't being well controlled.
I have plantar facsitis (sp?) and it's hideous. It doesn't help that you're probably on your feet lots. Can you look into insoles? They make a huge different to the pain and swelling. Also, icing the soles of your feet. Someone recommended rolling a very cold can of drink under my feet which cools it and does exercises which is meant to be very good.
Please don't be hard on yourself. You are doing well, amazingly well. 🌟 However, you have a disease with a mind of its own and I think accepting part-time work is a good compromise. My job is sedentary and I still had drop to 32 hours per week to enable a day off. I found it hard, like I was giving up. You know what though? It wasn't giving up or doing badly, it was accepting my limitations and has enabled me to continue working.
Fingers crossed that the infusion next month brings you some relief.
In my mind I think if I give up my job then it's (RA) has won . I guess I tried to be the person I was before ....and have got to realize I'm not . I miss the old me
Going to see how part time pans out and give myself time to recover from this before I even attempt to go back
I'm too young to feel this old 😩😩😩
On a more positive note ...it's not over until the fat lady sings 😂
I had to quit leflunomide because after tolerating it well initially, I felt like I had the worst flu ever and had muscle weakness like I've never had in my life. I literally couldn't get out of bed. I finally went to the hospital and that's when the doctor told me leflunomide was the culprit. I felt 100% better within 4 days of quitting it.
I thought I had planter fasciitis but it turned out I had a disorder with one of my tendons in my ankle which caused a similar pain. I saw a podiatrist who really helped a lot with no surgery and no medication. Just some massage, a simple exercise and some custom orthodics that have made walking comfortable again.
Best of luck, I truly admire anyone who can put up with a cabin full of travelers with grace, a smile and diplomacy. I'll be the first to tell you I could not 😊
You never know. I've had severe reactions to drugs that I had taken for months and even years with success. The reaction I had to the leflunomide really did come out of no where after I had been taking it for three months prior with no problems. I was really happy with it prior to the reaction which was akin to the worst flu I've ever had. Just body aches and zero energy.
Whilst I'm sorry to hear about how many of you feel extremely fatigued I'm so grateful to hear all your comments. I too experience the all consuming tiredness that comes with RA and the medications. I sometimes feel such a wuss but hearing that others have the same experience is quite comforting. You can't explain it to someone who doesn't have RA or the meds can you?
So sorry to hear you are under the weather and struggling. It's just so tough and I utterly sympathise.and relate.
My latest 8 weekly blood tests I had on Friday are text book, I'm lucky enough to have a GP surgery that plots them all on a graph so I can plainly see my bodies reactions to steroids/DMARDS/Biologics be it inflammation levels or white blood cell count or ALT etc etc.
So any Rheumy would say ' hey you are absolutely in remission '
Well, OK then but you just explain the pain, the agony in my feet, the 'toothache ' in my fingers, the lethargy etc etc etc.
I've been very depressed these last few weeks, really down and feeling I want to give up...... Not give up my job flying but just give up life completely. I will perk up but like you this disease takes its toll.
I hope 75% makes a big difference to you and perhaps stopping the Leflunomide too. Defo worth getting your iron levels checked, an up to date full blood count and your Vit D too.
I'm on Hydroxychloroquine and Benepali injections and lots of cider and vodka ( sort of joking, ha ha)
Got the hospital in August, will have a good old moan then about my pain.
Anyway, I'm very pleased you went sick. Last year after my initial 11 months off I got a chest infection and had to have another three weeks off. I've managed a whole year fit now but Its been very very hard.
You have done the right thing and must look after yourself.
Off to Phoenix this week, me and my knackered old feet. Wish me luck. Sending you all my very best wishes.
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