RA and nurses

[cris1728]

Hi cant help but notice whilst looking on this site the number of you who are nurses has the work we have done over the years ( before safer moving and handling ) had an effect on our bodies. anyone else noticed this.

[Hidden]

Yes, I have. And teachers too. A poll would be interesting, I think. I'm just glad I never taught nursing - it might have been catastrophic!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

And I have wondered about sleep deprivation ..... apparently that is really bad for the immune system. I do recall that a lot of teachers I knew said they had problems sleeping & teaching certainly affected my sleep patterns quite badly. And as for nurses on night shifts ...

Christina x

[cris1728 in reply to Hidden]

I have had really bad sleeping pattern all my life never got out of the 2am feed till I was 5yrs old and rarely sleep a night through and then only after one too many. I also worked regular nights for 8 years and then did rotation onto nights. I did notice that there were several teachers on here too. I wonder if this is related or are we more likely to interact and utilise these sites for support

cris x

[_andy_ in reply to Hidden]

ive been a electrical engineer in the food industry all my working life ,, about 9 years ago the pressure of meeting supplys , made the company, i work for go 24/7 .. meaning we all started to work shifts ,, mixed days and nights 12 hours ,, this was the first time ever id worked nights ,, always been a 9 to 5 , worker .. it knocked me for six and still cant get into any kind of sleep pattern 9 years later , dont think you ever get used to shift work ,, even on days off .. the body does nt know what time it is or even what day it is at times .. 2 years after working nights about 7 years ago , is when the first signs of aches n pains appeared .. im sure they could be something in this sleep deprivation...

i think a poll is called for .. christina ... ive not been on for abit ,, how you keeping ?? u ok ?? xx

[Hidden in reply to _andy_]

Fine thanks Andy! (Give or take the odd spot of arthritis) Hope you are fine & dandy!

I think sleep disturbance is meant to raise inflammation in the body & I seem to remember that some sort of connection between long-term shift work & heart disease is quite accepted by the medical fraternity, for that reason.

[Dotty7]

My rheumatoid arthritis started a couple of years after my brother died of a brain tumour. During the two years he was ill I barely slept, and things weren't much better afterwards either. As a teacher I have also had the pattern of ridiculously late nights and getting up at stupid o'clock in order to keep on top of marking and preparation.

[Hidden in reply to Dotty7]

Have you ever fallen asleep while teaching? As in while standing in front of a class talking to them? Happened once when I was training, I suppose it can only have been for a second or less & of course the students didn't notice!

[Dotty7 in reply to Hidden]

Not while I was actually talking, no, but while kids have been doing independent work I have had that awful experience of suddenly jolting awake without ever realising that I had dropped off. Also over the past year or so I have increasingly had that experience of everything seeming to happen behind glass, or at a distance. Horrible.

I can't remember - did you give up teaching because of your RA? Did you get ill-health retirement?

[Hidden in reply to Dotty7]

I'd been working as a supply teacher for a year or so before I got ill. (That in itself was probably a sign that my commitment was waning).

My last long term assignment finished last February & I'd been planning to take some time off to concentrate on writing (I write short stories). I'd had a massively swollen left knee for some time but didn't start to feel really ill until I stopped work.

So work just sort of faded into the background. On the plus side it's been hassle-free, on the minus side I don't get a penny.

Supply had been going well & I would probably have been looking for at least a few weeks' work by now but reliability is so important in that game & reliable I am not.

I seem to remember that you took ill-health retirement?? And I too had that horrible 'behind glass' feeling - like living life at one step removed from everything & everyone. I'm glad to say I don't get that at the moment & I wonder what causes it. It's one of those vague things that doesn't impress doctors greatly.

[Dotty7 in reply to Hidden]

My school and I are parting company by compromise agreement on 31st. It was that or formal capability on medical grounds. This way I get a reference should I need one for future teaching or non-teaching jobs. After 22 years, it would look very odd to have bad/no references.

After that I am going to apply for ill-health retirement. The difficulty is going to be that my symptoms are largely fatigue/brain fog, which are so invisible and inconclusive, yet so disabling in the context of a modern secondary school. That process will start as soon after 1st November as I can organise. Meanwhile the brain fog and lack of energy continue to hang around even though I am doing relatively little, though enough to make sure that people can't allege that I lack energy because I'm stuck at home not doing anything!

[Hidden]

I've just replied to a question about nurses & bad lifting.

I'm convinced that my arthritis has been made worse due to the bad practices we did during nursing.

The combination of irregular hours, being on our feet all day & lifting patients has contributed to it - wonder if we can sue?!!

[helixhelix]

I'm not a nurse or a teacher either, but also blame work related stress for triggering my RA. The year before it appeared was horrendous, working 60+ hours a week in aggressive atmosphere and with no regular pattern. So I think any job that piles on pressure and doesn't allow a routine lifestyle is potentially dangerous in terms of inflammatory arthritis....perhaps people should be warned? polly

[Amy48]

I've worked in elderly people's homes started in the early 70s for until 2002 and all the lifting we did must have contributed to R.A disease I am crippled by it have to rely on kenalog injections every 3 months I often think of the 17 stone men I lifted and when I first started out we 2 of us had 48 to get up every morning but yes I think of the job I did and think could that be a great factor val

[Annielou]

Interesting posts. I used to teach in a further education college. I was diagnosed with RA a few months after a really stressful period when my hours had increased suddenly and I had a spell where I wasn't sleeping with the worry of all the work I had to prepare - I just felt as though I was drowning! At the time I went to the doc who prescribed some sleeping pills - I only used two pills, just to catch up on the sleep deprivation at the time as didn't want to be become hooked on them. Nearly three years later, I have given up my teaching job and feel a whole lot better in spite of the RA continuing. I also sleep like a log every night without fail on my tempur mattress.

[cris1728 in reply to Annielou]

seems that and poor sleep pattern are not good indicators for RA either. I had a really stressful year last year and was sick for 6 months ( not RA related ) and had not slept well for over a year. Now this wonder if they are trigger factors too

cris

[terri10]

Hi, it is interesting reading about teachers and nurses, I have been diagnosed withRA this year and still off work 7 months later, I am an axillary nurse of 13 years doing rotation shifts, but since having our boys 6 years ago I have opted for nights, but no one tells you what diseases can develop,as long as the service is provided they don't care, your just a number. Work to live and enjoy what youve got, don't live to work.

[cris1728 in reply to terri10]

cant agree more work will be there when we gone and we are not invincible or indispensible but are VERY IMPORTANT. Hope you feel better soon.

cris

[Hidden]

The media gets quite hysterical on the subject of work these days in its efforts to convince us that it is THE sign of a decent, moral, worthwhile human being. That phrase politicians use: 'hard-working families' drives me absolutely nuts (images of toddlers taking important calls on their i-phones while splattering themselves with Ready Brek come to mind) because it ignores single people and working too hard when you have a family is not what most people want - it's what they are forced to do.

I suppose I think that the advice 'work to live' is sound but hard to achieve - all too often the choice seems to be between unemployment & working like a slave. If I sound bitter, I am! My Mum was a single-parent - an incredibly tough number in the '60s & early 70s. She worked 6 days a week plus overtime as a telephonist & we were still broke. One day she left for work, got to the bottom of the road & just fell down - some chap had to carry her home. She was diagnosed with MS shortly afterwards. I was 11 and while I probably couldn't have put it into words, I knew even then that depression & over-work had done for her, it was obvious.

Christina x

[Hidden]

I am a retired nurse and yes i do believe my career has done me no favours re RA and a chronic bad back. Last year I had spinal surgery to correct 3 slipped discs in my neck and 3 in my lower back. last week I was admitted again as I have nerve damage due to Spinal Stenosis. I am having problems with my right leg and arm and slurred speech. I am not on any meds yet for RA as my liver is playing up again! I am a Coeliac but i keep smiling as there are people worse than me and I have a lovely family and good friends and much to be grateful for xx

[cris1728 in reply to Hidden]

Sorry to hear about your back and spinal/ nerve problems and hope you are feeling better soon. I have been fortunate in that throughout my nursing career I have not had any back problems despite all the lifting I did over the years no safe moving and handling or equipment in those early days. I have had joint problems for many years now but seem to have had an exacerbation recently and the affected joint now include hands and feet waiting to see rheumy on 5th Nov and hope to get a diagnosis then although the symptoms and number of joints along with RF of 167 are very suggestive of RA.

keep your spirits up and hope you improve and can start some tx soon

cris

[Hidden]

Thanks for your good wishes, I know we are all suffering in different ways but it helps to hear other peoples stories and experiences. Hope all goes well for you too