Living Day-By-Day With Rheumatoid Arthritis

I have heard many stories about working and issues with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I myself find it very hard some days to make it through a work day. There have been many jobs in my past that I could not stay with because of my RA. I have also had employers in my past that did not care about how I was feeling and would sometimes hold it against me. I felt like an outsider sometimes. I once read an article that asked 'should you be honest with your employer about your difficulties at work?'. It was debating whether you hold it in and not let them know your situation in fear of losing your job...like not letting them know how bad it actually is…or if you let them know exactly how you are feeling. Either way it can backfire on you. Even if you are near symptom free because of medications or remission…at the end of a long day you can get really worn out. Obviously age, occupation and how long you have had the disease can play a factor in your ability to work. The Arthritis Fo...

So we all know the usual things that RA can make extremely difficult to do…opening jars, door handles etc. But what about all the other things that are taken for granted? I am sure there is a ton that I have problems with daily…but I am now so used to it. Here is a list I have started… Closing Sandwich Bags (Ziploc) Snaps on baby clothes Using dental floss Tucking in sheets Typing on a computer Writing Walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night Using clothes pin-type hangers Putting socks on yourself or a child Opening the refrigerator door Opening a drink with a lid (sippy cups) Taking the gas cap off Getting up after sitting on the floor Opening a can of pop Even carrying a full plate of food sometimes Squeezing a shampoo bottle   I am sure there are a ton more I can't even think of right now…please keep going and add to the list. -L    

Arthritis pain…I find it hard to describe. I usually don't cry when I am in pain…I usually just keep it to myself. I am not sure why I do that. I sometimes don't want to feel like a burden…and if I always talked about the pain…I would be talking all the time…because even between "flares" there is always a baseline of pain to some degree. It's like sometimes the pain just becomes numb. Some people have said that the pain is much worse than I describe and others say I describe it much worse than it is. But aren't there many different faces of RA? We don't all feel the exact same way or same pain. I find so many similarities with others…but no one is exactly the same. We cannot put each other in the exact same shoes…but we do have an understanding about the pain, weakness and other symptoms of this disease. So my question to everyone is…how do you deal with your pain…do you hold it in, do you cry or get upset? -L