Lifestyle

The RA Symptom Police

October 13, 2018

This is me policing any symptom, like the RA Symptom Police, I am experiencing to decide whether it has anything to do with my rheumatoid arthritis.

The RA Symptom Police, which is me 24/7, assesses any sensation, pain or other symptom I am experiencing to decide if it has anything to do with my rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This happens continuously. I have trained myself to listen as carefully as possible to what my body is trying to tell me. It is like I monitor how I’m doing and feeling all the time.

This all came to light for me earlier this week. If you have been reading my blog in the recent months you know it has been an intense time. My mother became ill and passed away and now we are selling her home. Living in the upper midwest puts a natural pressure on the process as winter is coming real fast! We have been as busy as can be uncovering keepsakes, remembering family events and just a lot of finding a new home for years of what my parents collected. So much physical and emotional work. Well, because I have moved so many things to my house, enough to make the dining room look like a antique shop, I must gingerly step around the stuff as I store it away. Doing so I wrenched my back.

Memories of years ago when the symptoms that led to my RA diagnosis first started flooded my mind. It concerned me that my disease had taken a turn for the worse, or something else may be happening. I was really paying attention to what I was feeling and how to remedy the problem. I was being the RA symptom police!

The pain in my back was so severe I sometimes had difficulty breathing. The more I favored my back, the more other pains started happening, just like years ago. My whole body was trying to compensate for the acute pain in my back.

I went point-by-point through my FRESH acronym to make sure I was doing the basics to help my body heal itself and took the physical therapist’s suggestion to keep moving as much as I could. I ate as healthy as I could with what I had in stock at home the first few days. I was too sore to shop. When stressful thoughts or situations came up, I dealt with what I could and took time to calm down and meditate to release what was beyond my control. I kept my Pilates schedule and did short walks with our dog. I did my best to get a good nights sleep, but did have to get up to stretch a few times in the middle of the night. I kept my water bottle close so I could stay hydrated. It is getting cooler, so we have had our furnace and fireplace going, which dries the air. I know I needed to keep drinking water.

During this time I had thoughts that perhaps my biologic wasn’t working anymore or that the wrenching of my back may cause my RA to flare-up. After my analysis, I tried to put those thoughts out of my mind so I wouldn’t dwell on them, as I know that would not be helpful. After about three days I was relieved when I could feel my pain was less severe and I could move without the pain causing breathing issues. I felt even better the next day.

Monitoring my body, or policing my symptoms, is now a part of my lifestyle. The disease is unpredictable and we know that the medications can work for years and then they don’t work. For that reason I know policing what is happening body wise is to my benefit. I actually do it without really thinking about it until I need to. It is not a hardship, but a way of living day-to-day.

I’d love to hear of ways you police your symptoms. The RA Symptom Police, yes, that is what I am!

And that is using Arthritis Wisdom!

XXOO Cathy

FRESH Has Become My Compass

September 13, 2018

RA blog sharing FRESH, the tool used to navigate whatever happens each day

*FRESH* is the tool I use to navigate whatever comes my way each day

*FRESH* has become my compass navigating all the stress I’ve lived under the past few months. Taking care of my mother meant constant worry, difficulty sleeping and an overactive mind. Ironically, I spent the majority of the day obsessing about what mom could and would eat, then realized at the end of some days I did not eat anything myself that day. I felt like the guy in the above photo walking through the day as life and circumstances were zooming by me from every direction. I depended on the healthy default habits I’ve come to live by since creating my *FRESH* acronym to help manage my rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

I was pretty sure that my eating habits, mindful relaxation, exercise, good sleep hygiene and proper hydration, the 5 elements represented by *FRESH* had significantly augmented my biologic to keep my RA in check, but it was seriously tested this summer. With all that transpired caring for mother, I utilized my acronym daily to give my body the best chance to avoid an arthritic flare. So far, so good as the stress continues while we settle her estate.

What I appreciated most about *FRESH* was how easy it was to quickly refer to the 5 elements to stay on a healthy path while life was chaotic and scary.

My brother planted a beautiful garden in mom’s backyard, so the fresh vegetables were helpful to make wonderful salads. We did not have sweets or snacks around, so preparing healthy meals was just what we did. F for healthy food was covered.

I kept mindful of meditating when I could feel the pressure of stress overwhelming me. I simply couldn’t have a flare when I was responsible for caring for mom. I didn’t make any other commitments and walked daily to keep moving. R for relaxation was covered.

I went to my pilates session when I could and like I said, I’d walk to keep moving. E for exercise was covered as much as it could be.

I would not have any problem getting to sleep because I was so tired by the end of the day. I would have a problem waking up in the middle of the night and then thoughts of reality would flood my mind. Again, I would meditate in order to get back to sleep. Some nights I would just be satisfied with the rest I was getting when I couldn’t get back to sleep. I did my best to cover the S for sleep. Some nights were better than others.

We kept the refrigerator stocked with bottles of water. We didn’t stock any soda. Staying hydrated was so important. H for hydration was covered.

I’ve become even more disciplined with *FRESH* as my compass because of the success I experienced during my difficult time. There is nothing like feeling good with no joint pain or fatigue to stay motivated and disciplined. Life gets crazy and stressful, so healthy habits are essential to help the body deal with it.

And that is using Arthritis Wisdom.

Thanks for stopping by!

XXOO Cathy

Missing Phone Calls From Important Relationships

August 9, 2018

relationships improve well being of rheumatoid arthritis , or any autoimmune disease, sufferer

Phone conversations with my mother were an important piece of my day.

Important relationships are key to the well being of those of us with rheumatoid arthritis, or any autoimmune disease. My mother was one of those relationships. And frequent phone calls were a big part of our relationship. I’ve been in an alternative universe for the past 3 months because of this precious relationship. The FRESH concept has been tested to the max.

It took less than a nanosecond to realize my mother was not doing well. I visited her in May to celebrate her birthday and was shocked when I walked in her front door. She was sitting in her favorite chair all bundled up under a heap of blankets. It had been a long winter. In fact, the buds on the trees still had not popped out. It was cold and dreary. That was the beginning of an intense time figuring out what was going on with mom and caring for her. This is why you haven’t heard from me.

Mom’s wish was to live in our childhood home independently. My brothers and I did everything we could to honor that wish. We had physical and occupational therapy assess her home and her abilities and make modifications and adaptations to allow her to stay in her home. We hired home healthcare help to assist and keep her safe. It wasn’t enough.

Ultimately, my mother was diagnosed with a fast growing, devastating cancer. She was sweet, gracious and very much at peace with all that was going on. There was a lot going on that challenged me and my siblings in every way. Much travel, appointments, brainstorming, physically assisting and loving my mother took place. We had very little, but very important time to share with mom before she passed away.

I’m operating in a daze because everything happened so fast I couldn’t process it at the time. I know I tried my best to adhere to my FRESH concept because the last thing I needed was an arthritic flare. I do believe being mindful of eating well, meditating, moving around as much as I could, getting the best sleep I could and staying hydrated helped in a big way to prevent my body from melting down with a huge flare. I was even expecting a major flare after all was done and I returned home, but it didn’t happen. I’m very thankful for lifestyle habits that help avoid my disease getting the best of me.

So, at this point I am pretty much just going through the motions, mostly numb to what is happening around me. I’m allowing myself to grieve so it is authentic when I return to a normal day-to-day life.

What hasn’t been normal at all, I noticed right away phone calls from one of the most important relationships in all my life, my mother, stopped. I haven’t yet dialed the phone number that rings at the home I grew up in since my mother’s passing. The phone number I learned when I went to kindergarten many many years ago. That would be too painful when nobody answers the call. I sure do miss those calls.

I’m glad to be back writing at Arthritis Wisdom. It is therapeutic. Thanks for stopping by.

XXOO Cathy

photo by fancycrave at Unsplash