What can you add to the list?
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What Is A Rheumatoid Arthritis Flare?
This is a rheumatoid arthritis flare: January 16, 2011 I woke up crying today. It used to be that I could alleviate some of the pain by staying still…but today, the exact opposite seems to hold true. It hurts to sit down. It hurts to stand up. It hurts to lay down. Pressing my forearms down on a tabletop, placing all of my weight ...Rheumatoid Arthritis And Physical Therapy
"Physical therapists, also known as physiotherapists, comprehensively assess RA patients in an ongoing manner. The evaluation of each patient includes an examination of affected joint flexibility, bony alignment/joint deformity, muscle strength, endurance, mobility, ambulatory status, and the ability to perform activities of daily living. It can be a delicate balance to enhance mobility and strength without fatiguing the patient or ...Respecting Limits
I have about a dozen memories from a very young age that I'm able to recall with such clarity, that it almost feels like these events took place just a few minutes ago. One of them was having my first grade teacher read a story to the class, as she held up the book over her shoulder for everyone to ...Lifestyle Changes & Eliminating The Blame Game
Earlier this year, during the midst of what has definitely been my worst flare ever, something interesting happened: I suddenly realized how much time, energy, money, and hope I was spending on my desire to make my pain go away. And even though I knew, firsthand, the ravaging effect that rheumatoid arthritis often had on my body, for the first ...It's About Us
"RA Guy's website about living with rheumatoid arthritis is without a doubt the best RA website on the Internet. His posts about his personal journey through life with RA are thoughtful, life affirming, inspirational and down-to-earth. They're also reliably factual about the disease and the drugs that treat it. He's an excellent writer with a seemingly endless supply of post ...High Score
A few days ago, I found myself standing directly in front of another major flare. I knew exactly what was in store for me; there was no way to avoid what was going to happen during the next hour or so. A funny thing happened though. Instead of getting panicked, I decided to get prepared. I told myself to latch onto something ...Socializing With Rheumatoid Arthritis
My little corner of the world, down here in South America, is quite different from the United States (where I lived most of my life, up until eight years ago.) First of all, it's very social. (We put Spain to shame, in my opinion.) Events can take place any night of the week, and when they do it's not uncommon for ...My Body: Loss, Grief, And Recovery
To spare oneself from grief at all cost can be achieved only at the price of total attachment, which excludes the ability to experience happiness. -Erich Fromm There are times when Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy can't help but feel like his body is dying on him. Sure, I know that a lot of the physical sensations can be chalked up to the ...Living With RA Makes Me Strong
A few months ago, Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy was thrilled when the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society in the United Kingdom asked him if he would write an article for their upcoming magazine. Those of you who are NRAS members have more than likely already received your magazine in the mail...I mean, post. For the rest of us, I have included below ...On Becoming Visible
Over the past few weeks the invisible nature of my rheumatoid arthritis has slowly been slipping away, little by little. Anyone with an eye to detail could see the wrist guards and ankle protectors peeking out from underneath my clothing. (Who am I kidding? Even if they did not have an to eye detail, they could still see them.) When ...
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A Rheumful of Tips
Mugging It
Pens and Needles
My new workout
Cooking with Arthur
Arthritis Diet Ideas for Lent
From This Point. Forward.
Daily Challenge
Getting Closer to Myself
The Methotrexate Shortage And Me
Life And Times With Art
19: Something I Dislike
My Life As A Traveling Southern Girl
Another RA-versary
Charlotte's Life with Rheumatoid Arthritis..
hopes, dreams, something you want..
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Hair We Go! Tips for Hair Care with Arthritis, Rheumatic Illness or Chronic Pain – by Ashley Boynes-Shuck
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Tax Prep: Part One
Mom's Small Victories
Goodreads Review: The Lies We Told
Lipstick, Perfume And Too Many Pills
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Stills Life
Protecting Those we Love
Muscles and RA
Ambivalence
RA Gimp
When Should A Cane Be Used with RA?
Dual Sport Life
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The Seated View
Sweet & Sour
I Don't Know...It's A Mystery!
Not Paleo Blackberry Yogurt Muffins
Rannygahoots
Resistance is ... Lenten?
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Copyright © Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy, 2009-2012. Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy™. 60-Second Guide to RA™. Real Profiles of RA™. All rights reserved.
You have to use scissors to open a bag of Doritos!
You have to think twice (or three or four times) before you consider buying a glass of lemonade from the kids’ lemonade stand down the street… what could this do to my compromised autoimmune system… sigh…
You have to place the shampoo bottle against the side of the shower wall and lean on it to get the shampoo out so you can wash your hair!
You have to bribe your four-year-old to run errands requiring climbing up and down stairs in your home.
… you have a ‘script’ in your head for various scenarios where your RA doesn’t allow you to participate fully or where you need to ask for help for the most simplest of things.
…’breakfast in bed’ is no longer as romantic as it used to be!
Instead of going to the restroom as needed when eating at a restaurant with friends, you stay seated until everyone else is getting up so they won’t notice you struggling to pull yourself up from the table or watch you limp away.
I love your comment RA Guy. I keep scissors in my purse and in the car for that exact reason. If I can’t find the scissors in the house, I panic. Felicia, yours totally cracked me up because I have had the exact same experienc.
You know where every bench is in all public places.
you can’t sleep at night because you can’t find a pain free position to lie in. And yet, you are so tired, you’ll fall asleep in a chair, anywhere… sigh
Your upstairs office is now downstairs, you have your 4 yr old brush your hair, and you have to wait for a semi good day to shave your legs (or beg someone to do it for you).
Your purse sounds like ur shaking a morracca due to the number of pills ur carrying
No matter how much those Louboutins have been reduced in the sale, you have absolutely NO desire to purchase them. But you’ll happily fork out twice as much for a comfy pair of “granny” shoes!
Your husband has to unhook your bra, and it’s only so you can change into jammies!
You wear clothes that you can pull on because you can’t handle the buttons. When shopping in the grocery store, you ignore prices and look for whatever is easier to open.
You change your hairstyle to “tousled” and pretend it was a style choice.
When the pain is unbearable and you can not bend you leg and fingers fully!
Buying another package of Icy Hot/Aspercreme/Ice pack/Heat pack doesn’t seem like a bad idea.
You wish that Motrin made 400mg pills instead of 200mg.
You constantly have to remember if a pain is caused by a repetitive motion, or banging a joint on a table or door jamb.
When getting up from seated looks more awkward than a camel doing the same.
When your partner has to carry you not just over the threshold, but all round the house on the really bad days. Starts romantic, but unless you’re living with a weightlifter it soon degenerates into a very undignified waddle!
You have to sit down to get dressed, 90 year olds look at you with pity and hold the door open for you, you can’t put your socks on…
When you gain a new found respect for toddlers – after you’ve forgotten how to walk and have to try to learn again!
when the benefits of a nice hot bubblebath are outweighed by the effort of turning the faucet on and figuring out how to get in and out of the tub…sigh
When you look forward to your remicade infusion!
you look down at your hands and it looks like someone put your fingers on the wrong sides.
When furniture is positioned around your house not for aesthetic reasons, but for on a support-for-limping basis.
You wake up on a Sunday morning with a headache and sick to your stomach but it’s just from your MTX.
You cannot pick up or hold your baby (or in my case, my grandbaby).
You curse at juice and water bottles because you know you can’t open them without help.
You cringe when someone (healthy) complains that they are developing arthritis in their knee because they worked out too hard at the gym last night.
When getting out of bed in the morning has become an aerobic activity!
http://www.thecouchtrip.blogspot.com
When you drop your debit card in line,struggle to bend down and pick it up, and then realize you can’t because your fingers are too stiff and swollen to grasp it. Embarrassing! This same thing has happened with a sheet of paper in front of a classroom full of students. Doubly embarrassing.
Your pharmacist knows your name AND all of the medicines that you are taking, without even having to look at your records!
When you’ve learnt to take a deep breath and not snap someone’s face off when they tell you about the “dead cert miracle cure” their friend’s brother’s second-cousin’s acquaintance used who’s “totally better now”.
You can predict the weather changing better than your tv weatherman just by the aches and pains in your joints.
When you have to wait for your husband to get home before you can take a bath, otherwise you won’t be able to get out by yourself.
Mine is the scissors. My grandson even thought that everything had to be opened by scissors!! “Let me get your scissors Mimi” or “Where are my scissors so I can open this?”. Now at 6 1/2 he tells me “Mimi, you can open it like this”. Well, he can – Mimi can’t. Also, do the computer mouse with the left hand because it is much better than the right.
You have mounds of small change in your purse because you can’t pick out the coins.
When your 7 year old hovers nervously infront of you’re when your on your 5 th attempt at getting up so he can steady you when you finally make it. =}
You hobble out of bed and hop to the bathroom because your feet are stiff as a board.
…when your teenage son has to walk in arm & arm into stores with you to help ‘steady your pace’…
You use your kitties for heating pads, dust mops and to pick up the crumbs. You tell your grand daughter that you can’t get down on the floor to play house because you have ra and she runs into her room and comes out with pom poms and starts cheering ra..ra..shishcumba!
When you have more braces of various kinds (wrist, knee, ankle, etc) than you do underwear. When you take more pills in the MORNING than your 89 year old father takes all day. (and he takes a lot) When the same 89 year old father gets up out of his chair a heck of a lot easier than you do at 40.
…when a 1% reduction in overall pain levels = “much needed relief”.
You break down in tears because you just can’t do it anymore…
When you speak of living with flares you mean daily unbearable pain not having a great sense of style.
You decide to go on a diet so it won’t be a strain on your husband to carry you down the stairs, put you in the car, etc.
…you have to take multiple rounds of differing antibiotics and hop around to many different doc offices convincing them that another week will heal it this time–to finally get over another infection you have…
You’re sad ..because your own Mother stops in unexpectedly ..and finds you for the 20th time in the late afternoon laying on the couch in pj pants and a hoodie half asleep and sick from a MTX hangover ..and also from the pain & fatigue of RA ..and she asks you AGAIN for the 20th time “whats the matter with you do you have the flu or something?” and you AGAIN for the 20th time tell her ..”Mom ..I have RA remember? ..and Im in a lot of pain and I cant move well and I get very tired and fatigued especially after my MTX shots”
And you realize ..she either doesn’t listen to you ..or she doesn’t take it seriously when you explain it to her in detail over and over ???
And on a lighter note :
When you know when every single one of your favorite shows or movies is on TV ..and you have them all lined up so you always have the perfect stuff to watch while your laying on the couch!
((((PFH))))
when you understand all the other RA superheros comments, as above, like they were your own and you know that this group of people understand what you go through like no one else can.
Right from the moment i woke up in morning and have to wait for a while before stepping off from my bed. . .
Everyday when i had to bend down and put shoes before goin to office. . .
When my buddies suddenly plan for an outing and i just cant accept it whole heartedly considering the distance, mode of travel and how my body wil respond to it as the climate changes. . .
And even while opening the wrapper of a chocolate coz the pain it cause to my fingers while doin it. . .
Lori – brilliant comment and so true.
When you buy shoes based not on looks, but the amount of padding inside.
When you purchase a drink bottle purely by the shape and size of the lid – not the flavour.
When you paint your finger and toenails bright red, not for the colour, but to draw attention away from your degenerating knuckles. It does work
When you’re 22 years old yet feel like 80.
…when every driver for your local taxi company knows, by memory, the location of your physical therapist’s office.
When you’re in your in 20′s and wish you could be like everyone else your age.
When your hands hurts so bad that you have to lean on your toothpaste with your forearm to squeeze it out!
your husband can shake the medicine bottles and you know what’s in them by the sound of the bottle!
you’ve had so many joint replacements your kid calls you the bionic mom!
you can point around a corner without bending your finger!
your joints (knees) are so hot and inflamed the cats fall asleep on them to stay warm
you have ur knee replaced only for the doc to tell ur hubby “she may be 44 but her bones are that of a 70 year old woman” and it took him a SURGERY to figure THAT one out? LOL
you go to a new doc, start w/ the paperwork, get to surgeries and medicines and write “see attached” across those parts!
when you contemplate running your great aunt over just so you can steal her cool new walker.
when you and your grandmother discuss the merits of different handcremes.
when your husband no longer gets thrills from unbuttoning your bra for you. (Not there yet – always thrilling, at least for me!)
your husband claims the only reason you married him was to open jars and cans.
your hangovers are no longer from drinking too much and partying.
a “good day” means your yoga instructor no longer has to unpose you!
you refer to a handicap parking place as a “round butt”
you have tennis shoes that you wear to BED alone because you can’t stand the weight of the covers on your deformed tootsies!
your phlebotomist takes one look at your arm and says…..”ooooooh, I’m likin what I see” referring to the vein in your inner elbow!
when the phlebotomist pulls out the butterfly needle because you’re getting so many tubes of blood drawn!
you have such a complex medical history that your Medical Alert bracelet is a USB thumb drive…pink of course!
…you wake up in the middle of the night in pain, but don’t want to move because you know that will only make you feel even /more/ pain!
it takes you 45 minutes just to get 1 sock on because your hands/feet are so sore so you give up till someone comes home!
you go to the island on vaca, hit the hot sand barefoot….and stay there!
When your lifelong fear of needles and doctors turns into gladly giving yourself a shot once a week and blood tests every few months.
when the radiology tech says, “ok, you need to lift your arms for these” and I say, “no, YOU need to lift them for me if you want them up there
when you master a non-offensive “glazed over look” in response to “Well, you look good.” | When you wish your 7 year old was just a little older…like 10 years older.
your cane is multipurpose…when ya can’t reach something in the store, flip it around and hook it!
Your friends and co-workers constantly tell you that the doctor should be able to give you a pill to “cure” your “arthritis”.
When your family physician is excited when you tell him about your nodules and cautiously asks, “I have never actually seen one, can I see yours?” It’s like being a cool kid at school with a tattoo that everyone wants to look at.
Getting new nodules and making your family feel them to make sure you aren’t imagining them.
When walking to the bathroom from your bed feels like running a marathon.
When you get questioned ” why do you need that handicap parking space daily, even though you have one of those hanging placards.
When your 82 grandma is more worried about your health more than her battle cancer.
When getting to the bathroom from your bed seems like an Olympic sport.
When your grandma ( mine has passed away) was more concerned about your health than her cancer.
When replying to things like this on smartphone, takes at least 30-45mins, because your fingers just won’t cooperate with the rest of your body!!!!
You shake hands with someone at a business meeting and have to hold your breath so you don’t gasp audibly in pain.
When your 18 month old holds your finger while walking and you scream and say, “be gentle!!”
When you wake up one morning and your wedding ring doesn’t fit anymore even though you’ve lost weight. So you get it sized up not wanting to admit it’s RA and then finally go to a rheumatologist and on meds that work and now can’t wear it again because it’s too big.
You have to have your kids carry in your heavy groceries after they shop with you and you have them “loosen” all bottle caps so you can use them later in the week.
You lay your socks on the carpet, hold them open with your thumbs, and then wiggle your feet into the socks – counting on the carpet to hold them in place.
When you have to ask your 6 year old daughter to open the jar for you
When you have to change the high fives with your kids to “Gentle Fives!!”
when u meet someone new and u cringe when they reach to shake your hand
When your idea of scoring drugs is prednisone and Tramadol!
When you bake something special, then have so much trouble getting down to get it out of the oven and on the way back, drop the whole thing because your wrist has given way, and also when…..you get overtaken on foot by a man who is old enough to be your great grandfather wih two sticks, still going faster than you ever will
The meds cost so much, you have nothing left for food!
When you count to three every single time you’re about to get up.
you learn to live for “that moment” of precious mobility –however fleeting or mobile that moment may be – whether it is the encouraging opportunity that day to reach an inch higher with your arms than the week before, or being able to pull on a sock all by yourself when you couldn’t the day before, or being able to open your jaw a bit farther to reach your back teeth when brushing, when you couldn’t the day before, or being able to pull yourself up from a chair unassisted, when you couldn’t the month before, or inch your fingers a bit closer to touching the palms of your hands again when you haven’t since onset, etc. etc.
You know you have RA when you learn to be adaptable and live for the moment – not because you’re evolved and spontaneous by nature, but because you need to live in the present and have an attitude of gratitude for the things you CAN do, to achieve the maximum state of hope with happiness, despite dis-ease.
…when even though you’re only 38, you find yourself ACTUALLY PAYING ATTENTION to a Stair Lift commercial!
When you are thirsty but don’t buy a bottle of water because you already damaged your teeth enough, trying to open countless water/soda bottles:-/
It’s 4th of July weekend and the only things that are popping are your joints!
When you have more RA friends on FB than regular friends.
when a thoroughly productive day means you only took 3 naps.
When you struggle to get “easy off” lids off of your medication bottles (that happened this morning).
When you’re walking in a crowd of people and fall to the back and realize you’re thankful that you’re not a gazelle on the Sahara desert because you’re pretty sure you would be picked off by a lion or something.
When you spend more time reading RA Guy than helping your daughter with her homework.
Really enjoyed reading and relating to these. Thank you all for a really good laugh.
ps: Halo_Jones love the name. She is one of my all time favourite sci-fi characters. Sorry, I know my inner geek is showing. ;-D
When u need to use ur left hand instead of right hand to turn the door knob, turn on car ignition and need some time to comb ur hair with left hand while right hand was in flare and inflammation….
when you need your 8 year old to help opening jars, cans etc
Since the onset of RA just 5 weeks ago I was so glad to find RAGuy on Twitter, I’m still waiting for referral (based in UK the NHS moves v slowly) but the tweets and blog have been a lifeline. And as for these comments I actually started to laugh for the first time in weeks! So thank you everyone. Mine is when you get into the disabled bathroom and have to use the palms of your hands to lock the door.
When those dang rubber things that are supposed to help you open bottle hurt way more than they help!!
When you walk gimpy though a party and try and play it off as a “pimp walk” lol
I am only 27 and have had RA for 10 years.
There are so many good ones here, I can relate to almost all of them! How sad.
When you pray that the public restroom toilet is not so low that you can’t get up or at least it has some thing you can use to pull yourself up with.
…you laugh at yourself when you can’t open jars,lids, etc. because if you didn’t you would cry
(well this is what I do, it’s not really funny when other people can’t accomplish it)
… When you read this list and suddenly feel really grateful that Enbrel works for you… When you roll around at night muttering, “F**king Fibromyalgia”… When you crack up your rheumatologist by referring to your problems as, “the autoimmune prize pack”
When you hand someone a bottle of medication without saying a word, they know to open it for you.
You’ve learned to moan and groan silently, but still kind of hold your mouth open haha
You spend more time looking at your hands than your hair or makeup.
Everyone in your family has helped you to the restroom at least once… and you’re not even 30
No one texts you with “What’s up”, its always “How do you feel?”.. like anyone actually cares anyway.
You tell your Dr. that your hair is falling out.. and he just documents it along with all the other things you complain about.
…when comfort replaces style when buying new shoes (bye-bye heels)
…when you are very thankful that you added the handicap bathroom items (toilet, sink, shower) to your home when you built it (10 years ago) before RA to accommodate you now!
When having your spine completely removed, sounds like a really enticing option.
You dont shut the curtains when you need a sleep in the afternoon because your friend over the road says, “you been in bed again?”
when you can no longer stroke to swim.
When u cant brush your dog cause you can’t hold the brush
When u have to tell hubby, no, no hug, too sore..oww, just don’t touch me
When u do get up off the sofa and wonder, how many steps till feet support me
When people ask you will it rain tomorrow, and you answer, no, any minute actually
And on and on and on-or I would but hands are too sore
…when you can never commit 100% to anything, ever (or if you do, it is always with the caveat, “If I’m up to it”, and usually with the consequence that many people think you’re either lazy or anti-social) because you never know if you’ll feel well enough when commitment time rolls around.
…when someone says, “oh, yes, I know EXACTLY how you feel, I have arthritis too!” (as they casually and ever so effortlessly twist the cap off their previously unopened bottle of water), and you suddenly have a vision of yourself being arrested for the gruesome ax murder of that particular someone – but then the vision fades as cold reality smacks you in the face: you will never be arrested for any act of violence, because you simply haven’t the strength to act on your violent thoughts – not even if/when you would love nothing better than to chop someone’s head off – or at least cut their tongue out so they can’t say such annoying things!
…when your fingers swell up so much that you have to have your hubby use wire cutters to snip the bands of your wedding & engagement rings to get them off before your fingers turn black from lack of circulation.
…when your shoulder, elbow or hand (or all three) are too sore to lift the blankets to cover yourself up when you’re cold or fling them aside when you’re too warm (sheer hell when you get hot flashes followed by cold sweats!).
…when you actually spend time training your toy poodle to pull your socks off as preparation for when your hands can’t manage the task.
…when you finally can’t stand the agony anymore, so wake hubby at 3 am (knowing he has to get up in 3 hours to go to work), to run a hothot bath for you, help you out of bed, help you undress, then help you into the tub and bear your full weight to lay you back, then a half hour later when a small bit of the pain has been soaked away by the heat (and just as he’s fallen back asleep again) call him to lift you back out, dry you off and help you back to bed.
…when you have a hobby/skill/passion that involves using your hands, and you’re often just too damn sore to use your tools correctly or effectively.
…when you actually try to use your left hand to draw with because the right one hasn’t the strength left in it to even hold a pencil.
…when you wake up feeling so grateful that at least today you can walk
OMG these are so good.
When you watch your dog go guiltily to the wee wee pad because you can’ find the energy to get up and let him or her out…and you’ve just made it into a pain free position just before they give you that LOOK. Aw heck it’s only a floor.
…when the decision of what to put on your toast is determined by which jar has the loosest lid.
When getting a shower is often the day’s greatest accomplishment!
When a few hours gardening at the weekend keeps you off work for two days.
When someone says, “Ooh, I have a touch of that,” you say, “Here, let me smash your joints with a clawhammer and then inject burning napalm into them, see if you still think you have a ‘touch’ of it.”
When you want to punch someone for saying, “You’re looking well.”
When you want to punch someone for saying, “You never come out any more.”
When you want to punch someone for saying, “Just one little drink won’t harm,” and explaining you have more toxins floating around your body than were sprayed over Vietnam seems to make no difference.
When your 67 year old mom who has severe osteoarthritis and is recovering from a broken shoulder offers to come and do your housework for you.
When it takes six months, three formal complaints and the involvement of your local MP to get a disabled parking permit.
When you have to use three different mice throughout the day to stop your shoulder and hands from siezing up.
When twelve hours sleep is really not enough.
When your MedicAlert bracelet has to be udpated every six months.
When you have to set up a spreadsheet to keep a track of what medications you’ve taken during the day.
When you forget what it was like to be healthy and pain-free.
won’t contemplate buying a stick shift car because that requires 2 good wrists and 2 good ankles.
When setting up your weekly pills becomes a family activity like a “marble game.”
When your husband brings drinks for the family. The toddler gets a regular glass, and you get a sippy cup.
……….when you always take 4 motrin instead of 2
when getting dressed involves taking off your pj’s and putting on a clean pair
when an outing involves going to the dr for your weekly visit
when dinner consists of cereal as your too tired or sore to prepare anything else
when u cant plan anything for the next day let alone next week or next month
when u have to give up you job as a nurse as u can barely look after yourself let alone someone else
when you are seriously contemplating quitting a job you adore.
If, when I wasn’t sure a minute ago….I am now! After seeing all the same (as mine) troubles described here! UUgghhh
…when your roommates leave jars and bottles open so you don’t have to ask them for help
when driving a car it looks like you’re constantly flipping people off because today is the day that your middle fingers decide they are not going to bend.
…when by the time you’ve finally reached a standing position, you forget why you were even moving in the first place.
Thank you all very much for these comments. A few comments seemed particularly true for me, a 21 yr. old diagnosed a month ago w/ RA.
–You’ve learned to moan and groan silently, but still kind of hold your mouth open.
–When the weatherman says “Sunny skies today”, and you inform your family he’s dead wrong, and that it will rain sometime in the evening. . .and you’re right.
You’re the only guy in clogs.
completely agree joseph –
“When you’re in your in 20’s and wish you could be like everyone else your age.”
when your 22 and cant go out and act stupid like your mates and have to have a list of excuses on standby because you cant face the pain that will come from going out.
When you keep changing the setting on your morning alarm to earlier and earlier, giving your body time to become mobile enough to get ready for work. (Currently @ 0400)
When you only buy a certain sunscreen because it is the only one that has a bottle you can use.
When you buy sneakers with velco instead of laces because you can’t tie your own shoes.
When you learn to enjoy the morning coffee with a straw because you can’t grip the mug without spilling it.
When there are more medicinal items in your cosmetic bag than cosmetics.
When you get a nasty note left on your car while its parked in a handicap spot because you “look normal.”
when you have to buy a spinner toothbrush!
When your boyfriend dumps you saying he didn’t sign up to take care of a handicapped woman for the rest of his life. When he says ‘you let yourself go’ after gaining 40 lbs on Prednisone, not getting your hair cut because you can’t go to the hairdresser, when he gets home from work and he has to take you to the bathroom because you haven’t been able to get out of bed yet, when you buy a bottle of water and ask the cashier to open it for you as you’re paying for it…but now, I’m on Orencia and I actually snapped my fingers yesterday!!!! The bum is out of my life and yesterday was a good day.
When old people look at you and wonder why you walk so slow and with a limp…
When you can’t get the milk carton out of the fridge because it’s too heavy and if you get it out you can’t twist the top off…
When you can’t get into pill bottles that are NOT child proof…
Some of these are hilarious and some just depressing. But what I do know is that you people know exactly what I’m going through. Where are you and how do I get in touch? Blogs? Facebook?
You can relate to the Aleve commercial and feel just like the tin man after a short 20 minute car ride.
…if you’ve ever wondered how awesome it would be to have a bed in every room of the house!
Your hungry, have a fridge and freezer full of food, but no energy or inclination to make a meal!
When you work in a nursing home, and the 103 year old lady can walk faster than you, and we both have walkers!!
T RA CY- love the comment about your mom coming over and saying why are you always laying down or asleep, and asking if your feeling okay, have the flu or something!!! NO I STILL HAVE RA everyone!!
Arguing with someone because you “look fine”, why are you parking in a handi cap spot!
When you have Double (yes both at the same time) knee surgery and your find your an inch (at least) taller!! Have to change height on my Driver’s license! Lol
had Ra for 10 years and I’m 39!!
these are so great and I can relate to so many of them…including Ailsa’s about bribing your 4 year old to run up and down the stairs for you…i did that just a couple hours ago and at least now he’s peacefully sleeping
and i’ve had RA for nearly 10 years too and i’m almost 37 (but some days these joints feel like 73!)
my additions…
when you have to ask your 10 yr old to open a packet of mustard for you after trying unsuccessfully and tearfully to open it for 10 minutes
when trying to grip and open a bottled water means spilling water all over yourself at work.
when a little old lady at work passed me walking down the hall (and I’m on the verge of tears from the pain) and she asked ME if i was ok and if she could help me
when having an automatic jar opener means asking my husband, 10 year old or 4 year old for help (Thank goodness i have 4 strong boys in my house!)
You know you have RA when your fashion choices go from things with buttons, zippers and laces, to sweats and tees and slip ons,
You know you have RA when you are driving to the store and someone pulls out in front of you and your busy finger (yes the “f” u one) hurts to lift it up and is crooked and knuckle is swollen.
When you’re at one of your favourite bands gigs, being the huge rock chick that you are…but you cant nod your head to the music any more and you have to pretend your clapping as it hurts too much to do it for real. Urgh!
Charlene! I thought I was the only one whose stupid middle fingers freeze up! My friends think I am exaggerating when I tell them about driving and flipping everyone off! Awesome.
You know you have RA when you’re 34 and the 86 year old woman in your “Yoga for Senoirs” class shakes her head at you sympathetically while bending herself in half.
You live on smoothies because your hands are too shagged to chop and your TMJs are too clappered to chew… and the baby food diet requires jar opening! God I love the individual who invented my blender, with a single, smooth-operating dial and 1200w behind it
Saturday night on the razz is replaced by Saturday night on the MTX… Sunday morning still the same though !
When the, “be careful and don’t spill” warning is issued for me – not the kids and chances are I will spill.
When hubby has to get on his hands and knees to clean up my spills because it hurts to bad to get on knees and to use hands scrubbing.
When at work and you dump a huge cup of ice in the breakroom floor, three people come in and say, “Don’t worry, we’ve got it.” because they would rather clean up your mess than pick you up off of the floor…
You have someone else cut up fruits and vegetables so that you don’t add your fingers to the bowl. You have someone else do the laundry so that you do not have to climb up two flights of stairs( might as well be Mt. Everest).
When you cut your bread under the table so that people don’t stare or ask you why you are cutting like that.
or
When you get a spasm in your hand and it just opens and releases.. lost a beer at a ballgame the other night.. two second after it was ordered.. cramp and 7.75 down the drain.. oh and a 400 camera that apparently got wet
To mention a few~~
You know you have RA when you realize the “IN SICKNESS” part of the marriage vows didn’t mean anything.
When you have to get up 3 hours earlier just to make it to work on time.
When you can’t lift your arms to get out of your night clothes and you call the office to say you won’t be in cause noboby would appreciate if you came in your pj’s.
When you go for your colonoscopy and your hip are so painful you can’t assume the required position.
…When you find yourself giving the pharmacist advice on tensor bandages.
When you have to keep a footstool under your desk at work so you can prop up your aching legs.
You are more accurate than the weatherman in telling the forcast by what joint aches!
All you want to do is take a hot shower and rest, and then you remember you just took a shower an hour ago.
You suddenly realize how extremely hard it is to bathe, go to the bathroom, or even brush your teeth. I pass a senior citizen who looks at me with pity and asks if they can help ME…and I have to say yes.
Wow! I can’t believe how many people go through the exact same struggles I have to deal with. I just hope I can figure out how to deal with it all at 16 years old and quickly! But keeping a positive outlook, praying, and having a wonderful group of family and friends to depend on definitely helps me get through each day
When your 80 year old Grandmother offers you to buy you a wheelchair so you can get around your house
When your 9 year old knows how to cook dinner in case of an “Owwie Day”
When your husband buys you a kindle so you don’t have to flip the pages in a real book
When the same sweet husband installs a speech to text program so you can still finish your schoolwork when you are unable to type.
Filling the Jacuzzi Tub with hot water, lying in bed listening to the sound of the water falling, hoping you won’t fall asleep and the tub overflows. Anticipating the feeling of total weightlessness you will enjoy as you lower yourself into the water.
When you start using a toilet seat raiser and you can’t drive your car.
You know you have RA when your 2 1/2 year old daughter automatically helps you get up and asks “Are you feeling good today?” before she touches you, jumps on you, tries to play with you etc.
When nothing makes you feel better about yourself except sitting on the computer and reading what other people with RA have to say and then realizing when you are done reading and want to get up that your are so stiff you can’t do it. So you sit and read some more until someone comes and pries you out of the chair.
When you’re only 22 and contemplating having another baby because “your time is running out” and you know you are going to need the extra help of another set of hands in a few years. (Hoping that next set of hands is a boy because heavy lifting may be required at some point)
You feel like you’re perpetually recovering from a car accident.
THANK YOU ALL!! The comments were awesome, it feels good to know there are more out there like me…the laughs helped so much! Bless and keep you!
Your first cup of tea in the morning is used for swallowing all your meds!
You can’t open that arthritis-friendly container no matter how hard you try and you hope your typing makes sense because it’s all a blur
Your husband asks YOU what the forecast is going to be for the day rather than turning on the TV!
When you can sign your own name on a check, put on your own clothes and actually chop a carrot for dinner.
When you wonder what you did in your sleep to cause you to “sprain” your ankle.
When you’ve forgotten what it’s like to not be in pain.
You know you have RA when
~your 72 year old father in law is in better shape than you have been in years.
~When your gaining wight because of the pred.
~A hot bath followed by a nap is a more than a once a day occurrence.
~You drink your coffee from a sippie cup because your tired of dropping and breaking mugs.
~You only order crab legs when eating out, if your husband feels like cracking them for you.
~Round doorknobs are a thing of the past in your home.
~you only turn on the lamps in your home that are plugged into the outlet controlled by a light switch.
~uncombed hair is a fashion statement.
~by the time you get cleaned up and ready to go somewhere you are so tired you need a nap.
~When the only people whom truly understand what you go through daily, are the ones with RA that you are friends with on your computer.
Thanks for all the support my fellow RA warriors!
When everything tastes the same (awful) due to all the meds I have to take.
You know you have RA if:
Your styling cues depend on the amount of pain you’re in on any particular day.
“well my wrists and fingers are on fire, so can’t wear my snug jeans”, or “my shoulders hurt so much that I can’t even think about slipping that tee shirt on”
When you give yourself a shot of Humira, and the burning, searing 10 seconds of pain as it goes in, isn’t “so bad”.
when your toes look as if you could perch on a tree limb
…you cringe at the thought of someone else having to help you wipe your butt and hope that some new meds come out soon
…you beg your friends to get on voice chat because you can no longer type
…when you tell your kitty, who’s mewing at your feet, ‘no brushing for you today, no hands’
…when you jokingly (or well, not so much) order a meal with a side of morphine
…when your husband asks if you need something from the store, you say, ‘yes, some new fingers/knee/whatever’
…when you have a family member named kelly, yet your husband knows when you talk about kelly, you actually mean kelly young!
…when you want to throw all of the diet food out of the house because you want your old southern down home food, and don’t care if you get fat as a house, because, why does it matter when you’re homebound?
…you make SURE your liver panels are done because last week you drank enough to get ONE evening of pain-free-ness
…you want to throw your mtx because it doesn’t seem to be working, and you can’t stand the thought of just swallowing a handful of poison
…you wish for marijuana to be legalized in your state
…your in-laws are mourning the loss of a precious family member, and when you send condolences, they send get well wishes
…you are SO pissed off that you can’t play WoW anymore, because THE MAGES GET TIME LORD REGALIA!!
You say I’ve falling and I can’t get up….And you are only 36….And you sleep with your electric all year long….
When your joints ache and hurt in the morning.. you limp to work .. gotta tough it out.. and then by mid-day you are feeling a little better. Limp is not as bad… but you can read the faces around you “Drama queen… hypochondriac…faker”. Sorry folks that I can’t limp around all day to please you. I’m sure one day I will. But not today – Thank God!
Your hip goes out at the club and your friends have to help you walk so you pretend you had to much to drink even though you haven’t had a drop of alcohol.
I have participated in one of these before it started in 2009 and here is the link if anyone is interested:
http://www.creakyjoints.org/community/creakyboard/im-feeling-vulnerable/698878446#222840371
You know you have arthritis when you are a snowbird at 49 because you can no longer take the NE weather so you migrate south.
When you can’t remember the last time you were able to put on your own socks.
When your children’s morning routine includes asking you, are you ready for me to help you with your socks.
When you only buy slip on shoes.
You know you have rheumatoid arthritis when:
…when getting out of bed first thing in the morning without any assistance feels like an accomplishment.
…when your version of giving a thumbs up looks a little screwed up because your four fingers can’t completely close into a fist LOL.
…when you look a little strange lifting yourself up from sitting on the floor because you opt for lifting yourself up with your elbows leaning on the couch instead of your hands because your wrists are too stiff to bend that way and too sore to support your weight.
…when you awkwardly use the computer mouse with your left hand because your right hand is too sore.
…when you’re the most dedicated student in the classroom but you don’t bring your textbook to class because it’s too heavy to carry.
…when you wear shoes INSIDE to reduce the pain/impact on your feet.
…when you consider daily getting a haircut, not for fashion reasons but because your hands and elbows hurt when brushing your long hair.
…when you spend more time in a day exercising and stretching your hands and fingers then healthy people spend exercising their whole body.
…when a doctor asks his med student what DMARDs mean and you chime in saying “disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs.”
You push the button to automatically open the door at work because the ‘artistic’ door handle hurts your hands too much. And you worry that your co-workers will see and wonder why you’re so lazy, because “you don’t look sick”.
and when you see a picture of a hand holding a pencil getting ready to write, and automatically think “I’ll bet that hurts”.
Lifts (aka elevators) are better than sliced bread
You wish the inventor of childproof tops hadn’t
Pain is all in the mind, also fingers, hands, wrists, elbows, knees, feet and toes
….when your Rheumatologist is about the same age as you but looks 20 years older because you’ve tried every drug out there for the last 20 years and the only thing that works almost kills you. One of those unacceptable side affects
When my son of 5, after a playdate, said, mommy, that mommy don’t take naps..
…when you look around at all the tools, sporting equipment, and musical instrumants that you used to enjoy so much are now just a constant reminder of what used to be.
…your teenage son complains of knee pain and you want to cry, because the thought of your child having this disease is unbearable
You know you have RA when all you want to wear is clothing made of neoprene!
You know you have RA when you can’t use a cane to stabilize your walking because your hands hurt too much to grip the cane.
or as your 1yr old is crawling towards the stairs and you are desperately trying to get to him you realize that if you call your spouse they can get their faster from downstairs than you can traverse the 10 feet between you and your child.
or you stay at your desk all day, not going to the restroom or lunch, not because you are such a dedicated worker but because it is too painful to get up.
or you learn to ignore the insensitive comments like when your boss says, “we all have aches and pains; get over it.”
or you begin to wear a brace on your wrist to church in order to be able to avoid shaking hands with other parishioners (even though the brace is almost as painful as the handshake.)
or you feel guilty parking in the handicap spot at the mall on days when your walking isn’t too bad because you know by the time you get out of the mall you won’t be able to walk at all.
or when you cook meal of hamburger helper and your children ask what’s the special occasion.
or when you are finally forced to stop working because you are about to get fired due to excessive absences. Then when you apply for Social Security benefits, they evaluate you on a good day and tell you that you are fine and need to go back to work.
Thank you for all these comments, I don’t feel crazy anymore.
You know you are a senior with RA when your never sure if your going to be able to get out of the car when you get to your destination.
When you fall asleep on the couch & wake up because you have to go to the bathroom, but it’s such a struggle getting up you pee in your pants.
When your kids say maybe you should hang up your drivers license because in a weak moment you mention pulling out of a parking space is 25% looking behind you, 50% mirrors, and 25% faith because you cant turn your head anymore.
When you open a package with your scissors and you cant get your thumb out of the hole.
…when the methotrexate hangover is worse than the time you drank a half bottle of whisky and a few shots of tequila.
Old people won’t complain about their arthritis around you because they feel it’s insensitive.
You never realized how many amazing foods were “wide” until RA affected your jaw and you couldn’t open your mouth wide enough to eat a burger.
Your medical file is thicker than the swelling in your joints.
You’ll go for hours needing to piss like a racehorse because it’s better than doing the stairs to get to the bathroom.
You walk down the street, and a police officer will question you because they think it’s a situation of public intoxication because you’re struggling to walk straight.
You’re starving because hunger isn’t as painful as the jaw motions it takes to chew.
When elderly people with arthritis look at you sadly, and say, “I couldn’t imagine what you’re going through”.
You hear “yeah, my grandma’s got it, too,” and instantly roll your eyes and think, “Here we go…”
When your mother actually forces you to sit and play video games all day (just to try and keep the swelling in your feet down)!
When you have to call your 16 year olds cell to wake her up to help you walk to the bathroom..when your 8 year old has to open your water bottle for you.
As a professional (lawyer) with RA who is lucky enough to still be able to work, you know you have RA when:
1. you now have a speech impediment when it comes to American Sign Language: your hands will not allow you to properly sign the alphabet.
2. your biggest fear about speaking engagements or networking/professional events is not speaking in front of a crowd or mingling, meeting new people. It is the fear of hardcore hand-shakers.
… when you celebrate (Rocky style!) every time you climb a flight of stairs. Assuming, of course, that you can actually lift your arms over your head!
You have to ask for help getting dressed. Especially with the bra.
You describe the morning-after-methotrexate nausea and puking and fatigue as “not too bad this time” as other people can barely look at you.
You know you have RA when your 7 year old daughter approaches you every morning and while rubbing your back asks how sore you are today.
You are glad to have Alopecia because it means one less job to do.
When your own Dr looks at your hands, and says,”Holy Shit! What happened to your fingers?”
When you’re 16, and more self-conscious of your deformities than your boob size, big nose, or stretch marks.
When you’ve got stretch marks on your joints from such severe inflammation, and are excited because “They’ve faded!” … and then you get surgical scars to add to the funky joint tissues.
When you give very cautious applause because you’ve injured yourself that way in the past.
when your five year old tells you she knows you won’t be joining her class on a field trip because “you hurt all the time Daddy.” And, your three year old son looks forward to “wrestling” with the mom of a friend instead of me, his daddy.
You seriously consider buying door knockers for everyone you know because rapping on a door with your knuckles is slightly more painful than child birth.
When everyone refers to you as Benjamin Button (26 year old in an 80 year old body).
When you’ve successfully made a big crockpot full of soup, it tasted great for supper and will be wonderful again tomorrow so you don’t have to cook again, but drop the whole thing on your more comfy kitchen floor on the way to the fridge. You wait for the dogs to finish cleaning up the mess for you, as much as they can because they don’t eat every kind of veggie in there, since you can’t figure out how to get it all up any other way, but by the time they’re done with their part of the clean-up, the tomatoes in it have stained the white squares on your new blue and white floor. And now you have to figure out what will get that tomato stain out of the floor by trying different concoctions since the floor is brand new and you know you cannot use bleach on it or it will be ruined. Then your ever loving husband screams at you because of the stain the next day because you’ve not had the energy to “make it all disappear” today – and he won’t help at all because even though you’ve had RA for 4 years now he still does NOT get it. Thank God for having 3 dogs that love tomatoes and everything but butter beans. DOG really is GOD spelled backwards – and the best three little helpers in the household.
When you need pliers to zip up your boots or fly on your jeans!
When you can recite your pharmacists, primary doctor, rheumatologists phone numbers by heart.
When you pick up your brush, it drops out of your hand, you pick it up again and it falls out of your hand again. Finally you give up. Who needs brushed hair? This also happens with silverware, pens, cellphones, and other assorted items.
When your 2.5 year old child tells people that you have ‘baddy legs’ from all the times struggling to walk up and down stairs.
When you burst into tears when your toddler gets your attention by grabbing and pulling on a finger.
When you can hand anyone that knows you a bottle or jar to open and not have to ask them what to do.
This site is GREAT. Reading all of these posts has made me appreciate how I am better off than some of you in terms of how bad my RA is, and I can identify with it all. Thanks everyone.
When your grandson now says, “I need to rest because I am weak and tired.” I guess he has heard it so many times from Nanna he just repeats it. It use to make me sad when he would say this but no it just makes me laugh!
When your first priority on a Saturday morning, MTX hangover et al, is to re-fill your days of the week pill box, specifically endorsed by the arthritis foundation.
You constantly drop things because your hands are so weak, but bending over to pick stuff up is so hard too, so you’re basically, involuntarily, torturing yourself.
A hot water bottle isn’t just for the winter.
I even have one in my desk at work. Much to the amusement of my colleagues.
When your husband has to break the chocolate off the block you bought to drown your sorrows from the pain in your hands. When you’re 24 years old and walking like a 70 year old. When you have to pretend there’s nothing wrong in front of your dad so you don’t make him sad because he knows he passed it on to you.
When a pair of scissors are your most important implement when cooking… and you have five pairs of them in the kitchen (just in case you loose one).
When you know what a MTX hangover is…
When you cringe every time someone goes to shake your hand…
…you sit and read all of these comments and can relate to every single one of them.
When your husband can’t hold your hand because the weight of his hand on yours is more painful than you can tolerate.
I loved this some made me laugh, some cry. I am recently diagnosed, but had pain and cluster headache pain for years..so these are from both cluster and arthritis.
When you 15 year old has to tie your shoes and laughs with you about it and scolds you the next day when you try to do it yourself. When your doctor says he may write a research paper on you and you joke about the getting rich on royalties. When you don’t have to give your last name when calling the doctor, they know who you are already.
I’ve been blessed with wonderful teenagers and partner who are there when I need them and tease me when I am able to laugh at myself.
When on a night out your the only one wearing flats and sober yet you are the one who falls over twisting that ankle yet again!!
These are all so good! The one that made me laugh the most because it’s exactly what I do was the shampoo bottle against the wall one! Thankfully I have an incredibly thoughtful partner who purchases toiletries with me in mind and gets the ones with pump lids! Here’s some of mine:
…when at 24 you can stump a rheumy with questions about birth and prosthetic hips
…when upon waking up your evaluation of how the day is going to be depends on how much of a fist you can make
…when you’ve thrown something across the room in frustration because you couldn’t open it!
…as a kid you’ve woken your mum up terrified because your elbow was locked!
…when you’ve seriously considered writing to a company after they’ve changed any packaging that now makes it impossible for you to use – gah! makes me so mad!
You catch yourself saying “Amen” while reading other peoples posts.
Wow I can relate to sooooo many of these….
You Know You Have Rheumatoid Arthritis When…
You daily medication routines are larger than your meals….
You have to sleep in a separate bed to your partner because you find the most impossible positions to sleep comfortable and pain free….
and I am only 25!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Noooooooooooooo
When you can no longer smile because you are in pain!
When your answer to “How are you feeling?” is
“I’m ignoring that today.”
or
“It’s a good day. It’s only a four (out of ten).”
or
“I did laundry today!”
or
“I only took one nap today.”
Your child has to explain to the pharmacist why you need non-child proof caps, and “NO he doesn’t want to take your medicine, are you crazy?”
Your hands become more like lobster claws/pincers than hands
…if you’ve ever felt like calling it a day at 10:00 am.
You know you have Ankylosing Spondylitis when you can’t give your kids piggyback rides because of back pain.
when you read everyone else’s replies and know that they apply to you too.
when you no longer care if the house is clean and tidy anymore because it hurts too much to hold a cloth in your hand to clean with and even if you could it would be dripping with water because you can’t squeeze the excess water out.
When your other half (that’s me, BTW) runs to the pharmacy so often that he has become mayor on foursquare.
When you apply more perfume to mask the smell of Icy Hot. You’ve had a child help you get up off the floor. You drink coffee all day to combat fatigue, then regret it when you have to go to the bathroom constantly and it hurts your knee to get off the toilet. When you’re in your 30′s and want to buy lingerie, but instead shop for a raised toilet seat.
- When your purse sounds like a giant tic-tac.
- When your go to answer for “r u limping” is “horrible skydiving accident”
- When you go to a certain pharmacy because of their perscription bottles odd shape…vs the small round ones you can’t hold onto. Thank you Target
- When if one more person tells you what Dr. Oz said on his show… you just might have to ask for credintials.
You know you have Psoriatic Arthritis when you have put bricks under the clothes line so the kids can hang out the washing!
when the thick handle on the vegie peeler isn’t thick enough to hold still
when you take the lift to go on breaks when everyone else walks up the stairs…and get there quicker.
when your husband comes home from work and sees you lying on the lounge and raises his eyebrows with that look of…looks like I’m cooking/reheating the casserole again. You tell him that you will stop getting casseroles delivered when he stops looking like that when he walks in the door!!
When it feels like you’re playing hopscotch just to get up the damn stairs!!
when all the clicking in your joints make it sound like your body is beatboxing
When you are too tired to teach middle school and have to hand over the reins to an elderly substitute.
It’s always refreshing to see that I’m not completely off my rocker and that others have the same issues!
You know you have RA when your kids fight over who gets to apply the icy hot to your back and hips.
When you weigh the same as when you were 9 months pregnant because of prednisone and lack of exercise.
When you give away all your very cute high heels that match all the dresses that no longer fit your much larger body because you would be crying before you got out of the room.
When it takes you all day to clean the bathroom with rests in between each thing.
When you’re soaking in sweat AFTER taking a shower because it was so much work to get dried off and put clothes on.
When you have to quit your work at home part time job because even though you only work 20 hours a week, you do transcription.
When you consider getting a tattoo of a wedding ring because your fingers go from a size 5 to an 8 on a weekly basis.
When your teenagers are excited to go to Dinsey World with you because they might get to cut in line when you have the wheel chair.
When you no longer fight the dog (but encourage her) to lick your feet because the warm, wet massage of her tongue feels wonderful! and… no one else in the house wants foot massage duty
You know you have rheumatoid arthritis when you fantasize about having knuckles on your hands again instead of just a uni-knuckle.
you know you have RA when you have to resort to playing “zombie tag” with your kid because you can only limp across your lawn rather than run lol
also, when you’re grateful for that helpful railing that came with your shower!
When you are trying to bring in groceries and go to grab milk and think it’s in your grip and just falls on the concrete and busts open and you just stand there and watch it go down hill on our driveway and to exhausted from the shopping trip to do anything about it ! Then your OCD husband comes out and freaks out and you let him clean it!
…you’re at the hand-specialist ortho because you’re afraid things have progressed so much now you can no longer work at 47.. and she says” why didn’t you just have a baby when this all started- sometimes that snaps people out of it” . And you wanted nothing more at 32 than to have another baby , but they put you on MTX and said DON”T EVEN THINK ABOUT GETTING PREGNANT NOW, and you had to take it because that was the only way to keep walking to take care of the toddler you already had.
…when someone wants a high five and you move your hand away at the last second to avoid contact because you can’t bear explaining to another blank face why ‘high fiving’ doesn’t feel like a celebratory gesture
You can’t open your pill bottle so you hobble downstairs to put it in a vise and use pliers to open it.
You baby/toddler proof your house only to find you then can’t open any drawers, cupboards or doors.
Latest is my 5 year old twin boys understanding that mummy can’t jump on the trampoline with them and being very concerned, asking if you are ok and helping you out whenever you say ‘ow’.
You take the least jacked up roads home from work because the bumpy ones make you hurt.
when you wake up in the morning (after not sleeping due to the pain all night anyway) and you really really have to go to the potty but you are so stiff, swollen and in so much pain that it takes another hour or so before you can make it to the bathroom- 10 feet away! That is after I’ve pried open the non-safety cap med bottle of course
I’m seriously considering stealing some of my mom’s depends underwear- lol!
-And finding yourself nodding or saying “oh yeah, that’s me!” to every post on here!
Thanks guys for sharing & bless every one of you
when u have to get your hubby to wash your hair cause your fingers and wrist hurt too much
You realize the bar in the handicapped stall in public bathrooms isn’t just for people in wheelchairs. :-\
When you have broken multiple towel bars while using them to get up off the toilet! Oops!
When you feel like clunking every older person who insists they too have had arthritis for years and advise you how to manage with linament, but restrain your self only because it will hurt too much to thump ‘em! ;p
Ya’ll been peaking in my windows (life)! when you are fustrated at saying I can’t do that today, and wondering if there will be a day when I can! I just hate I can’t
…when all your friends suddenly become experts and start giving you medical advice.
When you work in an old peoples home and some days your walking is slower than theirs.
When your pills don’t all fit in your “Days of the Week” pill container…
When two years ago you were a part time dinner lady cutting up children’s dinners, and last time you went to a staff dinner your hands hurt so bad you were on the verge of asking one of them to cut yours up for you. (I still get asked to dinner, though I had to retire early).
When your teenagers tell you as you go out the door ‘Not too much walking around Mum, be careful’.
When you get a tummy bug your first thought is ‘Oh no my meds won’t stay down’, then you spend a day in agony from codeine withdrawel.
When you husband automatically takes every bag from the shop assistant and carries them dutifully without being asked.
When you get excited over a food processor because it’ll make grating cheese and chopping things a doddle. Hubby does all the cooking but I bake occasionally when I feel well enough.
When you have entire converstations in medical terms & know more about your drugs than your GP does!!
When your favourite list in your browser is full of surgery research & health sites.
When hubby sees you in your pjs when he leaves for work and back in them by the time he gets home again!
When u can’t button up yr blouse. When u have to drink yr soup with a straw because u can’t take the spoon to yr mouth. When your 7 yr old kid needs to attach yr bra. When washing yr hair is not an option. When u can’t hug your kid because you are unable to bend your arms. When pressing the channel button is impossible. When going down one floor feels like crossing the arrival line of a marathon…
When your cocktail mix is no longer the latest hip drink, but consists of Methotrexate, Prednisone, and Vicodin…
When not being a parent, you plan your romantic outings with your partner for late afternoons/early evenings so you could be back home before 9, cause pass that hour you feel like walking zombie (you look almost as fresh and frisky)
When you raise a glass with your two hands cause it is certain you’d drop it if you’d used only one hand. When being a right-handed person for all your life, at 34 you suddenly realise this is no longer true because somewhere along the way you beca,e left-handed. When a big backpack replaces your beautiful handbags and you gave away all your high heel shoes – which for some reason turned into a medieval tool of torture – and your favorite shoes have either a zipper or do not require fastening at all. When you moved to using voice recognition tools. When you see blank faces as a response to your answer to “how do you feel?” question.
When you have to get your 9 yr old to unfold your wheelchair after you tried and almost fell.
When you wake up in the morning with a hangover and you remember that you stopped drinking. Then it dawns on you that you took your mtx last night!
When you nap more than your dog.
You’re out for a meal and you kindly ask that your companion pass you the water/a napkin/the olives on the table, etc. They hand it to you and you outstretch your arm, but it’s bent because your elbow is now so swollen that you can no longer straighten your arm. So there you sit, with your bent arm, looking like a princess who simply refuses to stretch far enough to accept the item being passed to you. Your companion looks at you as if you’re being lazy and unappreciative, and you have to quickly come up with a reason for not reaching far enough. Not wanting to explain your personal health situation, especially if this is a business meal, you not-so-quickly try and rise from your seat to leverage your entire body over the table in order to reach for the water, and you do so with both hands because your wrists hurt so much that there’s no way you can simply hold the item.
And here’s another one…
You’re walking in to a building and someone in front of you is kind enough to hold the door open. Social protocol would dictate that you kick it up a notch and walk quicker so you can get through the door, so as not to delay a kind stranger. Only problem is that your body isn’t cooperating. Stranger is getting annoyed. You’re becoming apologetic as people twice your age scoot past you. Rather than explaining your situation you come up with a quick lie about a knee injury and how you were going top speed.
You realize you have R.A. when you realize you are facing difficult social situations that you hesitate to explain. I haven’t yet met a physician who seems to realize the social impact of this disease. Many are genuinely sympathetic, but there are many social situations that nobody seems to discuss or prepare us to handle.
if that bit of you isnt hurting, is cause that bits no longer working.
When your dogs open their own food bag because you can’t do it for them.
You know you have RA when you have to go to the Supermarket on a walking stick and people stare because I am young and using a walking stick.
When your son has to help you dress yourself as I am so stiff and it hurts to use the fingers and arms,
As a mum when your so tired and just can’t manage to do the things that Mum’s would normally do!
When you climb in through the trunk of your grand am because you cannot turn the lock in the door key.
…..when i had to ask my 7 yr old to open the jar of pickles. or my dt coke that i could get open for 30 minutes. ugh!
…when the old lady in the commercial saying, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” is no longer funny and you write down the phone number just “in case”. (I am 29 yrs old)
You go grocery shopping, then have to stop at a fast food drive through for dinner because you are too exhausted to cook.
When you have to “scoot” down the stairs on your rear end with your baby in your arms because you are terrified you will either fall or drop him if you would try to walk down the steps. At least the kids found it fun.
When you start thinking of things you will say at work to explain why you are limping, or not using your right hand, etc., because having RA will make your colleagues doubt you can do your job…which you already worry about on a daily basis.
When you hand all your Christmas presents to your boyfriend to open because tape on wrapping paper might as well be a concrete wall as far as your swollen fingers are concerned.
When you’re thrilled to find a super stylish tote bag to hang off your walker and then realize that almost everyone under age 70 won’t even notice the tote bag!
When getting a gas cap opener for your car is your favorite Christmas present.
You receive heating blankets for Christmas (@ age 25)
You go out for a drink with mates and return home an hour later because you can’t stand on your feet.
Like many others, I am saying “Me too!!!!” Toward the beginning, musical instruments were mentioned… I play(ed) tuba for our Symphony Orchestra… not hauling that thing around anymore feels like a chunk of my identity is missing.
My other favorite thing is reading… now I can’t hold a hardback, and paperbacks are getting too heavy and and hard to hold… guess it’s almost time for books on tape.
(
And crafts are definitely out. I’m trying to teach my husband to cross-stitch so he can finish a table cloth I started! hehehe – it’s not going well!
)
You know you have RA when any other person reading this would say, “Sheesh! That lady sure is a whiner! She should get a grip!”
When your friends stop talking about your Ra because they think its all in your head as well as the biggest part of your family does also. They dont ask how I’m doing anymore just say you should get up and move around that will make you feel better, boy I wish that was true.and when you want to work but struggle to get dressed to go is a task alone. These replys helps me know that I am not alone alot of people struggle with everyday task like myself. I was diagnoised with RA when I was 30 yrs old now at 51 I am learning to except the things I cannot change, just try to live everyday that I can and thank God if I can get out of the bed and make it to the bathroom on my own.
When you carry on with “meetings” with the floor on a daily basis and while your down there the first thing out of your mouth is “I really need to use the vacuum cleaner don’t I” lol I sat and read most of everyone’s posts and this feeling of happiness passed over me because I don’t feel so alone any more, just knowing I’m not the only one!
I fight with jar a lot and I joke saying that maybe its because God knows I’m on a diet and doesn’t want me eating that stuff anyway LOL In the last 6 years I’ve gone from walking 6 miles a day and running 4 miles every morning to not even being able to walk across the street for my groceries, some days I grieve the loss of the old me but from now on I will celebrate that I’m still alive and my mind is sharp and I still have my lousy sense of humour. God bless us all 
When you are only 41-years-old and you take more meds than your 74-year-old mother…
*When you carry a foldable cane in your purse or car.
*When your kids have to help button your dress shirts.
*When you use plastic cups or straws to drink from.
*When looking for new shoes, it’s all about the sole and build of the shoe, not how cute they are!
*When you can’t open a public bathroom door to get out.
You know you have RA when it’s New Years Eve and around 7:30pm you say “I’m ‘spent’ guys. Gonna have to call it a night!”
I had to buy baby clothes with zippers because there was no way I could button up those teeny tiny little buttons!
When your wedding vowels say “when your hips hurt and when they don’t” instead of “in sickness and in health”
When you not only have to count one two three, you have to rock back and forth to build up the momentum you need. (In response to: ”You know you have RA when you count to three every single time you’re about to get up.”)
You have to take a 200 degree bath before bed in order to sleep at night.
Megan – so right there with ya on the bra thing.
When you buy a bottle of water at a drive thru then realize you forgot your bottle opener/gripper at home and you have to drive back thru and get a soda because you don’t wanna ask the drive thru person to open your water you just bought ( this has happened to me alot back when i worked, I always had to get my coworkers to open my drinks, very embarrassing)
When you have to use the public bathroom and the handicap is full and you wonder and worry if you will be able to get back up off the toilet yourself or will you have to call for backup because there are no bars to hold on too to help you get back to your feet.
When your favorite Kitchen appliances are scissors, and pliers. I keep a multi tool (letherman) handy next to the coffee pot. When I can’t pinch it can.
You pick up your months supply of drugs from the pharmacy and they don’t have a carrier bag big enough to accommodate it all
You know you have jra (juvenile rheumatoid arthritis) when everybody in your grade knows you as the one who is always hurt. They don’t even know anything..
Also, you know you have jra when your cheek is always bitten to keep from crying out in pain
When you have your tubes banded, to minimize the risk of a second pregnancy, since you can barely take care of your 1 year old.
When you’re on first name basis with your doctor.
When all you have to do is hand the water bottle/peanut butter jar/pill bottle/etc. to your husband and don’t even have to say anything, and he just opens it.
…when you finally roll/stumble/fall out of bed at 12 noon, and everyone asks what you’re doing up so early!
Your doctor assumes you are a drug addict.
When you set your alarm 20 minutes early because you know thats how long it will take you to put on pants and socks.
When you havent made love to your wife in nearly a year because it just hurts too much.
When you are close to losing your job because they do not believe you are going to the doctor as much nor do they believe you have any disease at all.
You know you have RA when you wear your slippers to the grocery store because putting on your tennis shoes seems like “too much work”.
When you suddenly wince in pain and say that your hand/knee/foot (add in your joint here)hurts and your husband asks “Why? What happened? What did you do?” and you answer “Absolutely nothing”.
When you have heard on more than one occasion from those healthy people trying to help that getting stung my masses of angry bees is supposed to cure this disease. (sick freaks!)
When you go downstairs to get something. You finally make it down to the bottom of the staircase and you forget what you came for. So you hang out for awhile trying desperately to figure out what it was that you came down for. Decide to give up and go back upstairs to rest. Make it to the top of the stairs and suddenly remember what it was you were supposed to get but are too exhausted to attempt the trip again.
Having read the above comments where they all ring a bell in one way or another lol, my comment is; “when you can’t pop the painkillers out of the bubble pack because your hands are too sore”. “When you can’t press the button on your deodorant, perfume, body spray etc.
…when you recognize more than half of the medicines, diseases, and treatments that are mentioned in any one episode of House, M.D. (television show).
RA Guy – your last entry had me laughing so hard I woke up my girls! House is my favorite show.
I’m so glad I read this list. It definitely proves I’m not alone. Plus its awesome to know that its okay to laugh at these situations (^_^)
When you burn the side of your neck with a curling iron when your hand spasms as you are doing your hair and you drop the darn thing. Instead of learning your lesson the first time, you drop it on a different occasion and try to grab it mid fall and get the ceramic barrel instead of the cool handle. Now you really have swelling and pain times two fold.
When a HOT pair of shoes does not mean a darling pair of pumps/stilettos but a decent pair of flats that won’t pinch and looks better than something my grandmother would wear.
When you have a jacket and/or blanket in just about every room of the house. When your only fashion accessories are your oh so colorful wrist braces, fingerless gloves, or wacky socks… Because you actually need them! When you think its going to be an awesome day because you opened your medicine bottle without assistance or on the first try! When you look forward to when your children take their naps because you can use them as an excuse to take one too!
When you wake up in the middle of the night to switch to your other side, because the pain in your hip is so bad you can’t take it anymore . . . and then you have to keep doing that every hour or so until you finally give up and get out of bed.
You know when….
Your 56 year old mother, whose father had RA, tells her 35 year old daughter to get tested and she goes online to research ra and realizes all the testing she has insisted on for her thyroid to her endocrnologist because her type 1diabetes is under the best control its everbeen in 17 years and she still feels like an eighty year old has probably been a waste of time because I feel like laughing and crying at the same time because I can relate to all your stories. I called my endocrinologist and go for the blood test next week.
bust out laughing so hard reading these comments, that my husband comes to check to see if I am ok! Then I thought to myself (HEY I FEEL BETTER) So along with all my meds I need to read this every day for relief.
1. Decorating your crutches is classified as a craft and hobby!
2. You enjoy sipping hot tea in the summertime!
3. You’re the only one in the gym with two knee braces and a wrist brace but are working out harder than the muscle men!
4. You are obsessed with your new electric can opener!
5. You use the kiddy shopping cart for light grocery shopping, instead of the hand basket!
When you are 49 but feel like an 89 year old.
When you are right-handed but become adept at doing things left-handed because your left hand is a little better than your right.
When you could open nothing with one of these>>> http://www.sears.com/craftsman-2-pc-strap-wrench-set/p-00945570000P?currentProductTitle=craftsman-2-pc-strap-wrench-set&partNumber=00945570000P&storeId=10153&isSEOCanonURL=true&PRODUCT_TITLE_BRAND=craftsman-2-pc-strap-wrench-set&catalogId=12605&catgroupId=00945570000P&pageInd=product&i_cntr=1326454432170
When there is no room in the fridge for food as it is full of injections
You have a mouse on the left side of your desk and a trackball on the right; which one gets used depends on which hand is functioning better.
You stand in the middle of Crate & Barrel picking out dishes and glasses based not on aesthetics, but their chances of not being dropped on the floor.
You plan routes while driving to minimize lane changes, so you don’t have to glance over your shoulder, thus causing it to hurt more.
When for Christmas your daughter who normally gives you perfume or a pretty blouse gives you a snuggle blanket to keep yourself warm in the evenings and a wheat bag to put in the microwave oven for your sore joints………..and your pleased she did!!!!
When you undress for bed and just manage to take off your trousers and get in bed with your T shirt and bra on because it hurts too much to take them off.
When you have to try to get dressed wet in the morning after your shower because you had to give up trying to dry yourself because it hurts too much.
When your trying to blow dry your hair (something that always had to look perfect) and then give up and think that it will have to do.
When you have to take your ‘special pillow’ away with you on holiday so that your neck and head don’t hurt too much the next day.
All of these really hit the nail on the head.
When you take forever to go down 1 short flight of stairs.
When you’re mother-in-law reserves a wheelchair for you on a tour.
When you hold your newborn and everyone stares and asks if you need help. They think you’re going to drop it, and you’re thinking if there is one thing that this RA isn’t going to do is keep me from holding my baby. I don’t even offer to hold babies anymore. My babies are just fine at 2 and 6, thank you! = )
I have to say, though I have lost range of motion and do have deformities, I feel much better and reading these posts reminded me of a world I once endured. Hang in there. I don’t know what exactly did the trick for me, but I can tell you what I take. Enbrel 50mg once a week and Etodolac AKA Lodine 400mg twice a day (when I wake up and at dinner time). Maybe it’s the two kids too. Stretching really helps as well. May you all keep finding strength!
You have to sit in a chair to brush your teeth.
ALL OF THE ABOVE!!!
When you use your hands as heating pads for your arthritic knees!
When, tears streaming, you have to wake your wife at 3 am because you cant open your meds without help, so you can be less tired and she can be more
When you sell the car you dreamed of owning because you cant drive it anymore
You’re in your 30′s, and you get super excited when a new type of pain patch comes out.
You need a special closet for your collection of heating pads, neck wraps, cold patches, heated gloves and warming booties.
You have to buy rings a size or two too large just to fit over your huge knuckles.
LOL I identify will ALL of these…Especially the falling asleep in a chair…ANYWHERE….I have so done that on MANY occasions! LOL
Your idea of “working out” is doing your long list of PT excercises that each of your various ortho docs give you.
When your doc’s assistant calls to tell you that blood work looks good and you casually mention that your massage therapist mentioned your elbow is ‘hot’ and it hurts… and the doc calls back immediately to have you come in to see about aspirating fluid and do a steroid shot!
When you have roaming pain. When every time you see friends your old pain is mysteriously gone and seemingly unrelated pain has popped up elsewhere.
When you have 5 places to be for Christmas and you choose to stay home alone crying.
When you are afraid to begin a relationship…because if you really love someone…why in the world would you stick them with being your carer?
You have more online friends than f2f friends… because it doesn’t require moving.
When you have to watch a movie 4x (or more) to either stay awake thru it…or understand it.
When you get a slight cold and stress out about the cost of an emergency room visit.
When you wear a hot uncomfortable face mask for 8 hours while flying to Europe…to avoid getting sick.
When you have to decide whether or not your have the strength to open the back door to let the dog out to pee…and sometimes you don’t make it…so the dog goes inside.
gawd I cud go on for hours.
You have pants ranging 6 sizes AND have to keep them all because it just keeps changing. Same thing with jewelry and shoes!
You have no schedule…other than the one your body decides for you.
Your Rheumatologist asks you how long your morning stiffness lasts at 3:00 in the afternoon and you point to your watch.
…when your tupperware containers have teeth marks!
…when you experience joy unspeakable at a public toilet that is high enough!
…when you have to ask for a higher chair in the changeroom before you can try on clothes!
…when you sit on the arms of chairs in waitingrooms because all the seats are too low!