When Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue Is Worse Than Pain: How I Cope
Fatigue is the bane of my exsitence. In my new artcile for CreakyJoints Canada, I share how RA fatigue affects my life and the strategies I use to cope:
“I live with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) fatigue. To the uninitiated, this sounds like I’m a bit tired all the time. But it’s much more than that. Fatigue from inflammatory arthritis is a profound level of exhaustion that affects every moment of my day and all my life as much or more than my chronic arthritis pain, but with one major difference.
I have many tools to deal with my rheumatoid arthritis pain, but almost none for my fatigue.
According to a 2020 article from rheumatologist Janet Pope, MD, of the University of Western Ontario, fatigue affects at least 75 percent of people living with RA. And half of people report fatigue levels that are moderate to severe. That’s a lot of people struggling to live their lives while running on empty. But fatigue is not just about the need to rest (and then rest some more) — it also has ripples into the rest of your life.
How RA Fatigue Affects My Daily Life
The fatigue that has hitched a ride on my RA journey interferes with what I can do, how I move, what I eat, and what I wear. It disrupts my ability to work, focus, think, tell jokes, learn, debate, and even remember loved ones’ birthdays.
My fatigue is a heavy, lead-lined cape that weighs down every movement so I need more energy for even simple tasks. It also dulls my mind, adding ever-denser wisps of fog to slow my thinking and obscure memory. As I become more tired, I must use more of my available mental and physical strength on every step and task throughout the day, so I must prioritize what is most important.
Inevitably, I spend most of my energy on need-based tasks — such as work — so I can pay for my rent, groceries, and medication, leaving none for what I want to do or what my emotional health needs. Translation: I don’t call my friends, cancel plans too many times, forget birthdays, and beat myself up for not being there for the people I love. The next ripple is increasing social and emotional isolation that becomes depression. Ironically, depression also contributes to fatigue and the vicious cycle starts anew.”
Read my new CreakyJoints article about living with rheumatoid arthritis fatigue.
Tag: chronic illness, chronic pain, fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid disease, spoonie
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