Hello

Mhensh11

Hi there

anneb82

Hi @Mhensh11

Welcome to the online community and thank you for joining us. I hope you find this a safe and friendly space to make new friends and share your story.

It would be lovely if you could share more about yourself with us, for example, what type of arthritis you have been diagnosed with and how do you find it, but there's no pressure if you do not feel comfortable.

I've included a couple of links down below that may be of interest to you.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/managing-your-pain/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/emotional-wellbeing/

Once again, thank you for joining and I look forward to getting to know you more.

Take care

Anne (Moderator)

jessicakteal

Hi There,

My name is Jessica. I'm 36 and I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at 35. I also recently got diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I was a Yoga and Mediatation teacher for 10 years, and had to give it up from pain and fatigue. Before that I was a nurse. Now I'm working on managing my symptoms and wondering about what to do next for work and for my life. I'm hoping to meet other people here and just find out about how they manage their pain, what works well for them, what kind of work they do. Right now I'm taking Methotrexate and Enbrel. I swim and walk for exercise, but at the moment I get exhausted just doing 30 minutes of either. Trying to stay positive and accept all the changes to my body, but it's very difficult at times. Looking forward to having a place to share and to feel less alone in this process. :)

Poppyjane

Hello @jessicakteal and welcome to the online community.

You have been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia and are considering a career change to accommodate your new situation. Having trained as a nurse and then a meditation and yoga teacher you are ideally placed to draw on the skills and techniques that are really helpful for dealing with the pain and fatigue that accompanies your condition.

I hear you though when you say you are trying to stay positive when your body is struggling to cope with the changes that are occurring. This community is a safe place to share your experiences, your good days and not so good ones so do take time to look round the forums and join in with us.

I attach some links which I hope you find helpful

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/fibromyalgia/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2021/december/i-m-very-open-about-talking-about-my-fibromyalgia/

Both Lynn's and Chris' stories are very interesting. As is Alison's (attached)

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2019/december/everyone-is-different-manage-your-arthritis-in-ways-that-work-for-you/

You may enjoy the exercise videos , there is also a new "Dance with Anne" You Tube video just been released on the site

Do join us again soon , we look forward to hearing from you.

Take Care

Poppyjane

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Arthuritis

@jessicakteal You are definitely not alone. The good thing is we have the Internet today, which offers a sense of community, the ability to reach others and a huge choice of online work opportunities that don’t require you to step out or need physical exertion. You have great set of skills & experience that you can make use of online, or do something completely new.

You are going to make it & you are not alone.