Hello

Marnie36

Hi there, I'm 58 and have had rheumatoid for 40 years. I've joined this today because I'm feeling somewhat "sorry for myself " at the moment. I feel down and everything is painful. All I seem to want to do is sleep. The simplest tasks are monumental. I also suffer enormous guilt about not being able to do things. I have a 17 year old daughter, and I can't hide these things from her like I could when she was little. While I can talk to my friends about it I tend not to cos I don't want to sound whingy and, with the best of intentions, they have no idea what it's like. There is more to me than this, I do actually laugh at myself a lot. I think I'm just in a bad patch at the mo

Ellen

Hello @Marnie36 Welcome to the Versus Arthritis Online Community.

It sounds as though you are having a really tough time with your rheumatoid Arthritis just now. You may have been living with it for a long time, but sometimes it can get to be a bit much can't it?

You have come to the right place to vent a little - family and friends can find it hard seeing you in pain whereas everyone here understands because they are in pain too.

I am going to attach a couple of links while you wait for someone to come along and share their experience:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2021/october/how-does-arthritis-affect-mental-health-two-people-tell-us/

and this one is about fatigue which is extra tough when you have inflammatory arthritis like yourself:

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

If it would help to chat our helpline is available too:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/get-help/

Very best wishes

Ellen.

Marnie36

Thank you Ellen, much appreciated