New to the group

shk

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the group! Im 30 and have been diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis for about a year now, on methotrexate and prednisolone. By far my most troublesome symptom is fatigue, it is there all the time and absolutely nothing seems to improve it. I had covid in September which just seems to have made it worse, also had to stop methotrexate for 2 weeks which gave me a massive flare up on top.

The fatigue makes me feel so unwell and also gets me down. I feel like I want to sleep all the time, but if I sleep for too long I think it makes me feel worse! I am wondering if anyone who has felt like this can share what works for them.

chrisb

Hi @shk

Welcome to the versus arthritis forum.

You have been diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis and are suffering with the associated fatigue. Having covid made things worse as you had to come off your medication. You’d like to hear from any forum members who can offer any advice as to what has worked for them in terms of managing their fatigue.

Well you’ve definitely come to the right pace to ask the question and I’m sure that you’ll receive some useful feedback. In the interim you may find this article and booklet useful:

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

https://www.versusarthritis.org/media/23151/fatigue-and-arthritis-information-booklet.pdf?_ga=2.159009592.322948547.1667030633-975178968.1599145417

On Living with arthritis we have posts from many members who live with arthritis, I'm sure you will be able to find some other discussions you may wish to join in on or, if not, start a new one.

I hope you receive some useful input.

Best Wishes

ChrisB (Moderator)

stickywicket

Fatigue is a nasty part of an inflammatory arthritis. I think we have to accept it as part of the disease and not try to plough on. However, I've always been told to do gentle Range of Movement exercises even when flaring.

I've noticed that people who got covid shortly after diagnosis do seem to have bad flares. How are your inflammatory levels on your ŕoutine blood tests? Have you spoken to your rheumatology team àbout this?

shk

Thank you both of you for getting back to me. I did have some bloods done after covid and had a generic 'your bloods are fine you can restart methotrexate' message. I haven't managed to speak to anyone as of yet, I'm not due to be seen for another couple of months. I could phone the advice line next week and speak to one of the nurses.