Friendship

Jack19972

Hi I'm not use to talking about my rheumatoid arthritis to others but lately it feels like it's getting worse. It's difficult getting up and down stairs these day's I get tired so quick to. I'm sure other people feel the same.

SharminB

Hi @Jack19972

Welcome and thank you for joining our online community 😊

Sorry to hear that your arthritis seems to have been getting worse lately. And it can be difficult when your day to day activities start being affected by it. If your GP or healthcare professional haven't already referred you, you can ask them to refer you to an occupational therapist, as they can help and support you with these things. And if you'd like to talk about what's going on with the helpline, please don't hesitate to call and talk to an advisor. You might also find our 'Living with arthritis' forum space helpful to talk to others. You'll find the link below.

https://community.versusarthritis.org/categories/living-with-arthritis-forum

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/therapies/occupational-therapy/

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

And please do let us know how you get on.

Best wishes,

Sharmin - Mod 😊

stickywicket

Hi Jack,

Arthritis can be very isolating so i think it's important to be able to talk about it especially with people who understand and, on here, (as @dreamdaisy would say) we all get it because we've all got it.

If you feel yours is getting worse why not ring your rheumatology helpline as they could check your blood results? Maybe your medication needs a bit of tweaking.

As for the stairs - when mine got too much we moved to a bungalow. Would that be an option for you/ Or, you could, maybe, have a stair lift put in. An Occupational Therapist could advise on this. You can self refer by googling your Local Council's site and finding their phone number for Adult Social Care.

Fatigue? Yes, that's part and parcel of RA, especially if it's not currently well-controlled. If you take any strong pain meds they cause it too.

Maybe a chat with your rheumatology people?

Good luck.

And, do keep talking!