another newbie!

oopie07

hi everyone,

i'm louise and i'm 29. i have been reading some of the messages and they seem encouraging.
i have suffered with pain for 2yrs and was diagnosed with RA last Oct. i', on mtx/folic acid and it does seem to be working although i'm still gettin flare ups.
I was wonderin if anyone gets down and depressed? i seem to be tired and then get very emotional and have a complete lack of confidence. i'm not bubbly and outgoing like i used to be and find my illness embarrassing- which i know i shouldn't but its taking time still, for me to get my head round this. I do have good days but its always on my mind. :?

elnafinn

Hi Louise

Ooooh you are the same age as my daughter. she will be 30 at the end of September. Welcome to the forum.

We all get down and "depressed" to a greater or lesser degree so don't let that worry you too much. It is very understandable, don't you think and that is why being able to log on here and have a look, see how others are going along, making cyber friends and feeling perfectly at ease to "be one's self and say how one is really feeling" is a good tonic.

It is early days for you since your diagnosis, so be kind to yourself. You will go through all the emotions and the tiredness does not help either. We all know where you are coming from on here and do understand, when other do not.

Make the most of the good days, you are doing ok, chin up,

Luv
Elna x

yesmeducky

oopie07 wrote:

hi everyone,

i'm louise and i'm 29. i have been reading some of the messages and they seem encouraging.
i have suffered with pain for 2yrs and was diagnosed with RA last Oct. i', on mtx/folic acid and it does seem to be working although i'm still gettin flare ups.
I was wonderin if anyone gets down and depressed? i seem to be tired and then get very emotional and have a complete lack of confidence. i'm not bubbly and outgoing like i used to be and find my illness embarrassing- which i know i shouldn't but its taking time still, for me to get my head round this. I do have good days but its always on my mind. :?

Hi there Louise,
Welcome to the site and hope you find it to be a good source for information and even a moan about whatever's getting you down; after all we're all in the same boat or have been at some point. This site can be an absolute lifeline and as you say the messages are encouraging. I suffer with depression and have found that it's mostly under control but since i was diagnosed with RA last month, i've been struggling a little bit. Some days i'm a lot more positive than others. I too have lost my confidence and get emotional but i do think that once i've accepted the disease and the limitations it can cause me, i'll hopefully spring back. Tiredness does seem to be at it's worst when i feel down. Some days i have to really push myself to do something i enjoy to get my serotin levels up a bit, it usually works if only a little bit. Anyway, keep posting and take care,
Heidi

eckstardeluxe

Hi Louise, welcome to the forum.

To answer your question, yes sometimes I get depressed. I think it's perfectly natural and nothing to be ashamed of. I got my diagnosis in January and was told there was nothing could be done as it was too advanced. When they said it was only caused by an illness I had in childhood I became very depressed and angry as my condition in childhood was caused by MRSA contracted during a routine kidney op. I was always angry about that but more so when I found out I had arthritis.

However, having joined here and had the support from the posters I decided at long last to do something about it. I sought access to my medical records and discovered negligence had been documented as far back as 1985, when I was 9 years old. I decided to go to a Solicitor and have now been told I have a good case. I posted on here and people who had secondary OA like me came forward to say they had never been warned also and were going to take advice. It felt great that something I had done was giving others the courage to fight themselves. I still get low sometimes but not nearly as much as before because I feel I'm finally getting answers and am challenging the mistakes. I've learned I have to slow down and listen to my body, trying to do things I'm not capable of will only depress me further. Speaking to people here and realising you are not alone really helps. xx

mistywillow

yesmeducky wrote:

oopie07 wrote:

hi everyone,

i'm louise and i'm 29. i have been reading some of the messages and they seem encouraging.
i have suffered with pain for 2yrs and was diagnosed with RA last Oct. i', on mtx/folic acid and it does seem to be working although i'm still gettin flare ups.
I was wonderin if anyone gets down and depressed? i seem to be tired and then get very emotional and have a complete lack of confidence. i'm not bubbly and outgoing like i used to be and find my illness embarrassing- which i know i shouldn't but its taking time still, for me to get my head round this. I do have good days but its always on my mind. :?

Hi there Louise,
Welcome to the site and hope you find it to be a good source for information and even a moan about whatever's getting you down; after all we're all in the same boat or have been at some point. This site can be an absolute lifeline and as you say the messages are encouraging. I suffer with depression and have found that it's mostly under control but since i was diagnosed with RA last month, i've been struggling a little bit. Some days i'm a lot more positive than others. I too have lost my confidence and get emotional but i do think that once i've accepted the disease and the limitations it can cause me, i'll hopefully spring back. Tiredness does seem to be at it's worst when i feel down. Some days i have to really push myself to do something i enjoy to get my serotin levels up a bit, it usually works if only a little bit. Anyway, keep posting and take care,
Heidi

Hi Louise
Welcome. I found this site a little while ago and truly it is the best tonic when you feel down about things. Everybody TRULY understands what you feel like. I think most of us struggle at some time to cope with the constant pain and depression and change of lifestyle, but all days are not the same. There are good ones too and you will gradually make the adptations that you need to to help you cope. Anyway you can always have a good moan here.
You take care of yourself and keep us posted.
Gillx :P

oopie07

hi all, thanks for the lovely replies it great to hear from people who really understand! not going mad afterall

lou

mistywillow wrote:

yesmeducky wrote:

oopie07 wrote:

hi everyone,

i'm louise and i'm 29. i have been reading some of the messages and they seem encouraging.
i have suffered with pain for 2yrs and was diagnosed with RA last Oct. i', on mtx/folic acid and it does seem to be working although i'm still gettin flare ups.
I was wonderin if anyone gets down and depressed? i seem to be tired and then get very emotional and have a complete lack of confidence. i'm not bubbly and outgoing like i used to be and find my illness embarrassing- which i know i shouldn't but its taking time still, for me to get my head round this. I do have good days but its always on my mind. :?

Hi there Louise,
Welcome to the site and hope you find it to be a good source for information and even a moan about whatever's getting you down; after all we're all in the same boat or have been at some point. This site can be an absolute lifeline and as you say the messages are encouraging. I suffer with depression and have found that it's mostly under control but since i was diagnosed with RA last month, i've been struggling a little bit. Some days i'm a lot more positive than others. I too have lost my confidence and get emotional but i do think that once i've accepted the disease and the limitations it can cause me, i'll hopefully spring back. Tiredness does seem to be at it's worst when i feel down. Some days i have to really push myself to do something i enjoy to get my serotin levels up a bit, it usually works if only a little bit. Anyway, keep posting and take care,
Heidi

Hi Louise
Welcome. I found this site a little while ago and truly it is the best tonic when you feel down about things. Everybody TRULY understands what you feel like. I think most of us struggle at some time to cope with the constant pain and depression and change of lifestyle, but all days are not the same. There are good ones too and you will gradually make the adptations that you need to to help you cope. Anyway you can always have a good moan here.
You take care of yourself and keep us posted.
Gillx :P