(Sadie says it all!)
We all have them. The dreaded flare! It comes on in so many different ways for so many different people that for this post I am going to focus on how mine tend to come on.Lately, I know one is heading my way because first I tend to get exhausted. Then comes the shivers or feeling of being cold. Cold to the point I put on extra layers of clothing, turn up the heat, and burrow deep down under the covers. And need I not forget...the dreaded pain of it all. Yes, mine also come with that PAIN! You know what I am talking about if you have ra.
(Sleep...blissful sleep)
The pain really only depends on where you have ra and what medications you can take to staff off that pain. Mine has been ratcheting it up a bit and hitting me square up and down my spine and in my ribcage. I am not going to venture out on a limb here as we all know (snicker snicker) that ra doesn't hit the spine. Bull! Yup, bull. It does, it has, and chances are it will hit you at some point in your spine if you have a formidable case of ra. No, we are not imagining this doctors out there! RA does hit our spines!
For me I am able to rest when I need so for this flare from the deep down depths of the dark (I hate to use cuss words on my blog), I took to sleep. I also took one additional tramadol and additional pregnisone and no....I did not call my ra doc as you know I am currently trying to figure out how to get a new one. That doc would have not so kindly told me that I probably deserved this flare as I am not on the heavy duty ra meds he has recommended. Of course if you have been reading my blog you know why I don't want to try anymore heavy duty ra meds. I am worried about triggering cancer as I have had two types of thyroid cancers already and have a high history of breast cancer in my family. I will take the flare instead.
I slept for over 14 hours straight. Sometimes we just gotta do what we gotta do to get through these beastly things. I made it through and hoping that after I close this post and go back to bed, the morning sunlight will bring me a better day tomorrow.
(Sadie says maybe tomorrow will be a play date)
We can hope...can't we?
What do you do to overcome a flare? Can you tell when one is coming on? If you work, how do you cope when a flare hits at work?
I love my pj's too Sadie!
Further Reading:
The ABC's of Pain Management: Let The Games Begin
The Pressure Cooker: ABC's of RA and barometric pressure
A Perplexing Problem: The Girls
