All posts tagged: RA Fatigue

Mojo and down days

My mojo is rising today. Feels quite good. As a professional photographer my skill set has been set aside for the last nine months. I still have not set up my tablet.  I have been making images around me and now I’m starting to use a few of my Photoshop skills. Feels really good. Soon I will have my Wacom tablet set up and I will dive deeper. Yesterday was tough for me. The frustrating thing about RA is the randomness of its systemic affects. I felt flattened and any effort was difficult. Awhile back I learned  a few RA tips from  WebMD(www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis). An important tip was to break activities into blocks. Alternating physical activity with restful activities is always helpful on a down day. Sometimes more is done and there is less frustration. There will be pleasures in reading a good book or in catching up with favorite programs and still doing those necessary little chores. It is a helpful process for all of us.

Rheumatoid Arthritis a training ground for cancer

Rheumatoid Arthritis: A training ground for cancer. That is how I think of it. When I was diagnosed last year with RA, I read everything I could find on the subject. I was trying to figure out where I stood with the disease. My favorite book was M.E.McNeil’s The First Year Rheumatoid Arthritis. The value of this book is that it offers an approach, a way of thinking, to come to terms with a chronic, progressive disease. It gave me the same help when I had to come to terms with the diagnosis of two different cancers. • I journal regularly, expressing myself and establishing a timeline. • I think of my medical providers as my team that does include my pharmacist, physical therapist as well as the 6 specialists that I am seeing currently. • I see myself as the head of my team. I have confidence in my team. Each has a role. My role is to be proactive, to do my part. • I am able to accept my current situation, relaxing …