Health Issues

[nannyto3]

I have rheumatoid arthritis and fibromalgia and a family who doesn't understand. I have read that RA can be the "but you do not look sick" disease. I have good days and then I have bad days. The fatigue is the worse and the joint pain is some days unbearable. I try my best to take care of myself because the better care I take of myself the least likely the disease will attack the kidneys, heart and lungs. Just wanted to start this thread in case there are others like me out there who sometimes just have to say I hurt and no understands, but yet have people around who do undersand. :lol2

[Rebekah]

I have one aunt with fibromyalgia, and another aunt of mine has RA. I have seen both secondhand through them and can honestly say I am very sorry for what you are suffering. Take care.

[JesusFreak92]

:pray

[Biblenuggetlady]

I have RA and Systemic Lupus...I can TOTALLY relate to how you feel and how people around you don't understand, OR they get tired of our conditions-even if we are not complaining. It is so true, you don't always look sick, but you can feel like you are dying, or wish you just would and get it over with. It is a daily struggle but the Lord has also brought me many blessings because of this. I am permanently disabled and am therefore able to be a stay at home mom and in today's world, I am more than willing to have these illnesses in trade to be home to counter the world for my children. My youngest son is autistic too, so he needs a stay at home mom. My plate is full, but His blessings overflow my heart more times than I can count. I spent a few weeks in the hospital recently and am still trying to get back to "normal".

Said a special prayer for you nanny. :hug :pray

[Sydney Spider]

I can relate to the "....but you don't look sick" comments. I've had CFS since the mid-to-late seventies when the condition just didn't "exist", therefore in the absence of any abnormalities showing up in medical tests, no-one really believed I was sick because I had no diagnosis. There were people out there somewhere like me, but I knew of no-one like me and neither did any of my doctors or anyone else in my life.....so I felt like the only one in the world.

Have you thought about finding a support group in your area? After finally being diagnosed in 1990, I went to my first support group meeting and I remember crying on the way home because it was the first time in all those years that I had met anyone who actually understood what I was going through, and experienced it themselves. Unfortunately I had to stop going after a few years because they started embracing some very "new age-y" ideas.

I can count my blessings because I don't have RA.....I really sympathise with you and anyone else who has it. You'll always get plenty of :hug:hug:hug:hugs here (even if they're just the virtual kind!).

Praying for you, nannyto3, and BNL.

[antsinmypants]

You might like the website 'But you don't look sick' ;)

RA and Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Celiac Disease, Chron's PCOS, Endometriosis and many many other things fall into the 'but you don't look sick!' illness category all the time!!

You don't get much compassion with it, and people say really thoughtless things sometimes, I totally feel you :hug

If there is a support group in your area, it may be worth checking out. Sometimes commiseration and having someone else who 'knows' to hang out with once in a while is such a welcome relief!!

[Sing4Him]

Fibromyalgia :nod
I understand.. it stinks, doesn't it? :pray:pray for all of you.

[pagal]

Sufferer of Fibro here..... I was in the ER two times this year thinking I was dying. Their now telling me it's possibly fibro since not ONE thing showed up in all my testings.

:pray Ya know, sometimes you just have to put off what other's think and take your cares to God.

We understand :hug

[Sing4Him]

I have had many, many cortisone injection into my back muscles because of this. (and sjogren's)

No.. it is not fun.. just know we will have glorified bodies soon enough!! :yeah

[jadeeyes]

You might like the website 'But you don't look sick' ;)

RA and Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Celiac Disease, Chron's PCOS, Endometriosis and many many other things fall into the 'but you don't look sick!' illness category all the time!!

You don't get much compassion with it, and people say really thoughtless things sometimes, I totally feel you :hug

If there is a support group in your area, it may be worth checking out. Sometimes commiseration and having someone else who 'knows' to hang out with once in a while is such a welcome relief!!

The nerve disease my husband, daughter and 2 of my granddaughters have is one of those diseases. They suffer pain, disability and deformity of their feet. Most of the time, people see them with their shoes on and have no idea how deformed their feet are and how difficult and painful walking is for them. It was really difficult when my daughter was little. I knew her limitations and, while she was disciplined and had chores like her brothers, I didn't push her to do things I knew she was unable to do or would cause her a lot of needless pain or would greatly risk her suffering a serious injury. When she was in 6th grade, she broke her leg. She was sent to a physiatrist after the cast was removed and was diagnosed with osteoporosis and osteoarthritis in the ankle on the same side as the broken leg. Many of my friends and family insisted that when I didn't make her try to do some things that were just too painful or impossible for her that I was babying her. Her neurologist had her permanently exempted from PE after her leg healed because he had set restrictions for her that the school refused to accept. The doc had already been concerned that the risks of her participating in PE might outweigh the benefits, but when the school refused to heed his orders, he knew he had to set the restriction. Then, the school actually had the gall to call a meeting with me to determine if they were going to agree to exempting her from PE. I told them that the option was not theirs. Her doctor knew her case and he was the one qualified to make that decision. She looked perfectly healthy to them, but she was physically incapable of running or jumping. Even walking or standing on uneven ground is and was pretty tricky. My SIL also thought I was babying her. What is unfortunate for my SIL is that she has since developed the disease and it was accelerated due to some meds she had been on which arre toxic for the nerves of CMT patients. She is now suffering some of the same things I was "babying" my child for when she ws little. Sadly, due to her own circumstances, my SIL no longer believes I babied my daughter or that my daughter is babying her 11 and 3 year olds.