12 Ways to Get on Top of Your RA

byLene Andersen,MSW Patient Advocate

用风湿性生活arthritis (RA) and all that comes with it can be overwhelming. Every day you manage symptoms and medications, juggle medical appointments and tests, and somewhere in between there are also the demands of the rest of your life. That leaves little time and energy to get ahead, to live better with your condition. But what if you approached it one step at a time—maybe just taking on one change per month over the course of a year? Here are 12 things you can explore to help you live better with RA.

焦虑的妇女谈话与她的医生。
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用你的风湿病学制定计划

当你建一个房子时,你就会以基础开始。与与您的RA更好地共存的旅程是一样的。与你的风湿病学讨论你的生活目标 - 为你的RA,而且 - 以后阻碍你们从而实现了这一点。你觉得你的目前吗?treatment is not controlling your condition还应该?您是否在考虑探索手术以更好地运作?你和你的医生可以吗?一起工作? Start now to create a solid base.

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吃得健康

你可以更健康,对你的RA更好。这包括看看你的饮食习惯。确保你正在吃饭将支持您努力治疗您的状况的食物。Some people experience a当他们吃某些食物时,他们的症状恶化- 消除消除饮食可以识别你的一些耀斑触发器。有些也有兴趣探索不同的饮食和their effects on general health, specifically RA. Ask your doctor for a referral to adietitianwho can help you transition into a healthier diet.

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审查您的财务状况

Having a chronic illness can be a serious financial strain. Take a look at your finances toidentify areas for improvement。This doesn’t just mean whether you are able to save money for retirement or paying off debt. Review your medication list and talk to your pharmacist about accessingfinancial assistance programs或发现其他方法可以保存在药物上。It may also be a good idea to consult a financial advisor or an accountant to identify whether there are ways to reduce your taxes.

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Create a Self-Care Routine

Despite the increasing focus on self-care, most of us are pretty bad at actually doing this—something or someone else always comes first. Include self-care in your plan for your day. It can be something as simple as soothing your aching body in a bubble bath, watching a television show or movie with your family,在花园里打球,或确保您有一些时间,如果这是什么对您充电。重要的是每天都在您的待办事项清单上。

眼科医生检查患者。
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Deal With the Rest of Your Health

When you have a chronic illness like RA, therest of your health can take a backseat。It’s called diagnostic overshadowing, meaning basically that RA takes up a lot of room. Make an appointment with your family doctor for an annual physical, and make sure that they are on top of what needs to be done to stay ahead of any of theRA的全身效应。This can include a referral to a精准医疗ventative cardiologist, bone scans to monitor for osteoporosis, and other preventive health measures.

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OMMM ...冥想

Stress. We all have it and deal with it more or less badly.压力可以是一个触发器for autoimmune disease flares, so learning tomanage it can be very important当你有ra。管理压力的一种方法是learning to meditate。关于该主题的研究表明,冥想可以减轻你的痛苦,抑郁和焦虑。您可以在您所在地区的冥想中找到课程,或通过书籍学习音频节目

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Make Room for People

慢性疾病可能非常隔离。疲劳和痛苦让您更频繁地留在家,取消朋友和家庭成员,因为您的RA接管。但是你不必出去花时间与你关心的人。而不是去吃晚餐和电影,在你的地方做出拿出来和DVD。诚实地了解您的需求和限制并谈论替代方案。有时,保持联系可以像常规电话一样简单。

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Explore Alternative Treatments

Many people with RA supplement their Western-based treatment with alternative medicine. This can include按摩,自然疗法,针刺, and others. If you’ve been thinking about trying different types of alternative treatments, do some research to make sure you’re making wise choices. You should also make sure to tell your rheumatologist about any alternative treatment or remedy.

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开始移动

你可能有点厌倦了被告知运动,因为它是“对你的ra有利”。但它实际上可以对你的流动性和痛苦水平产生显着差异。你可以开始服用small walks,或尝试不同类型的运动,如modified yoga,Aqua Fit., or evenZumbakickboxingto see what you enjoy. If your RA is acting up too much for you to feel comfortable doing this on your own, ask your rheumatologist for a referral to a physical therapist who can help put together an exercise program that works for you.

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Ask for Help

You don’t have to do it all alone. It’s normal for people with a chronic illness to work harder to do it all—when you are very conscious of what you can’t do anymore, you do what you can to the max. But asking for help can be the key to reducing stress in your life, getting more done, and even spending time with others. Asking for help can be a gift of kindness to the people who care for you, who very much want to help, but may not know how.

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Try Gratitude

当你有ra时,可以很容易地在日常挫折中丢失。将你的焦点转移到更积极的生活方式练习感激之情。Making a plan to every day specifically look for something beautiful, joyful, or that which makes you thankful graduallycreates a habit这将有助于你成为一个更快乐的人。当您确实遇到困难时,感恩可以帮助您更好地应对并支持您寻找出路。

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Embrace Good Enough

在这个完美的世界中,患有慢性疾病的限制可能会令人沮丧,甚至是毁灭性的。例如,它可以帮助记住,例如,社交媒体和杂志包含有选择性策划的时刻,但不反映实际的生活。而不是针对完美,拥抱足够好的概念。这将让您留下与孩子们玩游戏的能量,愚蠢(或性感)与您的伴侣,或读一本好书

Meet Our Writer
Lene Andersen,MSW

Lene Andersen是一个作者,健康和残疾倡导者,以及生活在多伦多的摄影师。Lene(发音Lena)患有类风湿性关节炎,因为她四岁以来,使用她的经验帮助他人患有慢性疾病。她已经写了几本书,包括你的生命用类风湿性关节炎:用于管理治疗,副作用和疼痛的工具和7个方面:冥想痛苦,以及屡获殊荣的博客,坐姿。Lene在HealthCentral的健康倡导者颁发咨询委员会,并且是Facebook页面上的RahealthCentral的社会大使,Facebook.com/RahenceCentral。她也是HealthCentral的一个Live Bold, Live Nowheroes —watch her incredible journey of living with RA.