I know where you’re coming from – I mourn my losses, I used to play guitar – and I’ve watched it disappear with so many other things I used to be able to do. Badminton, anything with a racquet, even handwriting is becoming a chore (and I’ve got 7 exams to do this year – I’m studying!). I’m also a graphic designer, but can’t do that anymore (notice I haven’t given up on that completely I didn’t say ‘I was a graphic designer’!).

The trick is to replace the things you can’t do with things you can do.

I can’t use the computer graphics software anymore – but I’ve discovered that I’m rather good at Tax and accounting. It feels a bit sad to go from creative to accounting, but what can I say, I’m enjoying it! (mainly because I can do it and I’ve achieved something!) Plus i can do it on my own terms – online, from home wearing my pink pyjamas and my blue bed socks with purple polka dots! (seriously – I have them on now).

I think it’s important to stop your world from closing in too much – I have a tendancy toward being a bit of a hermit, so I try to resist that, but on my own terms.

I can’t peel potatoes any more – so I learned to cook them with their skin on – turns out it’s healthier – who knew!

I don’t want to sound too ‘pollyanna’ as my husband puts it, but I’m having a flare-up kind of week yet still feeling positive – so I’m paying it forward.

Hope you find a few replacements for your losses – keep looking they’re out there.

Cheers

Tracey.

I agree that stress can trigger flares in RA, I’ve seen it in my own case. I worked full time in one organisation where I thoroughly enjoyed my co-workers, while working to tight deadlines, doing creative work and dealing with a range of other potential ‘stressors’ but I didn’t feel stressed because the work environment was essentially positive (actually downright fun!) When I left to work part time with a different organisation, doing the same type of work with similar ‘stressors’ my RA flared to the point I was forced to give up work. The difference was the work environment, the second place was positively toxic and I reacted to it accordingly.

The same thing happened with my two pregnancies, the first I worked for a government bureaucracy with a very negative environment, my blood pressure was very high until I was told by my doctor to stop work. The second pregnancy, I was self employed, working on big budget projects and meeting tight deadlines, but had a pleasant work environment – no problem with blood pressure at all and worked right up to baby’s arrival (and started back with baby in tow very soon after!)

Should also note that RA was diagnosed between babies, so the second one was a case of going off all meds prior to pregnancy. Luckily I had no RA pain during pregnancy. (I was told that this could be due to large quantities of cortisone women produce naturally during pregnancy).

Anyway bit off topic – What I do know is that for me – stress does play a big part in RA flare-ups, and I agree with you that this could have been extrapolated by some to mean anger. But, I don’t think the anger/stress caused the RA to start with, (especially given that I was 12 when I contracted the virus that is supposed to have caused my Juvenile RA).