Does anyone also have an ADHD diagnosis?
I was hurt while on the job and was on worker's comp for a year-and-a-half. At which time I believe I went through menopause lots of extra stress almost lost my home did lose my mother and my son was diagnosed with a rare blood disease. Finally was approved to see a specialist who ran multiple lab tests and Release Me From workers comp and telling me, I undeniably have RA. And I need to find a specialist. My first reaction was denial, then research, and finally exception of my DX. I also have ADHD and have been depressed. I have not seen a specialist yet due to not having insurance. My ADHD keeps me sidetracked and I cannot seem to calm down to rest and haven't taken meds for that in 20 yrs. It seems it is making things impossible, because I feel like I'm killing myself to keep my home in order and have literally killed my ankles and hands cleaning. So my question is.. if anyone has these two DXs and how are you being treated, what has been prescribed? And if so is it helping?
Hi TKSilen. Sorry to hear you are struggling with these two conditions. Hopefully anyone with similar circumstances will offer some thoughts. First, I noticed you mention not being able to afford treatment due to lack of insurance. There are programs to assist those with RA and one of our contributors wrote about some of them here: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/finding-help-to-afford-your-ra-medications/. I'm sure the ADHD adds additional difficulties and a chronic condition like RA can certainly have emotional and mental impacts. Please know that you are not alone. This page from our editorial team looks at the emotional toll of chronic illness: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/infographic/the-emotional-toll-of-chronic-illness/. In addition, thought you might be interested in this page from the ADD Association on "Resources for Adults with ADHD:" https://add.org/resources/. Finally, know that you are always welcome here for information and support. Wishing you the best. Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)
I greatly appreciate any and information offered. Being diagnosed with RA has been a trying and difficult thing for me. I have always been the go to person and have had difficulty not only saying no, but also trying to explain why I have to say no. My own daughter said "what's wrong with you?, you need to snap out of this!, the old you would be working two jobs getting things done. " I was at a loss for words and that one statement sent my mind into deeper depression, because yes that's what my old self would've done. It wasn't until she seen me dropping things because of no grip from swollen fingers. Witnessing not being able to keep up my host skills at a dinner I planned. Not jumping up to clean and refill cups or seconds for kids. I could see and feel her staring in disbelief of how I could no longer do the simplest things. At one point which all my children know, I traveled 45miles to take 17 hrs. a semester for college, while being a single parent of three with two jobs. My anxiety of failure made me overachieve. Now it seems as if it was all in vein. If someone said I couldn't, I would just to prove I could.
I am not used to asking for help for anything, much less not being able to pay for things myself. I've done so much research trying to figure myself out that I've actually just lost around 8months without even realizing the amount of time I've neglected to care for or actually even been able to focus on any type of paperwork for help or disability. Thank you for the leads and tips. Reading people's stories has also helped me understand there is a reason, my eyes are dry, my skin is dry, why my legs and ankles are so swollen, and the brain fog people talk about is real.
Now I need to concentrate and get motivated to actually seek help. One reason of delay is due to being in the health field myself in a small town. I need MHMR service and help with RA and know everyone who works at these places so I was even considering a different town for doing this.
Consider, while you may have primary ADHD in addition to your RA, ADHD symptoms can be greatly aggravated by the chronic pain, fatigue, inflamation and poor sleep. It is possible to see improvement in ADHD symptoms when those aggravating symptoms are addressed. It doesn't cure ADHD, but may make you much more able to attend to your daily needs and affect the dosage or need for ADHD meds.
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