What Tips Would You Give a Friend Living with RA?
Everyone here knows what it means to live with a rheumatic condition. If you just learned your friend has RA – newly diagnosed OR living with it for years – what would you say? Would you offer any tips? How would you support them?
Share below so we can let our larger community know what someone living with RA needs from friends.
1. Focus on your passion in life....it distracts from pain.
2. Don't be a hero.....if you hurt, it's ok to say so.
3. Stop being the place where people come for holidays [which means you do all the cooking, cleaning, decorating]. Give THEM the gift of ownership. Let them do it at THEIR house and YOU be the guest.
4. Remember that YOU are paying your doctor to provide a service. So make a list of questions and make sure you leave with answers.
Lots more to add....but others should chime in. 😀This is great please share more. Being strong with the Doctors is very important 
Your Rhuematoid,should be known as your helped after awhile it should be easy for you talk about anything The key is to be comfortable with your doctor,he call be your best chance of finding a treatment that works best for you.My doctor doesn't ever check his watch for the time when I ha e questions or we need another plan of attack he spends,as long as it takes to come to,an agreement. If you don't have that woth,your doxtor...I suggest finding one who suits you...
Be fully aware of the effects of RA on your whole body before dismissing drug treatments over their potential side effects. So true. I'm always amazed when people decide MTX isn't for them. When I was on high dose MTX it meant one day a week I'd be a little nauseous. I was fine the other 6 days - joint pain greatly diminished. Do the math. When I was on MTX I felt like I'd just been hit by a truck for 5 days, like I was recovering for 2 days, then it was time to take the pills again. Works for some people, but not for others..
Make sure you listen to your body and have rest periods.
Absolutely! That can be difficult, mentally, because our society is a go-go-go oriented culture. But you're right, giving ourselves permission to just rest when needed is so huge. Reggie, RheumatoidArthritis.net Team Member
Just diagnosed. Well, really, there's only one thing I'd repeat over and over and that's "it's going to be OK, I promise."
