I started Taltz over about 6 weeks ago and it has helped my fingers and feet, but overwhelming fatigue has put in bed these last 5 days and I’m feeling extremely anxious. My doc gave me a steroid shot 2 days ago and I’m taking oral steroids in addition. I had plans to meet friends for a musical at the Kennedy Center (Washington, DC) tonight and can’t make it. I usually feel anxious when I have a flare up that lasts more than a couple of days. When is it going to end? When will I be able to clean my house? When will I be able to go grocery shopping? Will I be ready for vacation starting January 9? Will Taltz work or will I have to go through 3 months of hell to find out it doesn’t work?
I’m at home alone ruminating about all these things and I’m so tired of being in bed.
I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. It’s really easy to go into a dark place when things aren’t going in the right direction. I don’t know if you’re able to push through to do anything. Even with really bad fatigue, sometimes pushing can help. And sometimes it doesn’t, you obviously know yourself best.
Welcome to a new year @Frances! Oh those nasty flares that not only hurt the body but also the mind…no fun at all! In my own PsA world, there are dark places that can become my default disposition when pain dominates my time. One of the worst is that area I call, “The Speculative Downward Spiral”. You ask many questions that have no answer to until you get there. While in pain, it is hard to be objective so we speculate on the negative and that just feeds anxiety. While at our weakest it is difficult to discipline the mind to think on that which is healthy, things that are good, right, pure and lovely but even small starts are helpful. For a while, put aside the questions that you can’t find an answer to. Right now, you don’t know when you will return to the things you need to do and love to do so put the unanswerable aside. I find that small distractions are helpful, little things that make me feel like I did something, anything of value. It might be connecting with a friend to see how they are doing, reorganizing one drawer in my tool box or starting a new book or finishing one that I started three times. While the body might be bedridden, the mind can be a friend instead or a foe…To summarize…1. Choose what you ponder 2. Set a few daily goals and be encouraged with small victories. 3. Statistically, flares calm down.
Thanks for including us in your very difficult journey, we all care about you and please stay in touch!
Thanks Stoney. I’m feeling a little better today. Don’t know how much I can get done. Have to prepare for a 2-week vacation to Costa Rica which means: cleaning the house for the pet sitter, shopping for rehearsal and wedding dress (I’m going to my niece’s wedding). It’s difficult to not feel overwhelmed.