Recently I read an article from another rheumatoid arthritis sufferer. She wrote about a day in the life of her and coping with her RA. I thought I would share here what daily life is for me - mother, full-time employee, wife, friend and daughter in Christ. I don't want sympathy, I just want to raise awareness for those who struggle with chronic pain and illness. I am learning to say "no" to invites, kids, friends, family, etc. I am learning to listen to my body rather than my emotions and mind. I am learning to let go of things I "used" to do, know I have a new normal. I am less active outside to the home. But, with that I am more active at home. Well, at least a new active. So here is a day in the life of the Rheumy fighter!
6:00 am - alarm goes off. I stretch and hit snooze. I begin my stretches in bed in order to "oil" up my joints.
6:25 am - Caleb lets me know they are ready to go. I get out of bed, put my slippers on, brush my teeth and head to the car. I take the boys to zero hour at the high school.
6:50 am - Sit in the driveway enjoying the warmth and quiet before I go inside.
7:00-7:30 am - prepare dinner for the night. Mostly crockpot meals, but some I do most of the prep work so all George has to do is put it all together when he gets home. Once done, I clean the kitchen.
7:30 - 8:00 am - back lunch, finish dinner and dishes, try to get bible study in.
8:00 - 8:30 am - Shower and get ready for work.
8:30 - 9:00 am - Drop Sophia off at school and drive to work. Some mornings this condensed if Sophia has strings at 8:00 or I have an early morning meeting.
9:00 am - 5:30 pm - Work day. This could be computer work, field construction oversight, meetings, inspections, etc. When my RA is somewhat under control I go for easy walk/jog at lunch. Lately, my lower back has flared, so I sit at my desk and read a book.
5:30 - 6:00 - Drive home
6:00-9:00 - Eat dinner, do dishes, help with homework, plan for the next day, drive kids to dance, pick up kids from schools, bible study, etc. It all depends on the evening!
9:00 - ? - This depends on the night. If I am exhausted and able I will go to bed. Some nights I am exhausted but my body doesn't want to go to sleep until 2 am. Many nights my husband and I have our shows we watch.
I honestly could not do this without my husband. Have 2 boys in high school including high school sports (neither have their licenses), 1 girl in middle school and 1 girl in elementary school, our life is crazy busy. We have dance, piano, play practice, sports, soccer, etc. The only night we normally have no activities is Friday night. This is reserved for pizza and movies.
Most days I want to stay in bed with a heat blanket on and keep the pain at bay. In reality, I push through the day and when I get home I take a pain pill and muscle relaxer. These help take the edge off. Some days when my flares are bad I can't pour a glass of milk. I push through knowing God will get me through each day. The other thing I have noticed I struggle with is "brain fog". I forgot things. A lot of things. Names of places or items. Conversations I had with my family. Work emails that came in. I am learning to make lists and to dos everywhere.
So, if I cancel on a get together, or it seems like we only ask people to come to our house, it is because I know my limits. It wears me down to be away from home. Some days my energy is only reserved just to get through work.
Hopefully this helps you have a better understanding of what it is like to live with chronic pain and chronic illness. I don't look sick, so it is hard to remember that I am.
I confess some days I want to give up. I want to never leave my house. But then I remember God is there for me each morning. His mercies are NEW every morning. He has me in his hands.
