Someone on this support page said to take B12 for fatigue. I bought a B12 Suoer Complex and added it to my multi vitamin for women over 59. My dr said you couldn't overdose on vitamins. You might try it for the fatigue.

Fatigue is a major side effect of RA. Even after being on meds and being pretty much fully functional, I still have fatigue.

It might be hard at first, but it is so important to listen to your body. I learned that the hard way.

Tell your dr about your symptoms. It's possible you might have Fibromyalgia as well since it often accompanies RA, like in my case. I'm an RN and on disability because of RA,Osteoarthritis, Fibromyalia and osteoporosis in my lower spine. Like you I have learned that those power naps are necessary and quite helpful. Your son sounds like a real sweetheart...most kids his age would not be so understanding...I commend him for his empathy toward his dad👏😊

Just finishing the thought:

BUT...the tiredness...that's...a different story. It's just there, irrespective of his needs, irrespective of the delight I take in him. In the four years or so since his mother and I separated, I've probably had no more than two periods in which my RA. Was so bad from a pain/stiffness standpoint that I've felt the need to call family members to come stay with us to help and provide me a "backstop" while he was with me. There have been probably 4-5 times when I've felt like it would be better/safer if there were another family member around because of a particularly bad "fatigue flare" (as I term them).

I sometimes need a brief nap,while he's here. That's not such a big deal. We lay in bed together. He watches a show or a movie and I sleep for a half hour or an hour and that will take the edge off of it enough that I can then push through. I can't say that either of us love that I have to sometimes, but...well, neither of us love that I have RA, but both of us understand that there are certain adjustments that we have to make sometimes.

The fact that it effects his life - that he has to even know the term "RA" is...well...enormously painful for me...but, I think it's less confusing for him for the symptoms to have a name - for me to be able to tell him the truth - than for him to have to be guessing what's going on. Kids ALWAYS know. They maybes tunoa what they know,mug they always know. I wish he didn't have to know what RA is (and it's not like I overwhelm him with details), but it beats the hell out him, at 8, having to guess why his dad looks so,tired, or just declared a nap, or is limping. Much better to just be able to say "ah, my RA is doing it's thing today." That way, he has a tangible explanation. It's part of our "normal" and he can just move on with his own stuff.

Ok. That's a lot of words. This is the first time I've ever posted o. This or any other RA support site. I'm not sure if it's "right" for me or not, but I guess it's worth the experiment. Hope having another person's perspective on his helps. Best of luck.