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How do you get active if you’re always in pain?

A myRAteam Member asked a question 💭
Albany, OR

I’m trying to be active all the time due to having a one year old. My husband door dashes so that he can be home more for me and help with the baby. But the pain and fatigue are ruff. Even if I push myself to walk or clean. I feel like I died and I have to rest the next day or up to three depending on what it did. I try and eat more protein. Take magnesium, prenatal, 3 biotic pill for extra help. I can’t lose my baby weight cause I can only last 10 mins walking

April 8
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A myRAteam Member

I completely understand how exhausting that cycle can feel. Try starting with very small, gentle movements like stretching or 5–10 minutes of slow activity and gradually build up, pacing is really important. It’s okay to rest without guilt, your body needs it.

April 9
myRAteam

How can you stay active with rheumatoid arthritis when pain and fatigue are overwhelming?

It sounds incredibly challenging to manage RA symptoms while caring for a one-year-old. The post-activity exhaustion you're experiencing is common with RA, and it's important to approach movement differently than you might have Show Full Answer

How can you stay active with rheumatoid arthritis when pain and fatigue are overwhelming?

It sounds incredibly challenging to manage RA symptoms while caring for a one-year-old. The post-activity exhaustion you're experiencing is common with RA, and it's important to approach movement differently than you might have before.

Start with very small, manageable amounts of activity rather than pushing through. Even 5-10 minutes of gentle movement counts, and you can gradually build from there. The key is finding what you can sustain without triggering days of recovery.

Here are some approaches that may help:

* Begin with gentle stretching or chair exercises that you can do while watching your baby
* Try breaking activity into smaller chunks throughout the day rather than one longer session
* Consider water-based activities if accessible, as they're easier on joints
* Work with a physical therapist who can design exercises specifically for your current abilities
* Schedule movement during times when you typically have more energy

Regarding weight loss, remember that appropriate exercise combined with your treatment plan is more important than intensity. Your body needs time to adapt, and rest days are essential, not failures. For managing daily life with a toddler:

* Incorporate movement into daily activities like playing with your baby on the floor or doing hand exercises while reading to them
* Plan your most demanding tasks for when you know you'll have the most energy
* Don't feel guilty about taking breaks - rest is part of managing RA, not laziness
* Consider asking your rheumatologist about whether your current treatment plan is adequately controlling your symptoms, since severe fatigue and pain that limit basic activities may indicate your RA needs better management

A myRAteam member shared: "I do what I can in the morning because, if I don't get my chores done early, I'm too tired in the afternoon."

Your nutrition efforts are great. Also focus on staying hydrated and eating smaller meals throughout the day to help maintain steadier energy levels.

Most importantly, talk to your rheumatologist about your current symptom levels. The degree of fatigue and pain you're experiencing may suggest your RA treatment needs adjustment.

April 8
A myRAteam Member

Thank you for the words of encouragement. Honey, yes you’re not wrong trial and error with meds and that’s what scares me. The most is putting them in my body and it not working and me being sicker than I should be specially since I have that one year-old that I’m trying to let grow. The waiting game is just not fun having to do it going on my fourth year this is the first time though that they brought up RA so I’m hoping it can be healed but seems like my doctor only wants to heal the RA for now and nothing else and I feel like the RA has been there for so long that it doesn’t affect me anymore because the other symptoms are stronger than what I have with my other autoimmune issues.

biologics
Remind me asking what this is I’ll look it up, but I also would like to know your take on it

April 14
A myRAteam Member

@A myRAteam Member, I totally understand the frustration. rA is a big practice in patience. Trying new drugs are always a scary thing. They tell you the side effects and those alone scare you. Everyone's experience is different with the medications. My experience is that hydroxycloriquine saved me from surgery. It killed me when I had to go off if it because at my yearly eye check one of the linings on my eye, not the macular, was changing. I have been off of it now for over a year. But there did come a time about 3 or 4 years ago that my RA started to worsen so they put me on a biologic. Since then I've been on at least 6. Some I've been on for months, some I was on for a year. This is just my experience. Where you hurt so bad you might want to try the biologics. When they work it's wonderful. You have more energy and you can be more active. When they don't you can move on to the next. I can't even imagine going through it with a one year old. It's hard enough with my teenage granddaughter. We are here for you. Build your team and you will always find help. There are articles you can read on here also. Welcome to the team. I just added you to mine.

April 9
A myRAteam Member

I’ve tried one of the meds and it’s made me super sick. I go through periods where I feel like I’m pregnant and having morning sickness. So she took me off that I was literally only on it for maybe three weeks maybe a month at Best. Now she wants to try me on Humira. I just don’t know how I feel about that yet. I’m on hydroxychloroquine. I was on it for two years and then stopped taking it for a year after giving birth. And now I’m back on it when I was on at the first time I didn’t really feel anything. I still feel the same way now that I’m not pregnant and I am out of that baby face. I feel like my symptoms are stronger. I do get up and I do things, but I push myself so hard sometimes to the point where my husband can’t DoorDash and has to stay home and we lose out on a lot of money because he’s our secondary income.

April 9

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