Any Nurses With RA?? How do you Cope?

Quickbeam, BSN, RN · Oct 15, 2007

I have RA (JRA, actually...just feel silly still using the "J"). I did hospital work for many years. As my joints deteriorated, I planned out a non-lifting career path. I did case mgt for a while and now I'm a community health nurse. I could do my job from a wheelchair. I took this job 9 years ago specifically because there would be no physical demands and that I could meet the essential functions even if non-ambulatory. It was a paycut but has been well worth it.

I phased myself out of clinical care. I have a BSN which made my non-bedside jobs possible. I strongly urge you to consider the BSN. I know nurses who have been able to score non-clinical roles without a BSN but it can be much harder.

underpaidrn · Oct 15, 2007

hi all,
im a near 41 year old wife and mother, and was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis 5 years ago. i also have pcos... and if you know anything about that... i pretty much in a nutshell dont stop producing insulin. my weight keeps climbing despite medical intervention... and with the ra i have... im pretty much miserable all the time... then this past summer... my lovely husband and i were doing what i love more than anything... fishing.. lol... loading our boat up, i had an accident where i fell about 8 foot and landed on a concrete boat ramp where my lower back took most of the impact. im a heft girl.. bout 270... so that was a lot of weight to hit in one spot. i had been out of work for a few months... and have gone from working in icu/ccu to ltc because i can't do the 12 hours any more.....
but to the meat of my question. for those of you who live with ra... and keep in mind... my lower back pain will be something that will haunt me now for the rest of my life.... how do you cope? what things do you do differently? what career paths have you chosen. i excelled at icu/ccu.... i loved it... i love trauma... i love being able to think quick on my feet and acting.... i still have the brain... but the body has gone to pot.... i have been super upset... not only has this injury cost me dearly... financially... i just dont know where to go from here....
i chose ltc mainly because im so in love with the elderly... they are my favorite patient population... but as the midnight charge.... its still very physically demanding...
the center where i work now... will not pay for educational assistance... i would work on my bsn but i need to play catch up...
i laugh when i am meeting new nurses.. because they are so territorial.... and i guess i was like that where i came from... it will take some time getting used to this new place...
point blank.. i love being a nurse.. i love helping people... i'm easy going yet... a stickler making sure patient care and safety is my utmost concern. it saddens me... that i worked so hard to get my license... (im a 2nd career nurse... my first was business management....) however, i find..there isn't enough hours in a shift to do what is necessary.. gosh.. this post is going off in several directions... i reckon i need to hush..lol
i am already on all the medications that i can take for my ra. meds they were using for the pcos insulin resistance... make me sick as a dog... guess you could say i have an adverse reaction to that.
i dont want my nursing career to end... i do so love it... we live in a very small rural town... any suggestions on what someone like me can do? where my career can head towards.... i would love to be a don in a nursing home.. but i know absolutely nothing about ltc... so will have to pay my dues there before i can even think about heading in that direction....
okay.. im ending this... im sorry to post today guys.. just having a very emotional morning.... after years of trying to figure out where i fit in this world.. and the years i put into getting my nursing license... and the years i spent trying to learn as much as hhui could while i was a nurse... i've been hit pretty hard with this these last couple of months... any suggustions would be wonderful....
sorry i sound so down... im usually a very upbeat and funny person.... today... im just so blue....
hugs,
rae:o

hugs to you sweetie. i am so sorry you are having such a bad morning. do try and get your bsn. there are tons of things you can do in a non-clinical setting. even in a clinical setting there are options. try working in a school, a doctor's office, etc. i don't have ra but i do have two pins in the left knee which cause a great deal of pain when trying to stand or run, etc. for 12 hours. i am in management and have been for the past 12 years, but i still get out in the field every so often. i wish you the best of luck and please keep us posted on how things are going for you. lots of us care! you are in my prayers.:kiss

ssanders80 · Oct 15, 2007

I have RA as well, I'm 27 and was diagnosed 5 yrs. ago. It's mostly in my hands. I will find out which school of nursing I'll be attending next month and I've been wondering the same thing about nursing w/ RA. My Rheumatologist has been working really hard w/ me over the years to reduce the pain and swelling and stiffness, and thank God it has been working. Now all I have to deal w/ is pesky carpal tunnel in my wrists. I've been wearing wrists braces to give me extra support and maybe that can help you in your career path?

Do you think maybe you could ask for different RA medicines to help you cope? For those who are posting to this thread, for someone w. RA who wants to defintely do clinical. What specialities would you suggest. I know pretty much all of them require lifting, but are there areas that will lessen the strain, say the NICU or Peds?

Thanks and good luck to you grbrico! I feel your pain (literally) and I'll pray for you.

Nursedeb07 · Oct 27, 2007

I too have RA and am on or have been most all the meds. Mine dx in 1991, am 48 yo f. I work in physicians office and have episodes of flairs but have a great dr who watches me very closely. My hands are crooked and just got off vent for septic pneumonia, but otherwise...ALIVE

lorster · Nov 29, 2007

I was diagnosed with Ra in 2005. I am 47. I am on plaquinil right now which has made my life so much easier. I went from working 12's to 8's and am so much happier and feel like I can make it through a shift. My arthritis is in my ankles and feet, wrists, elbows.

JinJerEvansRN · Dec 18, 2007

I too have RA, diagnosed in May 2007. I have only been a nurse for 2 and 1/2 years. It has been a very depressing time. I have had several exacerbations, lots of pain. Every once in a while I get a reprieve. I am pursuing my BSN now, I am working full time at the local hospital. I am also teaching a CNA class at the local college. I hope to become a full-time instructor eventually. I hope that my choice to teach will help my RA, and I will still get to care for the patients that I so dearly love, just not full time tugging and pulling if you know what I mean. I have to say, with all that I have going on, I have a lot of pain, but I know that God will get me through it, and I work with a great group of people who truly care about me and help me a lot.Good Luck to you,J

sharona97, BSN, RN · Dec 19, 2007

I have RA as well, I'm 27 and was diagnosed 5 yrs. ago. It's mostly in my hands. I will find out which school of nursing I'll be attending next month and I've been wondering the same thing about nursing w/ RA. My Rheumatologist has been working really hard w/ me over the years to reduce the pain and swelling and stiffness, and thank God it has been working. Now all I have to deal w/ is pesky carpal tunnel in my wrists. I've been wearing wrists braces to give me extra support and maybe that can help you in your career path?
Do you think maybe you could ask for different RA medicines to help you cope? For those who are posting to this thread, for someone w. RA who wants to defintely do clinical. What specialities would you suggest. I know pretty much all of them require lifting, but are there areas that will lessen the strain, say the NICU or Peds?
Thanks and good luck to you grbrico! I feel your pain (literally) and I'll pray for you.

I do not have RA, but in suggestion to your ? of what area's of nursing may be "better", how about research? Just a thought.

ssanders80 · Dec 19, 2007

Hi there,

Research is a good suggestion, I never thought about that! I know I want to get my PhD in nursing, but I really want to have some patient experience before I advance. I've been thinking about working in the NICU since the patients in this area are fairly easy on the body. But I do want to do a stint in Med/Surg, and I know that's a lot of lifting of patients. But with the new machines that assist in lifting that are being utilized in hospitals, it may not be as bad as it once was to lift.

Almabella · Dec 20, 2007

Oh, wow, I just happened to stumble upon this thread. What a relief to hear other nurses out there are contending w/ RA. I am in the process of being dx with what is most likely RA or psoriatic arthritis. I'm young, have a young baby, and I've been really stressed out the past several days wondering how this diagnosis is going to effect the rest of my life and my career as a nurse.

I currently work in community/PHN. When my problems began (5-6 years ago) I was a CNA and it was very hard on my body and caused a lot of pain. Over all this time no one was ever able to tell me what is wrong and I've been diagnosed with everything from a virus to tendonitis. It is a relief to be so close to finally knowing what is wrong, but it's also a huge burden to know that I most likely have an autoimmune disease.

My goal has been to go back for my master's (FNP) but I am afraid to spend all that money on tuition if my overall productivity is going to decrease over time...

Alma

ssanders80 · Dec 20, 2007

Regardless of what you may have, don't let it stop you from becoming an FNP. I can't lie, there will be days where you just want to give up if you have RA, but don't let that stop you, keep focus on your goal. If you need to make life adjustments, not a problem! You'll be successful none the less! I've had days (I'm pre-nursing) where I stop and think if I'm physically cut out for this, but I push that out of my mind. Just remember you can do anything you set yourself to do.

If you are worried about how your body would cope, maybe you can research different areas of nursing to see if there are any that "aren't as physically demanding." (I know that sounds impossible, but it can happen.)

Good luck!

Steph

horsepoor · Jan 7, 2008

I too have RA, I'm 56 years old have had it for 3 years now. The rheumatologist still hasnt got my meds controlling it yet. But just had an appt because of a flair and increased pain in feet,knee's,back,hands. My insurance had to have me try and fail the old drugs first, but since I have now failed I can try the new drugs. So I am hopeful for a better year with less pain. I have to really push myself sometimes to get through the day. I am now in Home Health and love it but sometimes have to see 6-7 patients and travel up to 2 hours to see them. But it's still not as hard as the Pulmonologists office I worked in running for 8-10 hours a day. So my situation has improved. And my DON has just offered me a job as an RN intake/coder for our agency where I would just be in the office for 8 hours a day.

My moto is to just keep plugging along and planning for the future. Which for me will be retirement in about ? 7years. Unless I like that job a lot. Things just keep changing in Nursing, roll with the punchs.