Systemic Sclerosis Vs Rheumatoid Arthritis
Systemic sclerosis, sometimes called scleroderma, is a rare and complicated autoimmune condition. It produces a build-up of collagen in the body that can cause a wide variety of symptoms.
How is it similar to RA? The wrists, fingers, feet, and other joints can become painful, swollen, and stiff. People with systemic sclerosis can experience fatigue and weight loss.
How is it different? Scleroderma typically causes skin changes. For example, the skin may appear thickened and patchy or shiny and tight. Systemic scleroderma can also affect internal organs, resulting in breathing and/or digestive tract problems.
Talk About How Youre Feeling
Fatigue can make you feel low or depressed. Talking about how you feel can really help. Dont keep your feelings to yourself. Try to talk to a member of your healthcare team, members of a support group, your family or friends.
There are things that can help if youre feeling low. Your healthcare team may recommend a talking therapy, such as cognitive behaviour therapy also known as CBT. You can do it as one-to-one or group sessions.
Talking therapies aim to help people change the way they see their condition and any negative feelings towards it. Sessions, led by trained therapists, can help people change the way they react to and feel about their condition by making positive changes to the way they think and behave.
NHS England has a dedicated programme called Improving Access to Psychological Therapies, known as IAPT. It aims to connect people with anxiety and depression to local talking therapy services. You can refer yourself to this service by visiting the NHS England website and searching for IAPT or ask a health professional to refer you.
Health services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland dont currently offer a self-referral service, but you can ask your doctor to refer you to a local NHS therapy service or group.
Joining a support group for people living with similar conditions can help you talk openly about your problems with people in similar situations. They may also be able to share tips on how to get around some of your problems.
Fatigue Hunger Joint Pain And Morning Joint Stiffness
- Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Reviewed on 2/19/2021
Joint pain and stiffness are characteristic of the many different arthritis conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and gout. Fatigue and hunger are relatively nonspecific symptoms that can occur with many illnesses as well as in relation to environmental factors. If you are concerned about these or other symptoms, seek the advice of a healthcare provider to determine the cause.
While the list below can be considered as a guide to educate yourself about these conditions, this is not a substitute for a diagnosis from a health care provider. There are many other medical conditions that also can be associated with your symptoms and signs. Here are a number of those from MedicineNet:
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Problems With Thinking Learning And Planning
Some people with MS have problems with thinking, learning and planning, known as cognitive dysfunction.
This can include:
- getting stuck on words
- problems with understanding and processing visual information, such as reading a map
- difficulty with planning and problem solving people often report that they know what they want to do, but can’t grasp how to do it
- problems with reasoning, such as mathematical laws or solving puzzles
But many of these problems aren’t specific to MS and can be caused by a wide range of other conditions, including depression and anxiety, or even some medicines.
Causes Of Fatigue & Aching Legs
Many medical conditions can cause both pain in the legs and fatigue, and determining the cause of these symptoms often requires a trip to the doctor. To make a diagnosis, your doctor needs a thorough understanding of your symptoms, including what brings them on, what improves them, and other symptoms you may have.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
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What Kind Of Treatment Could Help Against Fatigue
Sometimes is still a major problem despite adjusting your daily schedule, doing physical exercise and getting support from other people. Then professional help may be an option, for instance in the form of psychological treatment or occupational therapy. Some specialized programs have been developed specifically for people who have fatigue as a result of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. They’re designed to do things like help you plan activities and make sure you don’t use up all of your energy at once.
Cognitive behavioral therapy strategies can also be learned to help cope with . Some involve recognizing and then changing certain thoughts, beliefs and behaviors that make it more difficult to live with the disease.
Studies on non-drug treatments show that approaches used in occupational therapy and psychotherapy can relieve exhaustion.
Common Causes Of Fatigue
Many different things can also cause fatigue, but some common causes include:
- Dehydration
- Lack of sleep or rest
- Physical activity such as running a marathon or working out at the gym for long periods of time
- Pregnancy if your body is not used to the extra work
- Mental activity such as working or studying for long periods of time
Just like brain fog, fatigue can also lead to a decrease in cognitive function and make it difficult to do everyday activities.
Now that we know some of the most common causes for brain fog and fatigue, lets take a look at some tips on how you can get relief from these conditions.
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Treating Psoriatic Arthritis And Chronic Fatigue
Treating psoriatic arthritis can help reduce fatigue as well as pain. There are several medications doctors use to treat the disease:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications reduce pain and swelling.
- Cortisone injections and oral steroids can quickly reduce inflammation in the short term.
- Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs protect joints by decreasing inflammation.
- Biologics target specific parts of the immune system and block the inflammation.
Still, medications may not eliminate fatigue completely, especially during a flare. Thats a tough pill to swallow when weariness is keeping you from doing what you love.
But there are ways you can maximize the time youre feeling good. While fatigue in people with psoriatic arthritis cant be cured, it can be managed, Dr. Rosian says.
These tips can help you fight fatigue.
Fatigue Joint Aches Muscle Weakness And Stiffness Or Decreased Movement
Reviewed on 8/5/2020
There are a few different medical conditions that are strongly associated with:
- Fatigue
- Muscle Weakness
- Stiffness Or Decreased Movement
While the symptoms above can be considered a guide to help associate symptoms common among the conditions below, this is not a substitute for a diagnosis from a health care provider. There are many other medical conditions that also can be associated with your symptoms. Below are the top condition matches for your symptom combination from MedicineNet:
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Why Does My Body Ache Causes & Treatment
Body aches are an uncomfortable but common symptom of a variety of medical ailments. If youre experiencing body aches, your muscles may feel weak, sore, tired, or hard to move.
For most, body aches are easily treatablea few days of rest and hydration can provide relief from any discomfort. For some, body aches, particularly those that last a long time, can indicate a serious underlying medical condition that may require treatment.
What Are Body Aches
Body aches are an uncomfortable symptom caused by muscle inflammation and soreness. Sometimes, body aches can be sharp and intermittent, while in other instances, they may feel more like a prolonged, dull, generalized ache.
Most body aches are short-term and harmless, and can be a result of your lifestyle, illness or any underlying condition. Body aches occur when your muscles are inflamed, either through physical stress, or through an immune response.
If you stand, walk, or exercise for long periods of time, you may feel achy because those activities can cause muscle stress and strain. If youre suffering from the flu, a cold, or other communicable diseases, you may also feel body aches. As your body fights off infection, it triggers an immune response that causes short-term muscle inflammation, in turn making you feel uncomfortable, or achy.
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How Does Fatigue Change Your Life
Fatigue is different than normal feelings of tiredness. People describe it as being overwhelming and uncontrollable. They feel worn out and drained of energy, and sometimes even lose all interest in anything.
It can increase the need for sleep and make it hard to concentrate or do anything. Constantly feeling exhausted and not being able to maintain an active lifestyle can affect your mood too: Many people who have rheumatoid arthritis also feel depressed, irritable or anxious. These feelings can be hard for others to fully understand.
The severity of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms may vary a lot over time. This can make it difficult to plan ahead. You don’t know how you will feel the next day or whether the symptoms will get better or worse. This means that people with rheumatoid arthritis feel like they have lost control of their lives. If they are too exhausted, they may not have enough energy even for simple everyday activities or for playing with their children or grandchildren. Appointments may need to be rescheduled, and some people give up their favorite activities if they prove to be too demanding.
And at work it may be difficult to accept that you can’t do as much as you used to. You might need more breaks, or certain tasks might need to be reassigned.
Complementary And Alternative Medicine
Several mind-body therapies have been used, often in conjunction with medication and physical therapy, to alleviate joint pain. Some of these include:
- Tai chi
- Acupuncture
In addition, while there was some hype about taking the dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin for repairing the damaged cartilage of osteoarthritis, current scientific evidence is unfortunately not so supportive of this. That said, for some people, there may be a small pain-alleviating benefit to taking these supplements.
In the end, it’s best to talk with your healthcare provider about whether these are right and safe for you.
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What Does Inflammation Have To Do With Joint Pain
Chronic inflammation is the fire that burns beneath most kinds of joint aches and pains. A healthy immune system triggers the inflammatory response when it needs to deal with occasional threats like injury or infection. But in many women, the inflammatory response stays switched on indefinitely. This chronic, low-grade inflammation gradually tears down tissues including those in your joints and prevents cell regeneration and repair.
Chronic inflammation can be fueled by a diet high in refined carbohydrates, fried and fast foods, and sugars. A high-carb diet promotes elevated levels of insulin, which spreads inflammation. On top of that, women may have undiagnosed allergies or sensitivities to certain foods that contribute to inflammation when those foods are eaten.
How Do People Cope With Exhaustion
Many people gradually come to learn how to regulate their energy better and to accept the changes associated with the condition. They pay more attention to their body’s signals and then adjust what kinds of activities they do based on their symptoms.
As well as the phases where the arthritis gets much worse, there are also periods where it’s possible to live a quite normal life. It often helps to start seeing the condition as a part of your life and to set new goals that you can still achieve anyway. Some people say that the disease has helped them to live their lives more consciously.
Many mention in interviews that they’ve discovered practical ways of dealing with :
- Learn to say “no” sometimes
- Don’t plan to do too much at once
- Reconsider and adapt your goals
- Plan activities carefully, take your time, spread out demanding tasks across the week.
- Take breaks before you become too exhausted
- Get to bed early, take naps and learn relaxation techniques
- Avoid going out at busy times of the day, for instance when you go shopping or on a trip
- Talk with others about your disease so that they can better understand how it affects you
- Talk to others who have rheumatoid arthritis so that you can learn from their experiences
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When To See A Doctor
In some cases, home treatment cant be enough to solve the problem of painful joints and muscles. If pain lasts for a week, it is important to see a healthcare provider. You might also want to make an appointment with your doctor in case of fever, vomiting, stiffness in your neck, difficulty swallowing, and inability to move that affects your daily life.
It is also possible to prevent sore muscles by staying hydrated, exercising regularly, and doing warmups before the workout.
In case you notice some symptoms of conditions described above, avoid self-medicating since it might only worsen your condition.
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Medically Reviewed by our Medical Affairs Team
Brain fog and fatigue are two very common symptoms that can have a variety of causes.
Sometimes fatigue and brain fog are just the results of lacking enough sleep or rest, but other times it may be something more serious. Both can lead to cognitive issues, low motivation levels, depression, anxiety, and sleep problems.
This post will go over the most common causes for brain fog or fatigue, as well as tips on how you can get relief from these conditions.
So, lets get started.
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Home Remedies For Tender Point Pain
How you handle fibromyalgia pain at home is another important part of your overall treatment. For example, therapeutic massage can manipulate the muscles and soft tissues of the body to help ease pain, muscle tension, spasms, and stress.
Try putting moist heat on your muscles twice a day to ease deep muscle pain and stiffness. You can use a moist heating pad, warm bath or shower, or a heat “cozy” that you warm in the microwave.
Itâs also important to manage your schedule and control your stress levels. Be sure to block out time each day to rest and relax. Avoid making too many commitments that can wear you out. You can also try relaxation exercises such as guided imagery, deep-breathing exercises, or the relaxation response to manage how you deal with stress.
Also, try to go to bed at the same time every night. It allows your body to rest and repair itself. And get regular exercise. It will help you manage the pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Common Questions About Stiff Joints
Joints can hurt in the morning because of an injury, wear and tear, or muscle tightness, indicating inflammation or any of the several types of arthritis.
Vitamin D. It is known for its musculoskeletal and overall health improving qualities.
If you suffer from stiff joints, you should avoid processed foods like sugar and some of its alternatives, high-fat dairy, red meat, and alcohol. Opt for more natural food items instead.
Most joint stiffness sessions last a few minutes to an hour or two with varying pain severity. If the joint stiffness and its accompanying pain and swelling last longer than a week, you should see a doctor.
While joint stiffness can go away after some movements in mild cases, in chronic cases, it can recur after sitting or lying for an extended period.
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Unexplained Pain: Could Those Aches And Fatigue Be An Autoimmune Disease
Are you exhausted and depressed? Do your joints ache? These are telltale symptoms of more than 80 of the autoimmune diseases that exist. Find out the 6 most common, what happens when your body turns against itself and how to diagnose and treat symptoms…
When our immune systems work right, our body is able to fend off attacks from invading bacteria and viruses. But with an autoimmune disease, it fights against us. Instead of protecting, it attacks, sending armies of your bodys disease-fighters to battle your own healthy tissue, cells and organs.
Up to 22 million Americans have autoimmune disorders, according to the National Institutes of Health . Nearly 80% of them are women many in their childbearing years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . And the numbers are growing. Autoimmune diseases are much more prevalent now than they were 20 years ago, says Virginia Ladd, president of the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association. Each disease is relatively rare, but looking at them collectively, thats another story.
- Pain in the wrists and fingers of both hands
- Tender, warm joints in both knees and elbows
- Morning discomfort
- Fatigue/loss of energy
- Fever
How to diagnose it:
- Fatigue
- Chronic vaginal yeast infections
How to treat it:
- Achy and swollen joints
- Shortness of breath or chest pain
- Skin sores from sun exposure
How to treat it:
- Dairy products
Get A Good Nights Sleep
Its important to try to get a good nights rest because poor sleep patterns can cause fatigue or make it worse.
If youre having trouble sleeping, or you regularly wake up feeling unrefreshed, it would probably help to look at ways you might be able to sleep better. Healthcare professionals talk about a principle called sleep hygiene, which covers things you can do to improve your chances of getting a good nights sleep.
Too much sleep can also cause fatigue. Thinking about what a good nights sleep means to you, can help. Your activity charts can tell you a lot about how youre sleeping.
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