Re: WHO HAD RA THAT IS IN THE FAMILY OR DOES ANYONE THINK IT'S FROM STRESS??

[Guest guest]

I recall that my mother had arthritis in her hands, but I don't know if it

was RA or osteo. Unfortunately, she passed at age 62. My dad lived to 88

and never complained about arthritis.

I do believe that stress wears our bodies down which will allow us to become

ill more easily. I don't believe that stress will actually cause RA, but if

you are predisposed to RA, stress can certainly contribute to it developing.

I was going through an extremely stressful time in my marriage when I was

diagnosed with RA. Since I had always had some stiffness in my fingers for

years, I think that it was developing for a long time. I do believe that

the stressful period allowed the RA to progress, maybe more quickly than it

might have otherwise.

It's certainly not a myth that stress contributes to our overall

health..both positively and negatively.

Stress plays a huge role in every aspect of our lives so it's important to

control it the best we can.

_____

From: [mailto: ] On

Behalf Of michellefollet

Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2008 2:24 AM

Subject: [ ] WHO HAD RA THAT IS IN THE FAMILY OR DOES ANYONE THINK

IT'S FROM STRESS??

Hi I was interested in hearing who had RA that has been inherited from

other family members or I was curious to see if there is any relation

to stress!!!!

I am asking this as a girlfriend's mother developed RA in her fourties

and she thinks it is related to her having a very stressful upbringing.

I too have had a life full of enormous stress from a young girl and I

am curious if in some way this has attributed to my RA/FM !!!

I also have a daughter who has a rare blood disorder (which is also an

autoimmune illness) But no one in our family has had RA and I am the

youngest of six siblings.

I wondered if this is just a myth about stress or there is a

connection. I do know when I am under stress now with my RA it flares

up something shocking !!

I would love to know everyones imput !!

[Guest guest]

,

Like you I have no family connection to RA. I am the youngest of

nine. I did read somewhere that occupation is also a factor. I do

blame my job. My fingers and hands got a tough work out. My boss was

great to work with me and that has lessened.

We all know that stress can destroy your body also. Stress was what

brought on my hypo-thyroid, while I was taking care of my terminally

ill mother. After her death I couldn't get out of bed, my body just

shut down. I am a frim believer that stress plays a role in cancer

also.

I have a friend that has no family connection yet she and both of

her brothers have RA. That is all three of the children in her

family. I have often wondered about environment and exposure to

toxins or chemicals.

I hope you get some good responses, I am curious.

Shirley

>

>

>

> Hi I was interested in hearing who had RA that has been inherited

from

> other family members or I was curious to see if there is any

relation

> to stress!!!!

>

> I am asking this as a girlfriend's mother developed RA in her

fourties

> and she thinks it is related to her having a very stressful

upbringing.

>

> I too have had a life full of enormous stress from a young girl

and I

> am curious if in some way this has attributed to my RA/FM !!!

>

> I also have a daughter who has a rare blood disorder (which is

also an

> autoimmune illness) But no one in our family has had RA and I am

the

> youngest of six siblings.

>

> I wondered if this is just a myth about stress or there is a

> connection. I do know when I am under stress now with my RA it

flares

> up something shocking !!

>

> I would love to know everyones imput !!

>

> take care .

>

[Guest guest]

michelle;

Im newly diagnosed with ra...I have no family conections with ra but

big history of osteo in my family..Im the youngest of 5...Im 43...Im

also a nurse which also seems common.age and hormone changes also..diane

[Guest guest]

Michalle Follet and Group;

I dont know what stress causes. I do know that when I am stressed the

pain is worse. I try to stay away from stressful situations.

Sometimes we can't. I really work at keepin stress out of my life. I

find talking to God seems to make me feel so much better. I love to

hear when someone is having a pain free day. I hope and pray we can

all have pain free days. My dads mother had RA really bad. Grandma had

large golf ball size knots on her hand.

gentle hugs

Clora

>

>

[Guest guest]

My grandfathers sister had RA, but not anyone else in the family. I

got arthritis when I was 12 and was checked for RA then, but it was

negative. I was also under a lot of stress since 2003 combined with

a serious car accident shortly before being diagnosed with RA

Hi I was interested in hearing who had RA that has been inherited

from

> other family members or I was curious to see if there is any

relation

> to stress!!!!

>

> I am asking this as a girlfriend's mother developed RA in her

fourties

> and she thinks it is related to her having a very stressful

upbringing.

>

> I too have had a life full of enormous stress from a young girl and

I

> am curious if in some way this has attributed to my RA/FM !!!

>

> I also have a daughter who has a rare blood disorder (which is also

an

> autoimmune illness) But no one in our family has had RA and I am

the

> youngest of six siblings.

>

> I wondered if this is just a myth about stress or there is a

> connection. I do know when I am under stress now with my RA it

flares

> up something shocking !!

>

> I would love to know everyones imput !!

>

> take care .

[Guest guest]

Here's what both my internist and my rheumy have told me: it's not

proven, but they both believe that a tendency toward auto-immune

disorders run in families, and that stress - physical or emotional -

can be the trigger for whichever auto-immune disorder you have. In my

case, my g-grandmother had psoriasis, an aunt had RA, my sister has RA

and Reynaud's and two of my children have psoriasis. My " trigger " was

a really nasty auto accident that took over a year to recover from.

My son's 'trigger " was a bad sunburn. My daughter was under a huge

amount of stress both from asthma and high school when her psoriasis

first showed. My sister's " trigger " was a blod clot. Sounds like a

good theory to me.

Polymyalgia Rheumatica

On Sun, Aug 10, 2008 at 10:41 AM, Jeanette <jhkerch@...> wrote:

> My grandfathers sister had RA, but not anyone else in the family. I

> got arthritis when I was 12 and was checked for RA then, but it was

> negative. I was also under a lot of stress since 2003 combined with

> a serious car accident shortly before being diagnosed with RA

>

>

> Hi I was interested in hearing who had RA that has been inherited

> from

>> other family members or I was curious to see if there is any

> relation

>> to stress!!!!

>

--

South Pasadena, CA / Lilydale, MN

You can see my galleries at http://www.pbase.com/arenared986

M. Schulz - " All you need is love. But a little chocolate now

and then doesn't hurt. "

[Guest guest]

I think mine is genetic, and stress helped it kick in. Though, I think in my

family it develops slowly over time. My mother had it, along with

diabetes. Her sister also had it.

Here is what I think is odd.... neither of my mothers broters have it.. I

like doing family history research and I discovered that in my mother's

father's line.... some women had RA. I haven't heard of any men in that

line, though, that had it. That has intrigued me.

So in my case.... I'm thinkin' genetics is the much larger role here.

Though.... I used to pop my knuckles a lot, since I was a small child.

People used to say to me, " If you keep cracking those knuckles you will get

arthritis! "

>From: " michellefollet " <michellefollet@...>

>Reply-

>

>Subject: [ ] WHO HAD RA THAT IS IN THE FAMILY OR DOES ANYONE THINK

>IT'S FROM STRESS??

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>

>Hi I was interested in hearing who had RA that has been inherited from

>other family members or I was curious to see if there is any relation

>to stress!!!!

>

>I am asking this as a girlfriend's mother developed RA in her fourties

>and she thinks it is related to her having a very stressful upbringing.

>

>I too have had a life full of enormous stress from a young girl and I

>am curious if in some way this has attributed to my RA/FM !!!

>

>I also have a daughter who has a rare blood disorder (which is also an

>autoimmune illness) But no one in our family has had RA and I am the

>youngest of six siblings.

>

>I wondered if this is just a myth about stress or there is a

>connection. I do know when I am under stress now with my RA it flares

>up something shocking !!

>

>I would love to know everyones imput !!

>

>take care .

>

[Guest guest]

I personally do not believe emotional stress causes RA.  I believe that you have

an inherited predisposition to it and something triggers its

activation...whether it is viral, hormonal, chemical, etc.  My grandfather had

RA, my aunt has that autoimmune anemia that she is deficient in B12 (Pernicious

anemia?), and my son has type 1 diabetes...a serious string of autoimmune

disorders.  I can't speak for my grandfather or aunt but I lived a charmed life,

as has my son.  My son developed Type 1 after being on a course of prednisone

(hormonal/chemical stressor) for poison ivy relief.  I developed RA after I had

my son, so a hormonal stressor.  For my job I was exposed to many chemicals that

could have triggered something as well.

 

I do believe stress plays a factor in how you handle pain but I am not sure I

believe that is the cause of inflammation and pain.  When I get a viral

infection (can't remember having a bacterial infection in the past ten years or

so) I know that my joints hardly hurt.  It is as if my body stops attacking my

joints so it can focus on something else.  It is nice since my joints stop

hurting, but stinks because I am too sick to enjoy it.

 

Shandi

From: michellefollet <michellefollet@...>

Subject: [ ] WHO HAD RA THAT IS IN THE FAMILY OR DOES ANYONE THINK IT'S

FROM STRESS??

Date: Sunday, August 10, 2008, 2:23 AM

Hi I was interested in hearing who had RA that has been inherited from

other family members or I was curious to see if there is any relation

to stress!!!!

I am asking this as a girlfriend's mother developed RA in her fourties

and she thinks it is related to her having a very stressful upbringing.

I too have had a life full of enormous stress from a young girl and I

am curious if in some way this has attributed to my RA/FM !!!

I also have a daughter who has a rare blood disorder (which is also an

autoimmune illness) But no one in our family has had RA and I am the

youngest of six siblings.

I wondered if this is just a myth about stress or there is a

connection. I do know when I am under stress now with my RA it flares

up something shocking !!

I would love to know everyones imput !!

take care .

[Guest guest]

My RA flares when I get stressed too.

My RA was most likely triggered by mineral dust from a nearby quarry,

but we have all been subjected to severe stress to, so it may have

played a part.

The reason I'm pretty confident about that (mineral dust) is because

my Godmother (no relation) & my friends Father also have it & for

quite a while we all lived within 2 kms of the quarry. None of us

have a family history for RA or other Auto-immune ailments. We are in

a rural area, the percentage of people in a 5 km radius with RA is

like 15% !

Cheers, Sharon of Oz

>

>

>

> Hi I was interested in hearing who had RA that has been inherited

from

> other family members or I was curious to see if there is any

relation

> to stress!!!!

>

> I am asking this as a girlfriend's mother developed RA in her

fourties

> and she thinks it is related to her having a very stressful

upbringing.

>

> I too have had a life full of enormous stress from a young girl and

I

> am curious if in some way this has attributed to my RA/FM !!!

>

> I also have a daughter who has a rare blood disorder (which is also

an

> autoimmune illness) But no one in our family has had RA and I am

the

> youngest of six siblings.

>

> I wondered if this is just a myth about stress or there is a

> connection. I do know when I am under stress now with my RA it

flares

> up something shocking !!

>

> I would love to know everyones imput !!

>

> take care .

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I dont have any family members with RA or FM.I too had a stressful

upbringing and my RA flares up really bad when extra stress is going

on.My RA actually came out after two years of terrible stress on me and

my husband and daughters.I truly believe stress plays a MAJOR role in

these diseases.

[Guest guest]

Dear Group:

I think we discussed this not too long ago.

I think that RA can present after stress.

I began symptoms at nine years old after a horrendous year

of family moves and removes...my younger brothers burned down the

barn of a house my parents were leasing and Mother thought

they were still in the barn...they were hiding in the corn field --

we got evicted (three different homes/schools in a year); family

discord, a bout with " Scarletina " , serious accidents involving family

members (skull fracture), President Kennedy was assasinated and the

dog got run over...

It truly was a year of hell from hell...

In the last few years other family members, all coming down

through the same branch of the family tree, now have RA

and all three endured a long stretch of intense personal

stress preceding their diagnoses:

divorce, incarceration, job loss...

I don't believe stress can cause RA, but I do believe it

can trigger a person's predispostion for it.

Just my own theory.

Shauna

[Guest guest]

i know of no one else in my family who has ra

 

my ra started at the same exact time i had my first gall bladder attack. it

started in my right shoulder as i was having my attack. i was ambulanced to the

hospital because they thought i might be having a heart attack. i thought it was

indigestion from the costco hotdog i had eaten 3 hours earlier (i never had a

problem with indigestion before). anyway as i said it was my gall bladder, i had

one stone but it was as big as my gallbladder and they did blood work and told

me about ra which i had never heard of before. before the next week had passed i

was having pain in my wrists, hands and feet. i went to my physician who did

blood work and said he thought it was ra. i was in denial. over a year later i

finaly gave in and went to a rheumatoligist for the first time. which was just

this last friday. she said i have ra. the denial is melting away and now i am

trying to face it.

 

as far as stress is concerned it has been very heavy around my house for the

last month as i am having a daughter that is getting married on the 23rd. then

to top that my brother was murdered the first of august and now i have to

contend with that. we are having to get his remains home to us so we can have a

service and closure. it looks like we will be burying him three or four days

before the wedding. i have been having an awful time with the pain and fatigue

and now some super duper depression. so i think stress can affect ra. it is hard

to be stress free.

[Guest guest]

How awful for your family. I hope that the joy of your daughter's wedding

will help ease some of the grief from the loss of your brother. I hope you

will take some time after the wedding to rest and pull your emotions back

together.

With deep sympathy, Dorothy

_____

From: [mailto: ] On

Behalf Of kate roth

Sent: Monday, August 11, 2008 1:12 AM

Subject: Re: [ ] WHO HAD RA THAT IS IN THE FAMILY OR DOES ANYONE

THINK IT'S FROM STRESS??

i know of no one else in my family who has ra

my ra started at the same exact time i had my first gall bladder attack. it

started in my right shoulder as i was having my attack. i was ambulanced to

the hospital because they thought i might be having a heart attack. i

thought it was indigestion from the costco hotdog i had eaten 3 hours

earlier (i never had a problem with indigestion before). anyway as i said it

was my gall bladder, i had one stone but it was as big as my gallbladder and

they did blood work and told me about ra which i had never heard of before.

before the next week had passed i was having pain in my wrists, hands and

feet. i went to my physician who did blood work and said he thought it was

ra. i was in denial. over a year later i finaly gave in and went to a

rheumatoligist for the first time. which was just this last friday. she said

i have ra. the denial is melting away and now i am trying to face it.

as far as stress is concerned it has been very heavy around my house for the

last month as i am having a daughter that is getting married on the 23rd.

then to top that my brother was murdered the first of august and now i have

to contend with that. we are having to get his remains home to us so we can

have a service and closure. it looks like we will be burying him three or

four days before the wedding. i have been having an awful time with the pain

and fatigue and now some super duper depression. so i think stress can

affect ra. it is hard to be stress free.

[Guest guest]

Kate, I'm so sorry for the tragic loss of your brother. You will be in

my prayers,to get through these most difficult and stressful times. and

that you will get relief from your pain and be able to enjoy the

wedding of your daughter. God bless you and yours,

Melodie -

-- In , kate roth <misskate47@...> wrote:

 

> as far as stress is concerned it has been very heavy around my house

for the last month as i am having a daughter that is getting married on

the 23rd. then to top that my brother was murdered the first of august

and now i have to contend with that. >

[Guest guest]

Oh, my! What an awful lot to have to face all at once. I really

feel for you. Find some time to do something self-soothing several

times during the day. Take time to enjoy some music, smell a candle,

feel a breeze, and take s-l-o-w deep breaths. Try to focus on

relaxing and putting the stresses aside at least for a little while.

You definately need to take time to nurture yourself. You will get

through this. God Bless.

>

> i know of no one else in my family who has ra

>  

> my ra started at the same exact time i had my first gall bladder

attack. it started in my right shoulder as i was having my attack. i

was ambulanced to the hospital because they thought i might be having

a heart attack. i thought it was indigestion from the costco hotdog i

had eaten 3 hours earlier (i never had a problem with indigestion

before). anyway as i said it was my gall bladder, i had one stone but

it was as big as my gallbladder and they did blood work and told me

about ra which i had never heard of before. before the next week had

passed i was having pain in my wrists, hands and feet. i went to my

physician who did blood work and said he thought it was ra. i was in

denial. over a year later i finaly gave in and went to a

rheumatoligist for the first time. which was just this last friday.

she said i have ra. the denial is melting away and now i am trying to

face it.

>  

> as far as stress is concerned it has been very heavy around my

house for the last month as i am having a daughter that is getting

married on the 23rd. then to top that my brother was murdered the

first of august and now i have to contend with that. we are having to

get his remains home to us so we can have a service and closure. it

looks like we will be burying him three or four days before the

wedding. i have been having an awful time with the pain and fatigue

and now some super duper depression. so i think stress can affect ra.

it is hard to be stress free.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Kate,

I just wanted to tell you how sorry I was to hear of your brothers

death.Im sure it is hard to grieve and try to help plan your daughters

wedding at the same time,and to top it off,you have RA.I know it sounds

impossible but you have to take time for yourself.Rest and relaxation

are important for this disease(in my opinion)and from experience.I will

definitely pray for you and we are all here if you need to vent.We can

try to make you feel better and support you in any way possible.Try to

keep your head up!

[Guest guest]

Kate,

I am so sorry. I can't imagine what you must be going through, but I

know it is horrible.

My heart is with you and I will certainly ask for comfort and

guidance for you.

Shirley

> -- In , kate roth <misskate47@> wrote:

>

>

>  

> > as far as stress is concerned it has been very heavy around my

house

> for the last month as i am having a daughter that is getting

married on

> the 23rd. then to top that my brother was murdered the first of

august

> and now i have to contend with that. >

>

[Guest guest]

Paternal great-grandmother, both grandmothers, one aunt, and two

uncles all with RA. Stress definitely makes mine worse!

Kim

>

>

>

> Hi I was interested in hearing who had RA that has been inherited from

> other family members or I was curious to see if there is any relation

> to stress!!!!

>

> I am asking this as a girlfriend's mother developed RA in her fourties

> and she thinks it is related to her having a very stressful upbringing.

>

> I too have had a life full of enormous stress from a young girl and I

> am curious if in some way this has attributed to my RA/FM !!!

>

> I also have a daughter who has a rare blood disorder (which is also an

> autoimmune illness) But no one in our family has had RA and I am the

> youngest of six siblings.

>

> I wondered if this is just a myth about stress or there is a

> connection. I do know when I am under stress now with my RA it flares

> up something shocking !!

>

> I would love to know everyones imput !!

>

> take care .

>

[Guest guest]

> Hi kate,

I was so sorry to hear about your brothers death. My heart goes out

to you at this time.

I was only ten years old when my father was also murdered. I think

it took until I was much older to really understand the abnormity of

it and I still at 47years have my sad moments about it all.

All I can say is that I feel deeply for you and hope that your

daughters wedding will give you something to look forward to.

It must be so hard trying to cope with your illness on top of it and

unfortunately our bodies co operate less when we are under stress.

Please take care and you will be in my prayers.

.

> i know of no one else in my family who has ra

>  

> my ra started at the same exact time i had my first gall bladder

attack. it started in my right shoulder as i was having my attack. i

was ambulanced to the hospital because they thought i might be

having a heart attack. i thought it was indigestion from the costco

hotdog i had eaten 3 hours earlier (i never had a problem with

indigestion before). anyway as i said it was my gall bladder, i had

one stone but it was as big as my gallbladder and they did blood

work and told me about ra which i had never heard of before. before

the next week had passed i was having pain in my wrists, hands and

feet. i went to my physician who did blood work and said he thought

it was ra. i was in denial. over a year later i finaly gave in and

went to a rheumatoligist for the first time. which was just this

last friday. she said i have ra. the denial is melting away and now

i am trying to face it.

>  

> as far as stress is concerned it has been very heavy around my

house for the last month as i am having a daughter that is getting

married on the 23rd. then to top that my brother was murdered the

first of august and now i have to contend with that. we are having

to get his remains home to us so we can have a service and closure.

it looks like we will be burying him three or four days before the

wedding. i have been having an awful time with the pain and fatigue

and now some super duper depression. so i think stress can affect

ra. it is hard to be stress free.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Kate,

I'm so sorry about the death of your brother.

On Mon, Aug 11, 2008 at 12:12 AM, kate roth <misskate47@...> wrote:

> i know of no one else in my family who has ra

>

> my ra started at the same exact time i had my first gall bladder attack. it

> started in my right shoulder as i was having my attack. i was ambulanced to

> the hospital because they thought i might be having a heart attack. i

> thought it was indigestion from the costco hotdog i had eaten 3 hours

> earlier (i never had a problem with indigestion before). anyway as i said it

> was my gall bladder, i had one stone but it was as big as my gallbladder and

> they did blood work and told me about ra which i had never heard of before.

> before the next week had passed i was having pain in my wrists, hands and

> feet. i went to my physician who did blood work and said he thought it was

> ra. i was in denial. over a year later i finaly gave in and went to a

> rheumatoligist for the first time. which was just this last friday. she said

> i have ra. the denial is melting away and now i am trying to face it.

>

> as far as stress is concerned it has been very heavy around my house for the

> last month as i am having a daughter that is getting married on the 23rd.

> then to top that my brother was murdered the first of august and now i have

> to contend with that. we are having to get his remains home to us so we can

> have a service and closure. it looks like we will be burying him three or

> four days before the wedding. i have been having an awful time with the pain

> and fatigue and now some super duper depression. so i think stress can

> affect ra. it is hard to be stress free.