Feeling off
Hey everyone,
Lately, I've been feeling just off and I have no idea why. I get sad super easy and I've lost motivation for university even though we are so close to being done for the year. I've been getting super annoyed at my friends for no reason (i don't tell them this though, I just talk to them as normal because I'd feel too bad if I said something or if I just ignore them).
I think it might be because my jaw has been in a lot of pain, and I cant see my rheumatologist until the end of October and it is difficult to eat and talk because of the pain. I had depression badly when I was younger but I haven't been feeling depressed for a couple of years now so I don't know if it is just normal sadness or if it is becoming a problem again.
I just feel lost, sad, and off and not myself. I find it hard to motivate myself to do something, even if it is something little like making a cup of tea or having a shower.
I just don't know what to do. I've been to my GP 4 times in the last two weeks and nothing they've done has worked. I want to see a psychologist again just to have someone to talk to but i really don't want to have sessions online with them, i want one face-to-face but COVID is making that difficult 
@sunnygirl606 I don't have much to add, but I'm sad to hear that you're feeling so down and irritable. 😞 It's understandable that you would get easily annoyed with people considering how much pain you're in.
I hope your rheumatologist can suggest things that can help with your jaw and arthritis. It's frustrating that you haven't been getting anywhere with your GP and you haven't been able to get face-to-face sessions with a psychologist. It sounds like the transition into the adult ward is pretty tough too. It's disappointing that your doctors haven't taken you seriously in the past. I agree with the stigma about age too. I had a similar experience this year and I eventually just went to emergency, where they believed me straightaway. I really hope that you can find a doctor who can see how much of an impact this is having on your life and give you some hope. 
i just got told my grandpa has roughly one week to live and because he lives in adelaide, i cant see him because boarders are closed. I feel really down and alone at the moment
@sunnygirl606 I'm so incredibly sorry to hear about your grandpa. Saying goodbye to loved ones is hard enough, being able to be able to be there with him because of border restrictions sounds incredibly painful 😞 Do you have any other family around you at the moment? I know it's not the same, but do you think organising a Skype or Facetime with your grandpa/family in Adelaide would help you feel less alone at the moment?
I live with my grandparents on my dad's side of them family but i'm not with any of my mum side of the family (thats the grandpa thats unwell) and i do have support from them, but i want to be able to be with my brothers and sisters
I'm planning on giving him a call sometime soon but its hard knowing if he is home or not,
I'm sorry to hear you're not with your brothers and sisters @sunnygirl606. It must be hard with everything going on for you. It's worth a try calling him and if he's not home, you can always call again later. And I love @Janine-RO's idea of writing him a card/letter. My sister did that once and it made our grandparents cry! I'm sure he would love to get a letter from you, if you want to of course!
Hey @sunnygirl606
Reading over the thread...gosh all this must be so hard. I am so sorry you had to go through all of it. I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for you lately. The only thing ...I wanna say is that..don’t lose hope. It’s pretty difficult, but I promise it will be worth it in the end when everything will finally be okay. I hope you are doing alright now! Just hang in there. Sending lots of virtual hugs ❤️
Hey @StarGirl101 @WheresMySquishy and @scared01
Thank you for your reply Yesterday was my grandpa's birthday so i gave him a call. It took him a little while to remember who i was, which hurt a little, but i was just thankful that he did remember me after a little prompting! I'm doing good now, just trying to study for the upcoming exams that i have!
Thank you all for your support
i can understand the challanges of not being remembered. unfortuantly my grandfather has dementia that will slowly worsen to the point he doesnt now who i am even though i live with him. he struggles to remember alot of family members unless he seems them in person and sometimes will need prompting or after theyve left he will ask me who they are and that he knows them but cant remember their names. try not to take it to heart, i know it can be upsetting and hurtful though
Yeah i was thinking of doing that @Janine-RO since his birthday is coming up.
Thank you @November13
Gosh that is so hard @sunnygirl606 , it must be awful not being able to be with your family at such a difficult time. I hope you're able to speak to your grandpa soon - I don't know if this appeals to you, but another option could be writing him a short card/letter telling him what he means to you? Thinking of you and sending lots of virtual well wishes your way.
Hey @sunnygirl606
Thanks for sharing. I'm sorry to hear things are a bit off for you .
Ah - pain is the WORST. I have been there. It's all under control now, but until it was it was pretty distressing, so I hear you. I'm really glad you're seeing a rheumatologist in October. October must feel like a world away when you're in pain, but we're already reaching the end of September. It'll come around quick. Hang in there . And remember, it is okay to be feeling a little bit down - lots of people feel that way when they're in pain. If your situation is anything like mine, seeing a GP won't really do anything...and you're better off waiting for the rheumatologist appointment. In saying that though, your situation may be different.
It might also be worth seeing a health psychologist to help with the depression and pain. Have you ever considered this?
I've been dealing with my arthritis for about 5 years now, and its all become to difficult once I move onto the adult ward. Everything was so much easier in the children's, I had a direct number to contact but the adults don't have that so whenever I call the hospital and ask them to transfer me through, they never do it.
I saw a health psychologist a couple of years ago because the hospital didn't believe that I was in pain and thought it was all in my mind. A couple of months after they found out I did have RA. The psychologist did give me tips on what to do with the pain but its been so severe that I've had to take work off and I've missed so many days of doing university work
I see! Yeah I have a similar condition, and my mum has RA. Are you taking any medication for it? @sunnygirl606
Im on a lot of medications for it but the problem is, theyre starting to fail and my RA has been spreading
@sunnygirl606 Mmmm I see. We probably can't get into the details about medications over the forums due to the guidelines, but all I can say is I hear you, and I can imagine how frightened you're feeling. I always think the worst even when I start to feel even a little bit of pain! Hopefully your rheumatologist will have a solution for you when you see him/her. Also, try to look after yourself as much as possible. You mentioned struggling to finish school work. Please don't be scared to ask for special consideration if you need it. And allow yourself to feel "a little bit off" for a while, until you feel a bit better to pick yourself up again. It's not easy dealing with a chronic health condition, but you can get through it, and you're getting all the right support which is a great step.
It gets discouraging whenever I go to the rheumatology clinic because fo some reason it is a different doctor every time, I have to tell my story all again and sometimes the doctor doesn't believe my pain because I'm so young and they just think its because of my muscles so they send me to physio and don't do anything else. I've done physio for 7 years and it hasn't made my pain lessen at all.
Thank you so much for your support
That's really difficult @sunnygirl606, and I can understand why that would be so incredibly frustrating for you, I know that my mum has had rheumatoid arthritis since she was a teenager, and I know that there is a stigma for young people who have conditions more common in older people. Is there any chance that you could organise a consistent doctor to see?
Hi @Andrea-RO
The only way i know how to do that is to go private but i can't afford that
And yeah, the stigma around it is horrible, a lot of people at work or uni didnt understand and some even thought i was lying about it
hey @sunnygirl606
im sorry your in such pain. pain can definently have an effect on us for sure. as someone who also suffers chronic pain including jaw pain it can really dampen things esp when we are struggling to eat drink or sleep.
im sorry your gp hasnt been helpful. do you think you could try another gp?
