Question
Hi, Amelia...thanks for listening...I am just very discouraged today...I don't mean to complain, but I have Fibromyalgia, Sjogren's Syndrome, Osteoarthritis and Lichen Sclerosus.  In short, I am miserable in one way or another all the time!  I am 54 yrs. old, married, have one daughter, age 32, and my husband and I have custody of our 10 yr.old granddaughter, Cailey.  We also help out with the other granddaughter, Ashlyn, who is six....She still lives with my daughter.  It is a very dysfunctional, exasperating situation for all of us...My daughter is so hard to deal with, and she makes all our lives miserable, just to make a long, long story short.  My husband and I stay so stressed and tired.  We never get any rest or relaxation.  We are also financially stressed, as well...I try really hard to keep a good attitude, but I just seem to feel worse everyday...The docs can't do anything...everything they have tried has not helped at all, and I am so medicine-sensitive, that I usually can't take anything they give me anyway!
Have you EVER heard of someone having this many conditions going on at the same time?  (the arthritis, Fibro, Sjogren's AND Lichen Sclerosus?)
Thanks!  God Bless...Tina Blackwell, Columbia, S.C.

Answer
Tina, so sorry about your situation.  I do know folks with multiple autoimmune diseases and, unfortunately, having one tough disease doesn't seem to get us a free pass from having others.  Not fair, I know...

I'm sure you've figured out that stress can make your pain and fatigue even worse, on top of the hectic life I'm sure you lead with a 10 year old in the house.  Exercise has helped me a lot - that hour is just about me and the goal is feeling good, not running a marathon.  It took me many years to find out what I could do without undue pain and to work up from a few minutes to sixty, so take your time.  Get your doc to send you to physical therapy to learn exercises and stretches, if needed.  

Do you attend any support groups, or even a knitting circle or book club?  You need some "me" time, I'm sure, with all that's in your life.  Unloading to folks who understand or sharing a laugh with girlfriends can do a lot.  Relaxation therapy is helpful, too.  Your doctor can recommend a psychologist or therapist who can help you with relaxation.

Hope these ideas can start to help you carve out an island of relief in your stressful world.