I have a healthy lifestyle with a great diet, daily meditation, practice yoga, pilates and weightlifting, but nonetheless I feel anxious and stressed. Since Mom (89 yo and in a NH) began losing weight due to not eating over the last few months, she has been placed on hospice with a diagnosis of malnutrition. I cannot get rid of the physical aches and it's a new normal for me.
I have also found that artificial sugars will aggravate achy joints (a friend of mine who has rheumatoid arthritis told me her doctor warned her of this years ago, and I have found it to be true for me even though I do not have this). So maybe watch diet soda, etc Hope you get relief soon!
When I turned approx 51 yrs of age, and my parents health declined, and I opted to mid-career life change that involved sitting in a chair a lot in front of the computer, and then becoming the caregiver in home to the both of them. Within 1 year, the stress of it all changed my health outcomes big time.
I halted almost all athletic and physical exercise, and started alternating between sitting in a chair in front of a computer for work, and hustling around helping my deteriorating parents to and fro Dr's appointments, lifting things for them and so forth.
I went from being in perfect health, to now being on approx. 6 medications daily over the past 2 years. I'll be honest on which medications these are: Statins, high blood pressure meds, anti-depressants, joint supplements, anti-anxiety medications. & additional herbal med's.
It had been my lifelong goal to live long into 70's-80's being westernized medication- free. Now I take more med's than my mother and father do, who are in their 80's & 90's and I due believe mostly due to the stress of caregiving.
I have several diagnosis' now, from physical to psychological, all of which I am medicated for because I simply do not have the time for self care between supporting myself, and the care and stress of my parents.
When I wake up each morning, it's like waking up to a body I never knew. Soreness and aches and pains merely getting out of bed, fatigue, depression and exhaustion all throughout the day.
Please google or research side effects of being a mid-life caregiver to aging parents. So scarey to hear that much research shows that caregiving for your parents may cut your lifespan significantly and that your parents may outlive you. This is no joke.
Please take any indication of pain or physical changes seriously, consult with your Dr at the same frequency you do for your parents, and remain steadfast in taking care of your own self first.
You've got to put your own oxygen mask on first sweetie, because if you don't you can't possibly help them, regardless of your selflessness or best intentions.
Sending much compassion and love your way.
Now it could certainly be stress related, but your description of ongoing physical aches brought me back to that. It eventually resolved but not without a lot of steroids and meditation for pain management...
I'm only 63, and I went from strong to not able to walk within a year's time.
I have a doctor appointment scheduled to get answers and try and resolve.