HI guys, see if you can work this one out, came off of MTX and neurontin for different reasons, mainly chest infection. I have not gone back on it as my joints felt reasonably ok, so then I started to taper the pred thinking how far can I push this? Anyway it is now 6 weeks off of MTX and Neurontin and I am down to 7mg of pred from a regular 10mg with intermittent increases to 50mg and under for flares, I am NEVER well controlled and always have pain. I do have fibro and osteoarthritis also and osteopaenia/? osteoporosis.
Well yesterday I went to my locum GP as my own GP is on hols and he informed me that my bloods were normal for the first time in ages if ever?????????? CRP 7, ESR 5, from 20 and 52 respectively. So I came home feeling pretty clever and today I wake up and can't move but I feel it is the osteoarthritis mainly, my ribs, spine, neck, breastbone, hips were really sore and the RA joint involvement were the wrists fingers, hands, thumbs, left knee and ankles but these were not painful enough to warrant a biologic which I am awaiting, could anyone enlighten me as to what is going on and what I should do, unfortunately the fatigue is still rearing its ugly head, sleeping every day for minmum 2 hours max 4 and unable to function without it. I JUST DON"T GET IT, I should be happy with the blood results but my body doesn't really reflect the result???????? Thanks for any input, and its been due to the fatigue that I haven't really been posting, I am too tired to even read most days, sorry, but I really appreciate you all my friends.
Welcome to all the newbies, normally I would address you individually but hopefully I will get some energy soon and can post to you all then. Just be aware that you are in a good place.
hugs and regards friends, Janie.
Janie- It is a complete mystery why the results of tests and what our bodies are telling us are so different. I am the same. My last blood tests said that my inflamation levels were the lowest they had been for ages yet I felt like I was having a bad flare and I hurt like crazy. I had some foot and hand xrays as i could hardly walk or grip, my hands dont show any inflamation only erosion but no worse than before and my feet xrys were absolutely fine. So bloods and xrays fine and I hurt like heck.
I hope you get some relief soon, the tiredness is the worse.
Take care
Gosh Janie I am so sorry. I cannot help you with your mystery, but I can tell you that I am sooo sorry, and to rest. I guess sometimes the markers the doc would use do not show the internal pain that we actually have.
Rest, and take good care of yourself in spite of the blood work.
*Hugs*
How did they treat the chest infection and for how long?
Pip
< =text/>_popupControl(); Wow Janie...I am so sorry luv that you are feeling as poorly as you are. I don't know if I have the answers to your questions but only maybe a couple of ideas.
Even with your RA bloodwork being good it can take some time to still shake that fatigue. My experience is that even when I came out of that nasty flare I had for months I was still bothered by the fatigue for about 2 months. It took awhile to recover and shake that. The only thing I did for that was wait it out...rest when my body said to...and would take half of a Provigil if I needed to not be fatigued. Maybe consider some energy boosting herbal type remedies for the fatigue like ginseng and see how that helps you out.
OA and RA are so completely different animals. Maybe now is the time to start focusing on getting that OA under some control somehow. From what you listed for your meds in your signature...not many of them address the OA issue. You might want to think about adding another anti-inflammatory besides the pred for the OA...like..naproxen. It could be now that the RA pain has calmed somewhat you are more noticing the OA stuff going on.
I dunno hunny if I even answered anything for you but I hope like heck I did. (((hugs)))
I'm sorry I don't have any answers either---but wanted to let you know I'm hoping you feel better soon!!
This disease seems to have some mystery to it....
Rest when you need to and take care of yourself. God, how confusing is that.
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