Our disease is relentless as you seem to have already discovered and unfortunately, the pallitative treatments are best guesses by the MDs because they don't have any "cures" for us. But, your mental health and having a support group is invaluable and this Board is terrific for that, so keep posting and you will connect with others who share your symptoms and can give good practical advice for you. And don't mind the squabbling - we are like a huge group of little boys and girls in kindergarten some times - I know its because of our frustruation over our disease, but we all kiss and make up in the end.
Again, welcome aboard and best of luck as we are all pulling for you. Take care~~Cathy
Papabear...it sounds like you have been through a lot in a short amount of time. I can totally understand your back problem. I have OA from top to bottom, and nothing seems to be relieving it. I know that they have electric impulse monitors that can interrupt the pain cycle. you could do that. I know that they use this on MS patients a lot. I would talk openly and honestly to my doc to see if there is anything else. I do go for message therapy on my back(yes it was RX by my Rhuemy). It helps, because I have a real tendancy to stiffen the muscles around the inflamation, to guard against pain. I also use a heating pad on low when I am laying down. That will give me a lot of relief.
Right now I get about an hour of walking and then my hips begin to hurt like I have been hit by a baseball bat. YOu have to walk and stretch, but how much is too much, and I don't know how to get long lasting relief.
Sorry...shel
thanks for writing as i said right now because of the incident with the epidural plus a lot of doctors saying don't worry insurance will cover it makes me feel that they don't have my best interest at heart. i have to get my trust back in them. the only one i will see is the orthopedic surgeon who put in my total left knee replacement. he takes everything serious and recoeds what he says to you so he can follow up on it. actually before the knee i hardly ever went to a doctor and was just used to a regular GP. there's so many now that i have a hard time figuring out what each one does. plus i'm on a fixed income and paying off the chiropractor. i walk my dog constantly and try and do as much a i can and it seems to help a lot. but i'm finding out if i walk to much it makes it worse like the therapy did. like i told justsaynomore, i really think the weatherover here has a lot to do with it. i thought maybe someone had the perfect drug or something so it would last longer but i guess there is no such thing. Thank you also for talking to me.
Hi papa bear!
I have been around the world and back again with the doctors myself with neck, back, knee and throwing them all out in my fell swoop when I had my knee go out in the summer of 2006 suddenly.I had never had a sport injury of this kind in my life. I heard the knee pop or should I say tendons so I grab my knee up to chest with a twist and went down and hit the concrete sidewalk with elbow and hip on the left side of my body. I did end up having bugling disk at three different spots, threw out my neck and back, did time with the physical therapist, neurologist for a nerve study to find that my cream filling between the bones in my spine were bulging slighty and I went then for spinal decompression and physical therapy for back, neck and jaws three times a week for the rest of that summer of 2006 into the fall. I had tingling and pain along the way during this from the nerves but I didn't think it was anything do with Arthritis. I stayed in denial a few months longer will I continued to stay sick with some kind of upper respitory infection all the time no matter what I took or now long. I became highly allergic to poison oak and could catch it on the wind though I had never gotten it before in my life. I had to get a steriod shot to get rid of it. Then when that was about at bay my left foot got inflamed bones in it and I couldn't bend it at all. I was put back on steriods at a higher dose. Well I felt like super woman and did alot of stuff I hadn't been able to do in a long time like stand up straight from that sactica nerve damage at the bottom of my spinal cord, the weird soreness in my neck and jaws calmed down. Steriods were a good thing but I only had a week of them and then the nerve pain came back with a BANG but not just in a couple areas now. Now it was all over my body with inflamation including my face,sinuses, vocal box, shoulders,hands, knees, elbows, ankles, feet,lungs. I am not kidding. I finally begged the primary care doctor to do a blood test to see if I had the R.A. factor. She said I didn't but the test they do at the regular doctor are not that exact and through. I then got scheduled to go and see an R.A. and that will be in two days. Its like Christmas is coming early this year for me! I have waited so long to be sent to a doctor that can help me. I have done my research during the hours I am not sleeping.I have a good attitude and laughter helps. I have in mind to try Remicade but that is because the receptionist at my denstist said that is what has been working for her. I really don't want to waste more time with the doctor practicing medications on me or passing the buck like all the other doctors have been doing with me the last two years and not listening to me! What are you taking and how is it working for you. I am up this morning with a migraine and nausea. I just ache all over and I have muscle spasms out of no where. I am totally off the steriods now so I can be in optium pain for the doctor on Tuesday. I am so tired of being sick and tired and hurting and grumpy and weak and coughing up infection out of my lungs and my sinuses being full and my ears with the ringing that has been there for almost two years now. So what do you think the doctor is going to do with me? I am bringing all the CT scans, MRi's and x-rays and believe me that is plenty for the last two years and heavy to carry. I have seen two pages worth of doctors. ENT, ORTHOPEDIC SPORTS DOCTOR, LUNG SPECIALIST, NEULOGIST,CHIROPRACTOR, PHYSICAL THERAPIST, DENTIST, ORAL SURGEON AND MY LEAST FAVORITE AT THIS TIME MY P.C.D.
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