Hands are painful again. | Arthritis Information

well I laid off the celebrex for a few days, trying to conserve the pills given me by my doc,,and now my hands feel swollen and painfull today...so will take the pills again....my ins won't pay for it, so been depending on "samples" from my doc....but could be worse, at least my "trigger" finger is not locking up like it did at first.....everyone have a great weekend no matter what!!!!!

(think I'll hang out here instead of the "off topic" dominated RA forum,).

I am in a huge problem myself with the hands. This happened once before in 2003, and the hand doctor said double surgery, carpal tunnel. But he couldn't answer me why it only happened at night, not during the day when I was doing say typing. I refused the surgery because I wasn't convinced it was carpal tunnel.

Well, it has come back suddenly with a vengance and I see my primary Monday. I have cock-up splints, but this is keeping me up at night, walking around shaking my hands trying to get them to get any feeling back in them and now during the day I have slight numbness. And this is a symptom of RA, and the hand surgeon five years ago never even considered it when I explained that it was only at night and the shaking out of the hands.

Good luck, and wish me luck too. I cannot afford double surgeries, money-wise or time-wise. Cathy

Cathy, sorry u r suffering also....when I was still working, I had a lot of probs with my hands cause of PC use, and docs said it was carpel tunnel, but I convinced boss to have "evaluation" of my work station....they decided, (as I already knew), that my desk was too high, and that keyboard placement forced my hands to bend too much, which gave me the carpel symptoms...(much study over last 10/15 yrs have shown hands should be level, not cocked, when using keyboard)....so they reset my desk and lowered my keyboard....problem with hands went away within weeks...I also have both hands involved right now, and that makes me wonder if I am in beginning stages of RA even tho the blood tests say no!? Oh well time will tell,,,,,try have a good day in spite of everything!!!

Don,

I am so very sorry. I just can't believe that there isn't a way around the whole insurance thing. I do not know who the makers of Celebrex are, but I would even write to them and see if they can help with the cost.

If you can afford a Paraffin wax bath...that would help a lot! I am turning mine on today!

Take care, shel

Shel thanks, we are on medicare as we're retired, but the medicare scription plan won't pay for a lot of the "better" meds...plus our pensions are just enuff to NOT qualify for assistance, but not enuff to be able to pay out of pocket for some of these meds...its a viscious circle a lot of folks are caught in...but oh what the heck, I could damn sure be a lot worse off......I am uprite and breathing today anyway@@@@....

Don,

I understand completely! I went from teaching full time last year to teaching a couple of days a week, and hubby is retired from Military and is a Civilian worker. Although his Military insurance is good, it is still frustrating trying to find...what we can and cannot do.

Try to email the company...they may be able to help. I am still praying for you and the relief in your hands. Have you asked the doc for more samples? I would as much as you pay for them. I would explain the situation, and ask if they can help. They get their samples free!

Take care Don!

[QUOTE=Hawkeye2007]...its a viscious circle a lot of folks are caught in...[/QUOTE]

It is vicious and sometimes the decisions that it necessitates are not only worrisome but can be dangerous.

Ask you physician to write a "hardship letter" (a terrible phrase, but... ... ...) to the pharmaceutical company. At least on occasion the response can be positive.

Some communities have an office of patient advocacy through the county/state health department, contact them; also contact charitable and philanthropic organization and request help. And ask your physician for enough "samples" to make you comfortable while you are checking out the options!

Con brio! Happ

Happ, thanks for that info,,,my doc has been great about supplying me with samples so far.....I'll just keep on keepin on!!!

So, here I am, bemoaning the uselessness of my hands: I was going to work in the yard today and get the flower beds ready for winter. I can grasp but not close the anvil pruners; I cannot even hold the hand cultivator; the few very tall cosmos plants I was able to pull from ground made my wrists ache and now my knees are being sympathetic to my hands.

>>DEEP SIGH<<, does anyone else get _tired_ of hearing themselves complain? Damn...

Oh Happ...I totally understand! I love my gardens, and they just do not look the same. I usually have to take a couple of days to recoop.

Last time I was weeding. I got so tired, that hubby took the last flower bed, and I just answered questions. It was the least populated one...so he re-assured me that he would not get into trouble. I would really like one of those little roller carts that I could sit on and have tools. I would also like to prune a couple of Crabapple trees that we have, but I think I will have DS trim them under my command.

Sorry you have escalated the pain...and yes, I get so tired of hearing the same pains come out of my mouth.