So the last several weeks or more I have been SO tired, like I can just never get enough sleep. More recently I've been noticing more stiffness if I've been still for a bit, with slightly achy joints ( fingers, knees, shoulder, big toes). I know these are typical things for RA, but not really for me. Enbrel keeps those symptoms under control so this is not how I usually feel. Anyhow, I've been getting nervous, like, maybe I'm about to get slammed again like I did at the onset. But instead, and this is the odd part, one finger swelled up yesterday, it's still swollen today but it isn't terribly painful. It's hot, and red. But their is no inflammation in any other joint. Another odd thing. My shot site is bruised, still, from last weeks shot. I take them on Saturday. I never bruise from my shot.
edited to correct error.
Linncn, been there and through all that. My meds weren't working well enough to keep me from flaring. You probably should call your RD and he/she may adjust your meds and/or add another DMARD to the mix. As long as there is any inflammation or swelling damage is occuring. If it's red, hot, swollen there's inflammation in those joints. Keep us posted. LindyThanks Lin, Snow. I just thought it was weird that just one finger would become inflamed. I mean, I never hear anybody saying that, ya know? And I think I should s cratch the n"not hurting much" it's getting worse as the night wears on.
Sorry you aren't at your best now Snow. Hope the test find the answers you need. And want.
Lin, my RD told me once that inflammation has to go on continuously for a while before it can do any damage. Do you have info that conflicts with that?
Thanks for the responses, gals. I appreciate it.
Linncn- just my left pinkie was swelled and felt like it was hit with a hammer for a few weeks. I hadn't done a thing to it. It was during my flare where I was feeling more stiff and achy in other joints as well.
Hope it's just a random thing like RA often pulls and it goes away without further incident.
Aw Linncn, so sorry. Hope you can get on top of it as soon as possible. That's the one thing I have had, about 5 years ago a ring finger swoll up like a sausage for about 20 minutes while playing cards. Weird. Good luck. Thanks WTB, Cathy. Don't feel too sorry for me, it isn't the worst thing in the world. Anything that'll make my husband want to make dinner AND clean up afterward can't be all bad, afterall. :)I'll say! I made a big fancy dinner tonight that wore me out and my husband still just pushed his plate away from him and got up and left the table tonight. That was after he told me earlier that the cardiologist who did my son's EKG had told him -MTX- that is some bad sh*t. She said it just like that he told me amazed. I said how did that come up? She was taking a family health history. I was thinking...hmmm.... maybe a light bulb will go off in his head. NOT!
Aw, I'm sorry about that WTB. Listen, if you make me a fancy meal, I'll clean up. :)
How did the ekg go? I missed that he was even having one or why he had to. Is all well?
The EKG went well and he had a heart ultrasound which I didn't expect but that went well too! I feel so relieved! Thanks for asking!
I get to choose? I would like seared Ahi tuna, fresh steamed aspargus and garlic mashed potatoes. Dessert? Tres Leche cake (which I saw on a cooking show, made it for my MIL last week while in Florida, and it was SO DELISH. I mean, it was amazing. Tres Leche- tell me- is that cake very wet? At work a Guatemalan woman baked an absolutely gorgeous cake for my boss and he shared it with the office. She said it was Tres Leche. Well I put one forkful in my mouth and I had to spit it out! It was like a saturated sponge to me. It did not look raw. Thank God no one was around. I would not have wanted to hurt her feelings.
I don't hurt as much when swollen.... when inflammation is reduced, I feel more pain... I think that is due to destruction that has already occured...when inflammed I'm stiff and sore but not hurting as much as when inflammation is down... and things grind on each other...... OUCH!
some good links to inflammation and damage --- the first is an abstract
http://ard.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/68/2/159
Unequivocal evidence indicates that disease activity, and thus the inflammatory response, is linked to joint damage. From this viewpoint we suggest that, vice versa, joint damage might be a cause of the active disease process, thus leading to a vicious cycle of events. The background to this notion stems from the known autoimmune response in RA, the potential of cartilage and bone breakdown products to elicit inflammation and notions that in joints that have undergone surgery with cartilage removal RA does not flare. However, the clinical evidence for this relationship is still to be provided as proof of the concept.
LOL- yes he grumbled about my dessert too. I layered mini Nilla wafers, cream cheese filling, strawberries & blackberries in parfait glasses with whipped cream on top. Not so good he says. He ate the entire thing though! He's only happy when he's complaining. I liked it so that's what counts!
Bummer about the inflammation - I hope it subsides quickly!
what you need is for your husband to have to live on his own for a bit as mine does....he's VERY appreciative when he comes home... Thanks Babs. Haven't read those links yet, but I wil. WTB~ Yeah, the cake is wet. You bake a sponge cake (we actually used a pound cake) and poke a cajillion holes in it. Then you saturate it with a mixture of condensed milk, evaporated milk, and regular milk. Let it soak in and then top in with whipped cream. We put fresh blueberries on top too. It doesn't push chocolate eclairs out of the number one spot, but it could be my number two. :)
Thanks Jas :) How's your ear today?
The ear is much better today. No pain, less ringing, and I can hear in stereo!
That's a relief, huh? It sure doesn't take long for the abx to work, make sure you don't start feeling so good you forget to finish it all. Oh wait, you aren't five are you. Sorry :)LOL.
Feel better Linc. Sorry you are so tired that stinks. The stiffness is no fun either. Keep us updated. Hope it is a fluke and thinks get back to normal soon.Thanks Milly ol' buddy. How are you?I have a miserable runny nose. Thanks for asking. LOL[QUOTE=Linncn]Thanks Lin, Snow. I just thought it was weird that just one finger would become inflamed. I mean, I never hear anybody saying that, ya know? And I think I should s cratch the n"not hurting much" it's getting worse as the night wears on.
Sorry you aren't at your best now Snow. Hope the test find the answers you need. And want.
Lin, my RD told me once that inflammation has to go on continuously for a while before it can do any damage. Do you have info that conflicts with that?
Thanks for the responses, gals. I appreciate it.
[/QUOTE]
Linncn, How long is awhile? One week, two weeks, one month, etc.? You have inflammation for several weeks, take a Pred. burst pack, gets better, becomes inflammed and painful two months from now for another two weeks, this goes on for the next year. Is that awhile? That's an accumulation of inflamation over a long period of time and damage occurs. You really should call your RD.
The DMARDS and biologics are given to you in the hopes that you can achieve clinical remission and that in turn stops damage. Inflammation can be present with no pain and no visible signs of it but damage is occuring. I hope that it disappears as quickly as it arrived. Take care. Lindy
Lin~ that's a good question and one that I probably should have asked him. He said that to me following a rather short-lived flare (about a week) when I was concerned about possible joint damage. Given that my blood work is almost always perfect, he was not terribly concerned. Although, he did say that even though it isn't so common, sometimes damage could occur pretty quickly so you still can't ignore a short flare. I have to go in for my routine blood work this week and my next RD appointment is scheduled next month. I don't know, I'm reluctant to change my meds. I don't have any side effects, I know what to expect and so far they have worked pretty well, with only occasional flares. I'm afraid of going through the trial and error of different medicatons.....what if I end up worse than I am now? I don't want to back to living in a chair.The Chair- I remember my days in The Chair too Linncn. I call that The Bad Place. It's a true life nightmare. I too fear ever going back!
WTB, I know you remember the chair. Our stories are so similar it's pretty crazy.It is crazy! And now we have both presented with 1 swollen finger! Is it your pinky?
Jas - glad your ears are better, that's one I haven't had. WannaBeFree - glad things went well.
Okay, since I have had the one finger thing, what's the chair? You all have scared me THE CHAIR.....ARRRGH!
Cathy, THE CHAIR is the only place you're relatively comfortable after the flare from hell has arrived and no amount of meds make it go away or even better. You hobble from bed, to bathroom, to THE CHAIR and that's where you stay. I did that for 6 months and ended up with pulmonary embolisms due to inactivity. I almost died because of THE CHAIR. That's when I decided I needed to take control of the disease. No one should stay in THE CHAIR. LindyCathy~ When RA first hit me (and WTB), it hit me reallly hard. It slammed all my joints except my jaw and left me stuck in a chair for most of the time over a 4 month period. It wasn't until I started Enbrel that I could walk again.
WTB~ Nope. it's my middle finer on my left hand.
JSNM- LinB and Linncn described The Chair to a T! To elaborate a little further The Chair is where you even have to try and sleep at night because if you get in bed your joints freeze up and you can't get out. Someone will have to yank you up by the scruff of your nightgown while you scream and then somehow get you to swing your frozen legs over the side of the bed and then yank you to standing position at which point you scream again. The Chair is a recliner and when someone operates the mechanism for you slowly it ahhh... makes it so much less unpleasant.
Linncn- well it's still on the left hand! Hmmm- what's the significance of the middle finger- does it kind of make you feel like RA is telling you to ef yourself?
I hate the chair. Thats when I found all of you. With out all of you to talk me threw it I would have lost my mind. For me when RA hits my hands and fingers it hits every where. Just my experience. I have an ever constant battle with my feet and ankles. It dose not take much to make me chair bound. I had damage in my feet before I had visable swelling. Thats whn I was told I had fibro and RA did not yet show up on my blood work. So now I get swelling on damaged areas and sometimes can not walk. I take pain meds on a daily bases just to walk. Sometimes the pain meds do not work. Several times a week I holler out loud because of my stupid left toe. It is very fragil and gets muscle spasms and swelling and has narrowing of the joint space. I guess the swelling is actually in my foot and ankle but it is killing my toe. It would be nice to go to bed at night without my feet throbbing. New meds are always scary.
Maybe they can just up the dosage?
I always bruised from my shots didn't matter if it was Enbrel or Humira. I like wanttobe's comment about your middle finger! No sense worrying so much, get in to see your doctor!
I have a single finger whose joints are twice the size of the ones on my opposite hand. Unfortunately it's my thumb! I can't bend it and haven't been able to for months. I feel like I've goine backwards in evolution by a hundred million years, having lost the "opposable" thumb that makes me human.Sorry to hear about your thumb. My right thumb catches and poops all of the time. The nine year stepped on my toe last week. Instead of screaming I was growling like a caveman. I sent the poor child into shock. So she just stood there. I got my composure and gently coaxed her off of my toe. Then I nearly fainted from the shock of the shearing pain. I guess everyone thought I was just having a nervous break down. Well it certainly got everyones attention.Yikes. I think I have already done my time in THE CHAIR, but didn't know it was called that LOL. This was pre-dx and it was "depression" why I couldn't work or get out of the house. It actually was anemia and beginning RA, so when I got up from THE CHAIR or THE BED, I would be stuck in some weird position for a minute or so, but it never got as bad as you are describing. Hard to believe one little swollen sausage finger can cause THE CHAIR. LOL You have made me laff - thanks CathyI couldn't even sleep in my bed, slept in the reclining chair. Sometimes I had to try to sleep sitting stright up because my shoulders were so bad. Just lying back was too much. Gravity I guess. I'd go as long as I could stand it without drinking anything because the trip to the bathroom was too excruciating. Man, I hope I never end up there again. Who knew pain could be so painful? I sure didn't.Oh no- at the time it was not one swelled finger. ALL my joints were off the charts pain. 6 AM when my husband awakened- in The Chair- I would test by moving ever so slowly, ever so little -joint by joint to see who would be complaining as the worst off the pain chart of the morning. I never knew a body could be so painful Linncn. I swear to God I honestly have pushed out of mind the sensations. I remember how terrifying it was- but I can't re-inact the pain- THANK GOD! How embarrassing but I used to pee into a large plastic cup and pour it into the toilet because it was too painful to sit down after having just stood up.
I had a real fear after I went into remission when ever I started having aches and pains but after not having a reoccurence... I habe become more relaxed.
This is the part that's so weird to me. When I have THE CHAIR pain, I ALWAYS end up in the hospital - but its either nothing they can figure out, or I lose my blood pressure and cannot sit or stand for days, or emergency surgery where the appendix is fine when they thought it was bad, but they find a pendulated uterian cyst instead, or I am vomiting and blasting out on the other end so badly it takes four days of rehydration, or crushing chest pain that I think is a heart attack that will finally go away after about twelve hours of whithering around and my heart tests are normal, or a migraine so bad I cry at any stimulation, even a whisper, crazy stuff, and not even morphine can stop it. I get THE CHAIR pain every few years, but its always internal, and I haven't had this crippling joint pain, YET. My worst episodes have all been internal, except that stupid finger that one time. I will never understand this disease. When I was in "The Chair" I often thought I belonged in the hospital on a morphine drip where there are nurses who know just how to move you, because Husband is just not a caretaker- which he reminded me of daily....the doctor actually told me without my requesting it that it was a consideration of hers but I was in such a weakened state she feared I would catch a hospital infection. If it ever happens again- I'll take my chances in the hospital.
JSNM~ I did end up in the hospital. I had to go by ambulance because I could not bear my own weight and my shoulders and elbows, wrists etc were all so bad too. My husband couldn't even help me out of my chair because even the slightest movement was too much. And I'm not a big baby either. I always joked that they didn't even have to turn the siren on because I was screaming loud enough to let everyone know we were coming! They gave me dilaudid at the hospital and that was great. But it made my blood pressure go too low so I only got it that once. They gave me morphine but that didn't help much. It took a mega dose of IV steroids to bring the inflammation down. I was dx'd shortly after that.
WTB~ will keep your large cup idea in the back of my mind for future reference should the need arise. Why didn't I think of that?
The bathroom throne was worse than the chair. More humiliating and painful. Stan had to help me on/off and help with other hygiene and I was so angry about it. I cried not because of the pain but because I was humiliated. Not a good place to be. I forgot about a lot of this or pushed it out of my mind. The chair has sent me to the hospital twice, pulmonary embolism and the second time was mild congestive heart failure due to inflammation. Inflammation can kill and that's why it's so very important to get it under control. The pain is crazy pain. Lindyugh...... I've lived this. The Chair.....
Yeah, I guess all who have spent time in "the chair" have felt the sting of humiliation. Not only with bathroom issues at home, but OMGosh!! I had to have the nurse put me on a bedpan in the hospital. I mean, I was only 43 years old. I just wanted to hide my face and cry. I would have had I been able to move my head. :(
For me it was The Bed. I could barely get out of bed. Since the bathroom is just feet from the bedroom, I never even tried to go to the living room to sit in the recliner. I just stayed in bed. Even holding a coffee cup or can of Coke was horribly painful. All the pain was concentrated in my hands and feet. Sitting on the toilet was not a problem, but walking to and from the bathroom was. I had to have my father take me to the doctor's office, and then to the pharmacy.
I also got my period when I was in The Chair. My poor husband said that was where he had to draw the line. What a mess. My hands were useless- I don't even know how I changed my pads. Humiliation is right!
Also for future reference- those wet bathroom wipes are a Godsend. Helps you to take care of yourself when you have no wiping strength. (Sorry to be so graphic)
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