I need some advice | Arthritis Information

 

Hi  to you all! I would like to say this board has been so informative to me, I can' t thank you all enough.
I am 42 living with RA and fibro for about three years now, well at least that is when I was officially diagnosed. About 6 months ago I dropped quite a bit of weight (30 lbs) brushed it off as stress, kids etc. To make a long story shorter, I was sent to a Endo by my RA dr. The Endo thinks its HYPER thyroidism. Which of course scares me to death. My oldest son has Type 1 diabetes and my youngest has JRA. She really said to me that my family is an auto immune nightmare LOL.  Anyway I had more blood work and a thyroid scan and am awaiting the results.
 I was reading through the posts about being pain free. Why am i not? I have tried MTX, Enbrel, Prednisone and am on Humiara now. I have pain all the time. Maybe my tolerance for pain is low. I cannot remember being pain free, sure some days are worse than others as yo u all know but I dont know how much longer I can stand this. I quit my job so I could go back to college, I thought it might be a bit easier on me by doing this. I find myself constantly tired and haing a hard time even getting to class.
 I know my b12 was low so my doc suggested OTC B12 1,000 units a day. I guess my question is does it get better? How many of you have the same pain I do daily? I take Vicodin 7.5 and it doesnt touch it, therefore I end up taking more than the 6 a day dose( more like 8-9) . I do run out and am in pain I cant een  describe. I am worried about the excessive tylenol usage and my liver.
 I see my RA doc Monday and I usually tell her I am the same. I dont tell her all I should I guess I dont want to be a whinner. Could my thyroid being hyper cause me to feel so crappy 24/7?  Any help is welcomed!!
Chris

Humiara Q 2 weeks
Spironolactone 25
Imdur 40 twice daily
Lyrica 200 at bedtime
Flexeril 10 at bed
Vicodin 7.5 regularly
B12 OTC

Chris, sorry you are feeling so awful.  I don't know what all your meds are, but many doctors combine meds (multi DMARDS and/or Biologics, etc.) which sometimes give better results.  I don't know if you have had blood work done lately and what your numbers are.  I think you need to not worry about being a whiner and be totally honest about  how you are feeling.  Doctors make their decisions based on what you say and what your numbers are, so be  honest so  you can get the right help.  Good luck.

First of all welcome to the forum but at the same time I am sorry you have the need to be here.  Like you I have daily pain.  I can not remember a pain free day in the past 18 months.  I too take more pain meds than prescribed but my RD has no problem with it and re-fills mine early.

I do not have thyroid problems so I have no advice there. Research everything you have a question about so when you go to your appointment you can take an active role in your treatment plan. Write down questions in detail so you forget nothing. Good luck as you go to your rheumy and I hope you can get answers for all your questions.Hello and welcome. It sounds if a great deal has been placed upon your shoulders. RA, of and by itself it enough, but you have been burdened with even more.

IIRC, Imdur is a drug for angina: a nitrate. I am not versed in the side-effects nor interactions with other drugs, but in your position I would investigate any potential interaction with the other meds you are taking.

Pain control is one of the major difficulties of RA. If your current pain medications are not working to your satisfaction speak candidly with your physicians. I found better relief with oxycodone than with Vicodin and certainly my liver is better off without the acetaminophen. If your rheumatologist is reluctant to work with you on achieving adequate pain control request a referral to a "pain doc". Often, a physician who specializes in treating chronic pain is better suited to finding and/or tweaking a schedule for adequate pain control medications. Additionally, there are other members of the health care profession who can enhance your quality of life: occupational and physical therapists, mental health professions, and nutritionists.
[quote]but I dont know how much longer I can stand this. I quit my job so I could go back to college, I thought it might be a bit easier on me by doing this. I find myself constantly tired and haing a hard time even getting to class.[/quote]
I dare say that many of us, if not most of us understand that sentiment very well. Fatigue, malaise, ennui are all too common in RA. The better controlled the disease the better able we are too function. As Kim said, combination therapy has been the SECRET for some of us. Use the search function and read through some of the combination therapy topics.

Cheers and best wishes, Shug
Just wanted to say welcome. sorry you are dealing with so much at this time. Wishing you resolution in all areas there is need.I started a thread a week or two ago about not being pain free. I'm not.. nowhere close actually. It seems that is the case for most of us. Talk to your RD candidly. There maybe more that he/she can do for you.
Good luck!Well  my thyroid blood work has come back and the dr. said it was better than my previous TSH. My Rheumetologist hads mentioned some kind of thyroid disease that can come and go?? I will ask her Monday.
Thank you all who made me feel like I wasnt becoming a junkie!! I will talk to her about pain management , I dont think she will help me anymore in the pain department, she was actually thinking of lowering my pain meds! I would defiently not be able to do much then!


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