Pain Management | Arthritis Information
I have had pain issues and RA for five years. The primary difficulties are with my feet and mostly my shoulders. The shouldes overwhelm me at times and bring me down. It seem that at work I drink caffiene as much as I can, about gallon of lattes every three days. This hyper-extended sense of purpose allows me to "push through" the aches and pains of the work day. When I get home and I don't have to worry about driving and its too late for more caffiene, I will take a vicadin or two that evening to keep the pain down and allow me to sleep. Does anyone else have this insanity as a way to get thru the day?I have been very blessed to be a stay-at-home mom. However, we are hurting financially and I don't think I could get hired with having this RA. I am so sorry you have to go through all of that. I have often thought about if those Pain Management places are worth checking out. When we have the money, one day, I may have to check them out. Gosh, I wish I had something that would help you. All I know is that the pain is no fun and doesn't want to go away easily. I hope the pain eases up for you and soon.
Omgoodness. This sounds like me. Unfortunately I must work as I am the sole provider. I have quite a few rough days. I somehow manage to make it through the day only to come home take pain meds and crash. Well, I do have a few good days but they days I am not working through the pain I seem to be fighting the fatigue. It seems to be a never ending battle. I would sure love to have my life back. I sure the rest of those living with RA or any chronic illness must feel the same.
I too can relate. Like you, I have bad feet and shoulders.... it truly is a struggle since both are needed! Now I have bilateral tendonitis in elbows too. Since RA started for me in '02, fatigue has been a daily big burden too.
--coffee--I drink it too but only 1-3 cups(mugs actually)/day. It never helps. Every now and then I stop drinking it for a whole year.... no difference in anything at all from my IBS to RA and fatigue, so while it doesn't ease any symptoms, it also doesn't make any of them worse, so since I like a good cup of coffee, I do drink it. I really wish it would energize me a little but it never does; I can sleep for hours right after it. I do avoid those extra-strong booster coffees because of possible GI and cardiac reactions.
--vicodan--I do take it, but since I'm already taking daily Tramadol ER 100mg, I'm supposed to only take the vicodan for what RD calls, "break-through pain". My pharmacy is instructed on the Rx to give me only 10tabs/month, I guess to prevent addiction. So, I'm very careful and hold off unless pain is unbearable or it will interfere with being functional when I'm going to be with other people. So I seem to take 1-2/week; not bad. The daily Tramadol really has taken the edge off the pain and I take much less vicodan. If tramadol isn't strong enough for you, maybe there are other choices. It's worth a try so....
maybe you can ask your dr for an Extended Release daily pain med?
--job--I remember how hard it was even after finding a very parttime, short hours job. I am finally on SSDisability now after 2years of no income since my first shoulder surgery. Lucky for me, I do have a working husband. Unlucky for us is that after being downsized out of 2 jobs, he ended up selling cars in'08, right when people stopped buying them... and he works for Toyota--wouldn't you know it?
Anyway, I feel for ya.... working in pain is awful.
CathyMarie2010-04-25 12:30:59I can relate very well. I have very bad foot pain in addition to back and shoulder pain. I have to work as I support two people but find that I am less and less able to get through the day. The quality of my work is suffereing as well. I get home, crash and that it it. No social life, no family life, no hobbies etc. I just have no energy for anything. It is not how I want my life to be and not how it was before RA. My Rheumy refuses to give pain meds. I tried tramadol but had a bad reaction to it. After months of pain, my PCP said it was riduculous to be in so much pain and gave me 60 vicodan. That has to last for 6 months. On the days I take one when I get home, I am amazed when the pain starts to live. I actually begin to get a glimpse of what I used to be. The mornings also seem to be a little better because I can sleep at least a few hours before the pain gets me again. I don't understand the attitude of some of the doctors. It seems to be just go ahead and suffer. Thanks for sharing, it makes me feel better.I also understand what it is like dealing with chronic pain and fatigue. I take Vicodin daily. I am prescribed 1 to 2 pills 3 times daily (they are 750's), however I have never taken 2 at a time and I sometimes only take 1 a day. Usually in the am. most day my average dose is 1 in morning and one late afternoon. If I take one at bed time it seems to keep me awake. I usually take a half of a flexiril at bedtime. I will say the best thing is to keep moving. If I do not walk and do some sort of exercise I hurt worse and the vicodin does not work as well.
I wish you the best figuring out what works best for you!
Lisa
Well,
I believe that the best pain management, when it comes to rheumatoid arthritis, is an aggressive team of rheumatologists that don't give up but continue to try different meds until they prescribe the ones that actually relieve the pain. In my case, it was rituxan. I came up thru the meds with some success but never enough to keep me from constant misery until rituxan. It seems that with todays meds, there should be no complaints of constant pain. It is for sure that inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis pain is actually a pain that is signalling joint destruction. Oh, and every morning, I have a Monster energy drink, rather than coffee.
Just my opinion, for what it's worth.
LEV
Ok #1inflammed online, I want your doc!!! I too have constant pain and have just had 2 knee surgeries in 2 months due to ra. I struggle through my work day only to leave early most days to come home and take 1/2 a pill here and 1/2 a pill there to make them stretch. 1/2 pills might take a bit of the edge off the pain but thats about it. Why are these docs so concerned about us and pain pills. If we can function and live a normal life with these things, then let us have them. Noone wants to be taking them! Noone wants to be dependent on these dopey pills but I can not live my life the way I want without them. I just want to be able to walk to the corner store, or go shopping at the mall once in a while, make it through an entire workday. Just basic everyday things. I know I will not be back to my old self anymore. I understand that and deal with it but let me at least have some assemblence of a normal active life. This RA stuff without pain meds STINKS!!!! ha. Sorry to rant and rave but it just makes me mad that the people who abuse these drugs ruin it for those of us who NEED these drugs. While I am on it, I also hate how the drug stores and docs make you feel like the scum of the earth for asking for the meds and getting the scripts filled. ugh. Ok, I feel better now!!! :)
Actually Larry, I agree with the need for a team of doctors. I want to say that my Rheumatologist,Neuro and Ortho, do not prescribe the pain med. My family Doc takes care of it. All of my docs are aware of what I take. They all agree with the prescribed doses. My Rheumey would prescribe without a prob, my ortho would but is not allowed to prescribe long term, and my neuro sees me for the MS. Most people wiith ms do not need vicodin pain meds, typically nerve pain gets something like neurotin. My family doc has no problem with giving me the meds, he does not mind doing the extra paper work involved in giving me long term script. My family doc I had for 5 years before my current Doc, prescribed them for me during the last year he cared for me..( he left his practice and went to a med express). I have heard of others having issues getting treatment. Like counselorjules who posted above. I think that is terrible not to have your pain controlled. I was afraid of becoming addicted, but my doctor said that it works diffrently in the brain of someone who has chronic pain than someone who needs the pain meds for short term like injury or surgery, at times people keep taking them after the need is no longer necessary and they become addicted. I have stopped taking them in the past...I didn't "jones" for the high..I just experianced greater pain.
Lev, I would like to try Rituxan or one of the power drugs for RA, but I have to choose between the Betaseron ( interferon) that I have taken for years successfully for my MS , or decide to try a RA drug. I cannot take both. I do take Methotrexate and Plaq. Oddly enough I took Methotrexate for several years for my MS and was able to stop taking it as the Betaseron became a very effective treatment. IDK...I think pain is a very personal issue. I hate to hear anyone living in constant uncontrolled pain. I will say...my pain is never gone...I have what I consider really good days..and then I have flares that ..well you all know. I do not have the nerve to stop the betaseron...it works. So I take the vicodin...it works as well.(((Lisa))).. you are dealing with multiple chronic illnesses and are limited as to how you can fight them.. making choices which work best for you.. including the pain meds..I completely understand
I have the option, as lev says, to fight with an aggressive treatment against my RA...
I was where you are... fighting to just get through the day.. only to fall asleep upon arriving home and not even making it through dinner..... walking was painful..... sitting was........... reaching was.... standing was
BUT.......
that was then..
and this is now.
I am taking enbrel shots weekly w/ my 20mg of MTX.... and my NSAID.. I do not take anything else ..
I am feeling so well that I can work for hours in my gardens... something I have not been able to do for YEARS!
so, give yourselves the time to allow your RA meds to work.... you will feel better if you get the right combo of meds that will work for you.. we are all different... but there is something out there that will help you feel better and have more energy!! I sitll have some bad days... or moments... but they are much fewer...and farther between...
Best to you!!
babs102010-04-29 08:01:53[QUOTE=justoday]I have had pain issues and RA for five years. The primary difficulties are with my feet and mostly my shoulders. The shouldes overwhelm me at times and bring me down. It seem that at work I drink caffiene as much as I can, about gallon of lattes every three days. This hyper-extended sense of purpose allows me to "push through" the aches and pains of the work day. When I get home and I don't have to worry about driving and its too late for more caffiene, I will take a vicadin or two that evening to keep the pain down and allow me to sleep. Does anyone else have this insanity as a way to get thru the day?[/QUOTE]
justoday.
if you are still in that much pain..... perhaps you need to speak w/ your RD about changing your meds....
if enbrel and MTX are leaving you in such pain that you are in need of a pain reliever over and above NSAIDs.... then I would want to try something else...
OR... is your pain due to problems in your bones and your cartiledge from the RA and destruction??? DO you see an orthopedic?
I am making an appointment w/ an ortho..... I have pain and having had knee deterioration as a child w/ JRA... I know that the pain can be due to problems caused while the disease was active.
Good luck.
Babs-I do see my RD twice a year and we do talk about the meds. Before the Enbrel and the MTX, and before the DX, I was in and out of ERs, Urgent Cares - left knee would swell, then right. Left shoulder would lock up then the right - I had six cortizone shots in less than 3 months. Also, I woke up every morning at 3 or 4 and would have to take a pain killer and then just curl up and wait 30 minutes for the pill to work so I could go back to sleep. THOSE were the bad days and what I have today is much,much better. I complain, but I am back to grinding my way through work and I still am able to play high-level tennis at local and other California tournaments. It is probably getting to where the pain is stronger than the joy of exercise, but I want to keep pushing on and stay active. The things we have to do to override our RA and make our lives worth living is tremendous. But I do, in some small way, appreciate the challenge. I saw my father die from ALS and after seeing that, what I have to deal with is workable.
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